Page 47 of My Demon Mate

Drake takes my phone and looks at it, a frown marring his face as he looks at the date and time of our check-in. “What’s this about?” I ask when he hands my phone back.

The sheriff’s face reflects disappointment. It dawns on me he was hoping that he could nail me with something. “Your daddy is dead. He was killed last night.”

I gasp, though I don’t overdo it by crying. Everyone knows there was no love lost between me and Jack. If I start bawling like we had some perfect relationship, the sheriff would know something was up.

“What? How?” I ask. Raven squeezes my thigh under the table, but I don’t look at him. The sheriff would probably try to misconstrue that into my being guilty.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss that. I?—”

“Actually, Sheriff,” Raven says, and the sheriff starts again, “you must disclose cause of death with the next of kin. Answer Everest’s question.”

I’ve never had to be notified of the death of someone close to me, so I’m not sure if that’s true or not.

Scoffing, the sheriff opens the file and pushes it over to me. They’re crime scene photos. A charred corpse greets me on the first picture. My hand flies to my mouth as I close the file. I’m not upset that Jack is dead or that we burned his body—I just wasn’t expecting to see that photo.

“He was burned in his house,” the sheriff says as he takes the folder back, “but before that, his heart was ripped out. Found it burnt up beside him. Do either of you know anything about that?”

I shake my head, hand still over my mouth. “No.” The word comes out muffled. “Nothing.”

“You sure about that? You’re the only one that had a problem with Jack. He was a fine, upstanding citizen and you hated him, didn’t you?”

Anger courses through me as I look up at Sheriff Drake in disbelief. “Fine, upstanding citizen? He used to beat my ass any chance he got for whatever reason he made up in his head. He was not a fine, upstanding citizen. He was a monster.”

I clamp my mouth shut when I see the look on Sheriff Drake’s face. He was waiting on an outburst like that from me. He leans forward, eyes dancing with triumph. “A monster you wanted dead?”

“No, Sheriff. I wanted away from him, so I moved out. I left him and his abuse behind. What’s the point of killing him when I was away from how he treated me?”

Sheriff Drake leans back in his chair, trying to think of something else to say, some other way to corner me, but I’ve had enough. It’s obvious he has nothing. He’s grasping at straws, and I won’t sit here and allow him to weasel a confession out of me.

Raven beats me to it. “Is that all, Sheriff?” he asks, standing fluidly and sliding one hand in his pocket as he holds the other out to me. I take it and stand as well.

“For now.” Even though he directed the words to Raven, he doesn’t meet his eyes. I smile at how my demon has this fucking asshole scared. I can’t wait to kill Sheriff Drake. When we get back from Xendail, he’s next.

We walk toward the door of the interrogation room, but before we step out, I turn back to the sheriff. “I won’t be claiming Jack’s body. He tormented me and tortured me for years, without your interference.” Sheriff Drake looks at me evenly, not the least bit sorry about his inaction on my behalf. “I’m sure the people of this community will chip in to bury this fine, upstanding citizen. It won’t be me.”

“You’re a shitty fucking son,” Drake spews, wagging a finger at me. “If it were me, I would have finished the job, not just given you a few black eyes. You were a blight on his life. A gay son on top of his wife running off. No wonder he drank all the time.”

Before I can defend myself or my mother, Raven takes two steps over to the sheriff, towering over him. Sheriff Drake shrinks back, his hand on the butt of his gun. Raven doesn’t pay that any mind, crowding the sheriff with his much larger body. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll never wish ill upon Everest again.”

“Is that a threat?” He tries to sound tough, but his voice comes out strained with fear. Fuck, Raven is magnificent.

Raven chuckles, nodding his head. “Absolutely.” He takes a few steps back, reaching for me. “Let’s go, Everest. We are done here.”

I lace my fingers through his, and we leave the police station.

CHAPTER 17

RAVEN

Everest is listless when we get back home, and I hate it. He looks out of it, trying to keep up a brave front for me. He is forgetting that I can read his emotions. They are fucking bleak. Despite how he tried to pretend he did not care, what the sheriff said got to him. I do not think it is about him being a bad son or his father being an upstanding citizen. His terrible feelings are about what the sheriff said about his mom running off. We both know the truth. If Everest had told the sheriff what we knew, he would have wanted to know how we knew. That would be a can of worms that Everest does not need to open. He got his revenge and freed himself of his father. Nothing else matters.

Before bed, we climb in the shower, Everest holding on to me for dear life. It is a little hard to wash him while he is like this, but I manage, soaping him everywhere and rubbing the flesh I can reach.

Everest shudders when I get to his ass cheeks, mewling softly into my chest. I do not take things further. It might not be what he wants right now.

I rinse him off and turn off the shower, helping him out and pulling down a heated towel. Everest leans back against the sinks, watching me as I dry him off. Once I am done, I toss the towel away and stand in front of him, caging him in.

“What are you feeling, baby?” I ask, kissing his forehead gently. “Tell me what is going on in your head.”

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