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Chapter Eight
Friends of the Family
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Today was shaping up to be almost as bad as the last. Austin had spent the last thirty minutes listening to his mother rant at him in various degrees of coherent English and Italian. He tried to have some fun by keeping a tally on his napkin every time she said he was a ‘disappointment’ or used an expressive curse word as a descriptive… unfortunately he ran out of room.
The food was good though. It was Wednesday which meant one of his favourite chefs was on, a woman named Monica who could make the world’s best crepes - sweet or savoury. He drank his coffee in slow sips, feeling Exton hovering somewhere behind him. As promised, the hellhound was set to follow him everywhere from now on. Austin couldn’t help but pity him. Being a bodyguard must be so damn boring most of the time.
‘Are you listening to me, figlio?’
Austin looked up from his plate. ‘Yes ma.’
‘Good. I expect you to be on your best behaviour tonight!’ Wait, what? What was happening tonight? Austin flicked a quick, startled glance at Exton who promptly raised his dark eyebrow in a “You definitely weren’t paying attention” sort of way. Austin would have shrugged if he wasn’t sure his mother would see. Best not to give her more to yell about.
‘Of course, ma,’ he said instead.
His mother’s hawk-like gaze narrowed. ‘Don’t disappoint me, figlio. Your cousins have been looking forward to this visit for weeks.’ His cousins!? He was quite proud of how little he reacted. He kept his face as still as he could even as he wanted to groan out loud. His cousins were just like his mother in all the worst ways which made sense as they were her mother’s sister’s children. Like Austin, they had a demon father but unlike Austin, they were entrenched in ‘learning the family business’ as quickly as possible. They already treated humans as a lesser species. All three of them were snobs and Austin didn’t have a single fond memory of any of them, except maybe that time Elliot got stuck on that fence…
‘They’ll be here by four so make sure you make yourself presentable. Alison has a new partner, and you will be a perfect host,’ Elizabeth said, her eyes fixed on her son with more menace then any hellhound.
Austin shifted in his chair. ‘Yes ma.’
Resigned to being trapped on the property today, Austin went for a swim after breakfast. There was an underground pool in the manor (no surprises there) but Austin preferred the creek near the edge of the property. It was deep enough to swim in but secluded and hidden from the public view by a line of thick trees. It continued on and got smaller and smaller until it was little more than a knife cut that dwindled away into an old concrete tunnel under the main road.
The creek had been a hideaway for him in his youth, somewhere to go to give the illusion of space and freedom. Even in the height of summer when the water level was too low to swim, he would sneak a few beers and come sit under the tree, to listen to the bubbling water and pretend he was somewhere far away.
Exton offered to carry his towel for him. The hellhound apparently felt some guilt for the forced attachment they now shared. Austin couldn’t be angry with him. He was the one to got himself into this mess. If anything, he felt guilty for getting the hellhound on the wrong side of his mother. No one deserved that.
‘I snuck some snacks,’ Austin said as he opened his backpack and pulled out a full packet of chocolate biscuits.
Exton snorted. ‘Keep eating them and you’ll be a fat little half demon.’
Austin scowled. ‘Good. Maybe if I’m fat she’ll stop trying to pimp me off to every demon in a hundred-mile radius.’
The hellhound sighed as Austin pulled off his shoes and dipped his feet in the cold water. It was a lovely day. The wind was a little nippy, but the sun carried solid warmth that beat down over Austin’s shoulders despite the waning of the season. Soon there would be no more hot days. Maybe it would even snow. It didn’t always snow this far south.
‘Aus, have you thought any more about telling your mum about the contracts?’ Exton asked timidly. He had been avoiding the question all morning but now they were alone, he apparently couldn’t help himself.
‘Tonight,’ Austin replied unhappily. He opened the packet, inhaling the lovely scent of chocolate dust and fresh damp grass.
‘With your cousins over?’ Exton asked, his tone disbelieving.
‘Yeah. Makes sense. She’s expecting me to put on a show, play my part.’
‘You know that could end up blowing up in your face?’ Exton asked with a raised brow.
‘Yeah, story of my life,’ Austin grumbled then bit into his first biscuit. He enjoyed the sun for half an hour or so before taking off his shirt and sinking into the creek. He shivered. The water had a real icy bite to it. If he had been fully human, he might have worried about sunburn as he lazily paddled up and down with the sun on his shoulders. It was good to be away from the house. He still hadn’t decided what to do about work. He refused to give up his job. He loved that bakery. It was one of the only decisions he had ever made, to work at that place and he had never regretted it. He had a few days until his next shift. Maybe if tonight went really well, his mother would relax her stranglehold a little. If not… well it wouldn’t be the first time he’d snuck out of the house.
