Page 34 of Daddy Frost

And Leo intimidated the hell out of him.

Lately, his preferred method was physically hurting Delta. A hard twist of the arm, a backhand to the face, shoved against the wall. It was now to the point that Delta was afraid to go home, knowing his uncle would be there, waiting on the porch.

Though, with the last visit, Leo had been inside his house. Delta had come home and locked his door, only to find his uncle waiting for him on the couch.

Sitting forward, Kalen ran a hand over his beard thoughtfully. “And once your mom passed, the guardrails were gone. He descended on you, preying on your grief and using your vulnerability to his advantage.”

“How…?” Delta stared wide-eyed at him.

“He eats kittens for breakfast,” Kalen replied, dropping his hand from his beard. “Based on your description, it seemed like the only logical conclusion.”

Delta clenched his jaw to stop it from quivering. “At first, Leo asked me to run some errands for him, which seemed harmless enough, and I made money, which I’d needed. Then one night he took me somewhere called the demon realm.”

Kalen cursed.

“I take it you know the place?”

“I’ve been there a few times,” Kalen admitted. “It’s not exactly a place I’d take a human.”

Delta snorted. “Tell me about it. I freaked out so badly I begged him to take me home. He refused and threatened to beat my ass if I didn’t pull my shit together.” He blew out a stress-filled breath.

Kalen got up and took a seat next to him, entwining their fingers. Delta concentrated on their joined hands, marveled at how much larger Kalen’s was compared to his.

“Has he hurt you?” Kalen’s eyes searched his. “He has, hasn’t he?”

“Yes.” His heart was beating so fast he was afraid Kalen could hear it. “His aggression has been escalating.”

Kalen slid an arm around Delta’s shoulders and pulled him into his warm, comforting side. The guy felt like a safe haven. Delta needed it desperately. Needed the kiss Kalen placed on his temple. Kalen’s dark and smoky scent had already become so familiar to Delta that he wanted to bury his face in it.

“Anyway…” Delta cleared his throat. “We ended up in some bar that I don’t even remember the name of. Leo instructed me not to talk to anyone under any circumstances, ordered me to stay put, and then he went to the back with a group of men to handle something.”

“He left you alone in the bar when you’ve never been to the demon realm?” Kalen appeared livid. “It’s like leaving a lamb in a den for wolves to protect.”

“No pun intended?” Delta grinned at him. He was stalling, too afraid to think about what’d happened next in that bar, of how he suspected Leo had left him alone with intent, or how family could betray someone that sinisterly.

“A stranger approached me,” Delta continued, curling into Kalen. “He came off as aggressive, like he’d never heard of boundaries and was never told how off-putting he was.”

“Whichello?”

Delta shook his head. “Just some rando. He started getting handsy with me, even though I kept pushing them away, repeatedly telling him I wasn’t interested.”

Kalen’s arm tightened around Delta.

“Someone, roughly your size, gripped the stranger’s wrist and told him ‘The gentleman isn’t interested, so back off or I’ll teach you some manners.’ The handsy guy curled his lip and said I wasn’t worth a fight. My rescuer, insert Whichello, bought me a drink, and we talked for a bit, while I was unaware just how much deception was at play.”

If Delta had the ability and know-how, he would beat Leo to within an inch of his life. How could his uncle and his mom be related? She’d been the sweetest person he’d known, while her brother was the rankest.

“After Leo’s meeting, we left. Then, halfway to this dark lake in the middle of the city, he laughed and thanked me for being the perfect distraction with Whichello while he ripped the guy off.”

Kalen’s hand squeezed Delta’s arm before he began to rub it soothingly. “You were your uncle’s unwitting pawn.”

“Yes. He explained to me that Whichello had gone back on a deal, and he was simply taking what was his, though he never told me what he’d taken. It hadn’t been a meeting but a heist of some sort.” He pulled away and looked up at Kalen, into eyes the color of blue diamonds. “He’d told me I was exactly Whichello’s type, and that was why he’d taken me with him then left me alone in the bar. You know what’s so crazy?”

“What, muffin?”

“I actually enjoyed my conversation with Whichello, as bad as that might sound. He seemed like a decent guy, and it wasn’t until after I left that Leo informed me that Whichello was a demon. Blew my mind, because when you think of demons, your mind conjures images of horns and a tail, some red-skinned creature holding a pitchfork.”

Kalen’s smile was warm and sincere. “I have no clue how humans came to that conclusion.”

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