Page 75 of Cursed by Death

Rally grunted irritably and I knew there was more he wanted me to say but I refused to be his mouthpiece. If there was something he wanted to say to the demons then he was more than welcome to say it. And if he had wanted to be the one to start the conversation out then he probably should have done so, it’s not like he hadn’t been given the chance to do so. He just hadn’t taken the opportunity that had been before him. I didn’t want to hear him complaining about it now.

As one, Jaylen and Vern turned to Rym, as if they expected him to answer all the questions for them. Apparently, they didn't mind having a mouthpiece and Rym had either been elected beforehand or they’d just decided without discussing it with themselves to give him the job.

Rym sat up straight as he met my eyes and locked in on me. I found the demons to be a bit unnerving because when they focused on me it was as if I were the only thing in the room that they saw and I didn’t want to be the sole focus of all that intensity.

“We are here for a specific reason, not simply to be nosy and insert ourselves into your life. Your father didn’t think you would appreciate a visit from him so soon after just seeing him last night. Which I was in complete agreement with him on. So, he sent me to deliver his message in person because he thought you’d be more receptive to that.”

I nodded slowly. Johnathon had been correct in thinking I didn’t want to hear from him. But I didn’t really want to hear from any of them and I thought I had gotten everything off of my chest the night before. There was nothing else for us to discuss. And I had no issue with Rym being our go between person if that meant I didn’t actually have to see my father again any time soon.

Never would be really nice.

I wasn’t naive enough to think I was going to get away with never having to see him again. I knew after the things he’d said to me last night that he wanted to insert himself into my life in a forceful, permanent way, and it was going to take a lot for me to get rid of him again.

I could play nice for now if it meant I didn’t actually have to see the man.

“And, let me guess, you volunteered yourself for the job once again.” I hadn’t forgotten our conversation last night that he hadn’t wanted to finish.

“You’re lucky I talked to him on your behalf, Ruby Jane. Johnathon thinks that since Rally has decided you need to have guards that he should be able to have his people guard you as well. I didn’t think you would take to that very well, so I talked him out of it. Otherwise, I’d be moving in here with you this morning instead of just dropping by to have a friendly little chat with you.”

Just a friendly little chat with one of my father’s closest demons. Nothing too serious here to see.

I didn’t want to hear anything that Johnathon had sent him here to tell me because chances were high that I wasn’t going to like it. Still, better to just get it over with so I could move on from it.

I had better things to do today. Things I was looking forward to just as much as I was dreading them.

“Go on then,” I said. “Let’s hear it.”

“Let’s get one thing real clear here. None of Maredo’s people are moving in with my mate. Not now, not ever,” Rally growled out in a low rumble that had me looking over my shoulder at him. His eyes were glowing with the color of his wolf’s eyes as he sneered across the room at Rym.

I placed my hand on top of his thigh in an attempt to sooth his prickly temper. He exhaled heavily, forcing his body to relax, and placed his hand over top of mine.

“That’s not going to happen, so you don’t even have to worry about it,” I assured him. “I’m not ever going to let one of his minions in that close to me. He left me after my mother was killed, he doesn’t get to come back now and insert himself into my life. But I’m going to listen to what Rym has to say and hear what it is that Johnathon wants from me now. I don’t want to be blindsided by anything else when it comes to that man. So, I’m going to play along like a good girl. For now.”

I squeezed Rally’s hand and turned back around to face off with the demons once again. And I did it with a fake, pleasant smile on my face that Thomas would have been proud of me for using.

Thinking about Thomas, especially with these demons being here right now and knowing it had been a demon that killed him, was a reality check about the situation I had currently found myself in. And it made me very angry.

I was the one in control of my life and I wanted it to stay that way. I already had Rally thinking he could tell me what to do. I absolutely did not need Johnathon Maredo thinking he could do it too, because he absolutely could not. And I would have thought he’d have figured that out last night.

When I turned back around to face the demons I noticed immediately that there was a change in them. Vern had lost his friendly face and had grown serious. Something I said hadn’tmade him happy. Jaylen had moved all of that intensity in his stare to Rally and, if possible, it had grown even more intense. But now it also looked positively psychotic. He looked slightly enraged and Rally was at the center of all of that.

Not to be a bad girlfriend, or whatever, but Rally was totally on his own with this one.

Rym was the only one who’s demeanor hadn’t changed at all. Then again, he’d met me before and had already experienced my mouth running and the shit that came out of it. He hadn’t shied away from it then and I didn’t expect him to do it now.

I didn’t know if it was me that Rym liked or if it was just the fact that Johnathon was my dad that he liked. And I didn’t really care because it’s not like we were friends or even were going to be friends.

I was a firm believer in believing that you couldn’t trust a demon. I didn’t care what anyone else had to say about them.

I didn’t give a shit how friendly Rym was towards me, I’d never trust him.

This was my first time meeting the other two. Vern had started off friendly looking enough but it hadn’t taken very long for that particular veneer to wear off. Jaylen hadn’t even attempted to fake being friendly, which I could appreciate and also respect him for.

“Next week there is a meeting that’s also a dinner happening that your father would like for you to attend as his guest.”

I cocked my head to the side, studying Rym and not understanding why Johnathon would want me at some meeting with him where there would be other people. Especially if they were people of any importance because he wouldn’t want them to see the loathing I had for him. And I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hide it from anyone. I wasn’t that good of an actor.

“Why?” I asked bluntly, not wanting to drag this out any more. I was already over and done with the whole thing.

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