After most of the chocolate biscuits were gone and the sun had stolen away behind some low hanging clouds, Austin was forced to admit he should probably return to the manor and clean up for their ‘guests.’ Exton had been playing the role of the silent guardian, keeping his distance, and keeping a look out. Not for the first time in recent years, Austin was struck with a sharp sense of loneliness. With his strict upbringing and almost constant confinement to the massive family property, Austin had very few friends. It was partly why his job was so damn important to him.
It was the only place where he could meet normal people. People who didn’t treat him like an object or something to idolise. He was just Austin. He envied people who could just leave their damn house and walk to the shops. He’d never left to just buy some cheap beer and something hot and greasy from the local takeaway to share with friends on the tray of some person’s truck. He’d never just spontaneously been able to go to see a movie or been allowed to play soccer with the local kids. So much of his childhood had been filled with nothing childlike or fun. At the moment his closest friend was a damn hellhound who was technically paid to be around him. Really, it was a small miracle that Austin didn’t spend his spare days catching lizards to dissect or use in mini blood rituals. Fuck, that was a depressing thought…
They got back to the manor with the light already dying due to the heavy clouds rolling in. Austin insisted on going through the servants’ entrance beside the garden shed. It meant next to no chance of running into his mother and maybe a tiny chance of catching Dottie, a lovely elderly woman who pottered about the property tending the various flower beds and vegetable gardens. She was getting on in years, but she had always been loyal to the household and Elizabeth had promised to keep the old woman on as long as the Dottie wanted to stay.
To be fair, not all of Elizabeth Arvaris’s decisions were selfish or wasteful. She had taken the family fortune and invested an enormous amount of it in both real-estate and stocks, doubling the money she had first handled when she and her husband married. She was as business savvy and cunning as she was beautiful. If Austin had been raised to run the investing side of his family life, he might have been happy. It was all the demon politics that came with it that made him want to run for the fucking hills.
He’d never had much hope for a loving family bond with his parents. His father had basically ignored him until he was old enough to pronounce the word ‘exorbitant’ then he was dragged around like a particularly bulky sock puppet, saying what he was ordered to say and meeting people and demons that could one day ask him for contracts. His mother wasn’t big on affection either. She was the air-kiss on the cheek sort of woman, and he had perhaps two or three memories of ever receiving a hug from her. He couldn’t help but wonder just how clingy a person that was going to make him towards his future… girlfriend? Boyfriend? Non-binary… non-human. Fuck his life.
‘You doing okay there, Aus? Your aura has been getting steadily darker,’ Exton asked.
‘Huh?’ Austin looking around. He hadn’t even noticed that they had reached the servants door on the side of the huge building. There was no sign of Dottie, but she had probably left for the day. He sighed. ‘Sorry, just stuck in my own head.’
‘That sounds dangerous. If it helps, Monica is helping to make the dinner tonight,’ Exton pointed out. ‘And there’ll probably be wine.’
‘Mmm. Will that make my cousins more bearable or less?’ Austin asked out loud with a wry smile.
‘Only one way to find out. You should probably have a shower though,’ Exton replied as they slipped inside. The corridor was chilly, and Austin pushed his wet hair out of his face. He had mud under his nails and he smelt of river water.
‘Yeah. Probably smart,’ Austin agreed. He darted out to his rooms and submerged himself in a hot shower whilst Exton did… whatever the hell it was bodyguards did whilst their clients showered. Clothes had already been laid out for him which was irritating because it meant someone had been in his room tolay them out. Just another thing in his life he didn’t have much control over. His damn wardrobe. He had no idea how much most of clothes cost and he didn’t want to know. Once every month or so, clothes appeared or disappeared. He wouldn’t have cared if his clothes came from a second-hand shop, just so long as pants were an option and they fit.
Once he was clean and presentable, Austin double checked himself in the mirror. He looked…
‘I look like an especially wealthy male escort,’ Austin said flatly to himself. From the other room, he heard Exton burst out laughing. Damn hellhounds and their fantastic hearing. He grabbed his phone, stuffed it into his pocket and walked out to his bodyguard trying to compose himself.
‘I hate you,’ he said flatly.
‘No, you don’t. I’m too loveable. Now let’s get a move on. You know what your mother will be like if you’re late,’ Exton replied. Austin groaned but left his room, already dreading the evening to come.
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‘So Elessaion, what have you been doing with yourself lately? Do you still have that… hobby? What is it again, volunteering at a local bakery?’ Elliot asked as he swirled his wine.
Austin was sitting in his chair as though the seat was currently shoving a sharp pin into the soft parts of his backside. His mother’s gaze was almost as sharp as a pin. He could feel it on his cheek as he faced his oldest cousin. He fucking hated that they called him by his demon name. Even his own mother didn’t call him Elessaion. His three cousins plus Alison’s new partner were seated at the massive table. Their own manservant, a rough looking thing by the last name of Ivory, stood watch close by.
