Ripper(121)

“There is no way out,” Daniel argued.

“No way out of what?” I practically screamed. I was sick of all these men standing around talking about me and my future like my opinions didn’t matter. I was invisible to them except as a pawn with which to hurt each other. I turned to Gray because he was the only one who mattered. I put my hands on his waist, needing to touch him, to reassure myself that we were together. “What are they talking about? What do you mean your father offered you thirty years? I don’t understand any of this.”

His breath hitched. His hands framed my cheeks and he stared for a long time, as though he was memorizing my face. When he spoke, his voice was like gravel. “I’m on a contract, Kelsey. I’m a legacy. My mother agreed to have me in exchange for money and power. Father chose her because she had certain psychic abilities he wanted bred into his son. I’m his second child. My half brother is an empath, but he doesn’t have prophecy powers.”

“What does it mean?” I held on so tight. I didn’t want a family history. I wanted him to tell me it was all a mistake and we could leave and fly to Vegas and get married. If we’d done that in the first place instead of trying to make his vision come true, we would be married and making love right now.

“It means I was allowed thirty-five years on this plane before I have to go to the Hell plane and reside with my father permanently.”

My hands fell to my sides as my world crashed down around me. “You’re going to Hell?”

Gray’s hands grasped my shoulders and he shook me lightly, but I could see out of the corner of my eye, Nate, Jamie, and Zack on their feet. “I am not going to Hell. I’m going to get out of it.”

“You were going to marry me and leave me alone after five years?” My heart hurt and I couldn’t look at him anymore. I hated the fact that everyone was watching us. We were entertaining them.

The wolf inside me howled.

“No, he wasn’t going to do that,” Quinn said with growing certainty. “The marriage was his ace in the hole. If he couldn’t get you pregnant before his contract was up, he lost his chance. But if he married you…”

Donovan took up the train of thought. “Marriage is a contract. You vow to live with your husband. He was going to take you with him. Demonkind would honor the contract and you would be forced to follow him.”

Jamie cursed as he rushed Gray, his fist reared back. Gray did absolutely nothing to avoid the blow or defend himself. He took Jamie’s punch full on and staggered back from the force.

“How the hell could you do that to her?”

“I love her, man,” Gray said, willing his friend to believe him. “I wouldn’t take her with me.”

“But you’ll get her pregnant to buy yourself some time,” Nathan accused.

Gray rubbed his jaw. “I’m buying us time. I will find a way out, damn it. I will not let them take my wife or my child. I’m going to save us.” He turned to me. “Kelsey,” he said desperately. “I am begging you to believe me. I love you, Kelsey mine. I love you so much. We can make this work. I swear I’ll get us out of this. Come with me. Trust me.”

I wanted to. I wanted to take his hand and slip it in mine and walk out. I came up with a hundred ways I could make it work. I could not marry him and force him to use a condom. I could take my five years with him. At that moment, staring down the possibility of losing Gray, I thought maybe Hell wouldn’t be so bad. If we were together, maybe I could handle it.

“She isn’t going anywhere with you.” Nathan moved between us as though he could stop the demon from taking me.

“If you think for one moment that I’ll let you anywhere close to my sister again, you’re insane, Sloane,” Jamie spat.

I saw something die in Gray’s eyes. Jamie was his friend, probably the one human he’d ever told his secret to. He was so alone. How would he live if I walked away?

“Back off, Jamie. He didn’t want Syl around me. I was the one who let Syl in. Gray asked me to stay away from him. He didn’t know anything about it.” I was about to take his hand and tell everyone to fuck themselves when Dev Quinn opened his mouth again.

“Kelsey, the fertility drugs were magical,” he said carefully. “They would have the added effect of making you vulnerable to him. Did you fall in love quickly? It would be intense and unexpected. It would be out of character to feel so much, to trust so much in so quick a time.”

I stumbled back, the shock making me fall into Quinn. He tried to steady me, but I didn’t want him touching me. Was my love for Gray all a trick of some drugs? It felt so real. It felt like the only real thing in the world. How could it be false? I overcorrected and was about to fall to my knees when Marcus caught me.