Page 60 of Spider Demon's Kiss

“Maybe Sato knows he doesn’t have to ask you.”

As much as I hated it, Matteo was right. Every man I’ve been with for more than a night, has died. If my father wanted someone dead, all he had to do was get me to love them. Without asking for it, they would be out of the picture.

“If you believe that, then shoot,” I told him resigned to my fate. “Go ahead. Do it.”

“What’s going on?” Dante asked returning to the table with Matteo and me staring coldly at each other.

Matteo’s arm holding the gun, retreated.

“I was just welcoming my new brother-in-law to the family.”

“Was he?” Dante asked me.

“I’ve never felt more at home,” I said not taking my eyes off of Matteo.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Matteo had gotten into my head.

“I don’t think he shot at you?” I told Dante on the car ride home.

“I don’t think so either. And if what he said about Uncle Vinny is true, and he is back, we have another problem.”

“Sounds like it,” I agreed.

“You okay, Kuroi? You’ve been quiet since I got back from the bathroom,” he asked after I continued to not be able to look him in the eyes.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

“I’m tired.”

“Are you too tired to collect your reward for being good tonight?”

I turned to see the smirk on his beautiful face.

“Yeah. Maybe another night.”

“Oh. Yea, of course,” he said quickly retreating.

I wanted to explain to him that it was a bad idea to let me get close to him. I couldn’t be trusted. He had to know that. If I allowed myself to fall for him, he would end up dead. I was the spider demon. That’s all I would ever be.

Parking, we ascending the elevators to our place. We didn’t touch. When the doors opened, I headed to the guest room.

“Where you goin’?” he asked as I crossed the room.

“To bed.”

“Aren’t you gonna join me?”

“Maybe it’s not such a good idea.”

“If Matteo said something to you, I swear to God, I’ll ring his fuckin’ neck.”

I looked back hoping to calm him.

“He didn’t say anything to me that wasn’t true.”

“I’ll fuckin’ kill him.”

---