Choosing his words carefully he said, ‘I like the community there.’
‘I think it’s sweet! Charity is very popular these days, especially amongst the human politicians,’ piped up Sandra, his youngest cousin. She flicked back a wash of golden and orange hair.
Alison nodded enthusiastically. ‘Very true, don’t you think darling?’ she simpered. The man beside him made Austin want to scratch himself all over. He was a demon from the sixth ring, a Formue Demon if Austin had to guess, which was basically little more than a flashy fortune telling demon that could quip a few semi-accurate predictions if the price was right. Austin was not impressed.
Alison, however, seemed utterly smitten. The man was apparently very taken with her physical beauty if nothing else. He nuzzled her cheek in a gross display of affection and seemed not to like if she moved or leaned too far away from him. Creep. Not that Alison minded. All three of Austin’s cousin were undeniably attractive, much like himself. Side effect of carrying demon blood. They needed to attract their prey, physically and mentally. Austin was dying to say that they were half human and probably more so than demon at this point in their lives, but he already knew such a comment would not go down well.
‘That’s all well and good but it must be followed up with some kind of action. Charity in a small bakery makes a lovely little paragraph on social media but what has the name of Arvaris really done these days?’ said Alison’s new demon boy-toy.
Austin felt more than saw Exton tense behind him. Oh, how perfect an opportunity this was. He took a careful, measured sip of his glass. ‘Oh, well. I did undertake a contract with Lord Nathair. Just a small matter of detection blocking. Nothing too complicated, but I appreciated the opportunity to try out my new skills.’ In that moment, everything he had put up with was almost worth it for the reaction he got.
The room was insanely still.
His mother choked into her glass. He thought he heard Exton groan very faintly. His cousins stared, their mouths partly open. Even their butler, Mr. Whitby, was staring at Austin in open astonishment. Yes, he had dropped that bombshell rather nicely.
‘You took a contract? From the Overlord of the third ring!?’ Elliot squeaked.
‘Darling, when was this?’ Elizabeth said, trying hurriedly to compose herself. Austin glanced at her and smiled that well trained smile. Distantly, he wondered if she knew it was fake. It was so similar in appearance to the one she always wore in company.
‘You asked me to take my training more seriously, so I did. There’s no need for the drama. It was only a small contract,’ he said mildly. He was probably enjoying this a little too much. Alison looked as though she had swallowed her tongue and her new demon boy was as pale as the ridiculous silk tablecloth. There was another moment of stunned incomprehension before his mother sniffled. Actually sniffled!
‘Oh, Austin, I’m so proud of you! Finally starting to take things seriously,’ his mother gushed, wiped delicately at her eyes as though dabbing away tears. Austin’s jaw was starting to hurt from the fake smile he had stapled in place. He really wanted to be anywhere else right now, but he couldn’t leave yet. They hadn’t even been served the first course. Gods, this was going to be a long damn night.
He paid dearly for his few minutes of joy. They bombarded him with questions. It was a small blessing when the food arrived, and he could use it to block his mouth from having to respond. It didn’t have the same effect on his family. ‘When did you meet with him?’
‘Are you going to make another contract?’
‘Was he your first contract!?’
Austin took a long gulp of wine and set his glass down. ‘I am not permitted to discuss my contracts in detail,’ he said. Which was true. Sort of. All contracts had inbuilt securities to prevent either party from disclosing too much. It was an ancient magic, and it was helpful for several reasons. No amount of torture would ever allow someone to talk about their contract which meant most intelligent demons just didn’t bother to ask. His cousins were half Holma demon. A massive step down from a Contract demon but there wasn’t a lot of those around to reproduce so Austin really was one of a kind. Lucky him.
It meant that his entire life was spent with his cousins trying to outdo him, to prove they could be the better demon. ‘Besides, it would be up to his lordship if there is another contract.’ which there probably would be. The smug, snake faced bastard…
‘Austin, this is so wonderful! Perhaps we should host the winter gala this year? It would be the perfect opportunity for you to rekindle some of those connections from when you were a pup. You could start building a wider collection of contracts!’ his mother said delightedly.
There was nothing in this plane of existence (except for maybe licking Jedrzej ’s boots) that he wanted to do less. Spending even more time in the demon community, taking on more contracts, immersing himself into the demon world, he wanted none of it. But… he didn’t really have a choice anymore. He needed to get stronger. The only way he could do that was through more contracts. If he wanted any freedom at all, he was going to have to play the long game.
