Page 80 of Spider Demon's Kiss

Everyone stared at me not moving. Once I sat down, Lorenzo said,

“Dante, you can’t expect us to eat with that thing there,” he said gesturing to the head.

“Lorenzo, that is your Uncle Vinny. Sit fuckin’ down and have some fuckin’ respect!” I said slowly losing my cool.

“Dante, Ma,” Matteo said gesturing to our mother who was a white as a ghost.

“I wasn’t the one who invited him here. If you have a problem with this, tell it to Pa. Now everybody, sit your fuckin’ asses down and eat!”

When everyone was again seated, I led the family in grace. I didn’t say anything clever or witty. I just got the job done and dished up.

“The roast is very good, Ma. You’ve outdone yourself,” I told her.

“Yes, my compliments to the chef,” Kuroi added with a smile.

It didn’t up being the most relaxed dinner our family had ever had, but it was also not the least. How relaxed our dinners were was always a matter of perspective. Growing up, there were times when Pa would whip us so hard the skin would peel from our flesh. When dinner followed, Pa would make us sit and eat as relaxed as could be.

Today, the shoe was on the other foot. Pa ate Ma’s roast unable to take his eyes off what could have been his fate. I, on the other hand, had assured Kuroi and my survival, at least at the hands of my pack.

The only thing left to do after this had to do with Sato. I wasn’t sure I could just kill him. He was one of the most protected men in New York City. Getting to him might take some time. Taking the head with us when we left, I put our three heads together to come up with a plan.

I’m joking, of course, we got rid of Uncle Vinny’s head like we did his body, with the help of Sato’s facilities. I did have to hand it to Sato, the Yakuza was an organized bunch. I could learn a thing or two from them. It was no wondering Sato was able to capture the heroin trade in New York so quickly.

In someone ways, I admired him. That didn’t change what I was going to do to him. He had earned his place in hell the minute he sold Kuroi into sex slavery. And I wasn’t going to deny him his rewards.

The only question was, how would I do it? And how would Kuroi respond if I told him?

Chapter 13

Kuroi

I was shaken driving home from dinner with Dante’s family. I couldn’t believe it. How did Dante’s mother make the roast taste that good? I have eaten at the best restaurants around the world. None of them could compare to what his mother made.

I never knew my mother. As far as I could tell, she was dead. Why else would my father take me in?

And I’ve never met Yuki’s mother. I’ve seen her at a distance. But when my father was assigned to New York, I went with him and a chef prepared all of our meals.

Sitting around the Ricci table, I couldn’t help but wonder about what it would have been like to grow up in a family like Dante’s. Having a mother who slaved over the stove cooking for her family and siblings who gathered on Sunday to enjoy it.

The severed head part, I was familiar with. You can only be around my father for so long without seeing a severed head. But the other stuff. Yeah, there was tension between Dante and his brothers but they all clearly loved each other.

In spite of being ordered by his father, Matteo refused to betray Dante. He defied his father for his brother. I couldn’t imagine what that type of love felt like. The closest I’ve experienced was when Dante’s uncle said that thing about Dante and me and Dante’s hot wolf killed him for it.

Besides Yuki, no one has ever cared about me. I grew up desperate for someone to acknowledge me. But my father never even looked at me.

Eventually I figured out how to make him look. I made it so he couldn’t ignore me. I demanded his attention, and he responded by selling me.

If it wasn’t for Yuki, I might have lost my mind growing up like I did. Without her I wouldn’t have known what love was. She was the only one who ever loved me. And I killed anyone else who tried.

“What’s the matter?” Dante asked as we pulled into his parking spot.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You’re crying.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said offended.

“You are,” he insisted before reaching across the car and wiping his finger against my cheek. Showing it to me, his finger was wet.

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