He nearly choked trying to get the words out, his hindbrain protesting. He went to take another drink of wine only to find his glass empty. He raised it and Whitby flew over to refill it. He nodded his thanks and took a steadying drink. ‘That would be good. We haven’t hosted a big event yet this year,’ Austin said, trying to look as though he wasn’t utterly revolted by the entire situation.
Alison and Sandra both squealed in delight. ‘Oh, this will be so much fun! Aunty, you will let us help plan it, won’t you?’ Sandra begged with huge eyes.
Elizabeth sighed dramatically. ‘Oh, I suppose. There’s much to organise. We simply must get Lys Blanc to do the floral arrangements! They know what I like.’ At least this arrangement finally turned the conversation away from Austin as the ladies broke down into full planning mode. Austin was left in peace to enjoy his honeyed pheasant and mulled wine carrots. He could feel the demon’s eyes on him. What was the guy’s name? Pavel?
He ignored him and concentrated on his food. ‘We’ll have to get you a new suit darling,’ his mother called.
Austin’s head snapped up. ‘I’ve already got a suit!’ he said, unable to keep the slight whine from his voice. He actually probably had about ten suits. He thought he heard Exton chuckle behind him.
‘Yes darling, but this is a special occasion! Besides, you’ve grown at least an inch.’ He hadn’t, but he already knew he wasn’t going to win this. Again.
‘We’ll need to get Exton one too, his clothes haven’t been updated in years,’ Austin shot back quickly, throwing the hound under the bus. If he was going to suffer, he wasn’t going alone. Exton’s chuckling stopped abruptly.
‘That won’t be necessary ma’am,’ Exton began to stutter.
‘Oh no, I insist,’ Austin said with a smirk. His cousins were now eyeing Exton with predatory interest. With his glowing tattoo, big muscles and sharp cut jaw, the hellhound was often pawed on by Sandra and Alison. Alison fluttered her eyelashes and Austin could imagine the man silently cursing him out.
After the main meal, they finally left the table to go to the drawing room with coffee and scotch. Austin had a pretty decent buzz going. It was making his family more bearable. Just. With no table between them, Sandra practically plastered herself to Exton side. Austin took the opportunity to step away on the guise of needing some air. He moved out a side door onto one of the patios.
He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Gods, it was good to get away for a little bit. He wouldn’t have long, but with his cousins hanging off Exton, the hellhound wouldn’t be able to hassle him for at least the next fifteen minutes. The night air was cold and damp. His skin tingled as he scratched at his hair. He felt like such a sham. He was doing everything he had sworn he would never do. This suit, the contracts, even his damn hair. He was too worked up to notice the company that had joined him, too angry and stressed to separate the tingling in his arm and the roiling of his stomach. He would have stayed oblivious if not for the silken voice that broke through his ranting inner monologue.
‘You really do know how to get my attention.’ Austin froze. The footsteps came closer until the oddly handsome figure of Jedrzej appeared beside him. He stared at the demon in uncomprehending horror. What the fuck was he doing here?! More importantly, how was he here? Some of the warding on the Arvaris property was hundreds of years old. He shouldn’t just be able to… be here!
The demon clicked his tongue. ‘I really hoped you would be smart about all this but instead, the first thing you do is go against me. That’s not good, pet.’
Austin bristled. ‘I am not your pet.’
The demon shrugged one shoulder. ‘You are a member of my court. Your first point of call is to me. And yet…’ Those gold eyes flashed dangerously. ‘I find you making contracts with one of my competitors.’
Austin refused to back away. Even if his legs did feel like jelly. ‘You haven’t done anything to earn my loyalty,’ he spat.
The demon considered him with mild amusement. ’You seem to be under a misconception about who is master here. You’re mycontractor demon, pet. You’re a little young perhaps, a little naïve…’ Austin froze as a hand came up and grabbed hold of his chin, tilting his face up. The demon’s eyes flashed liquid gold as he smirked. ‘But nothing that can’t be trained out of you. My clan are exceptional at training animals.’
Austin jolted backward, ripped his face free of the man’s grip. ‘You’re a disrespectful, self-absorbed, petty asshole. You don’t get extra credit for that,’ Austin snapped. He turned and made to go back inside, silently praying the warding on the building would keep the new lord out. It should but then Austin never thought he could just walk up to the property either. He supposed he should have guessed it given that Holter had done the same thing but for whatever reason, his idiot brain hadn’t put the two demons in the same category.
‘Discussing a gala, are they?’ Jedrzej asked casually. Austin paused, skin creeping. He heard the conversation from here? Exactly how long had the creepy bastard been here?
‘And if they are?’ Austin snapped.
‘You wouldn’t be thinking of attending, would you?’ the demon asked silkily.
It was Austin’s turn to shrug. ‘It’s tradition. I’m the son of Rimmon Arvaris. It will look odd if I don’t attend,’ he replied, neck prickling.
‘Perhaps I will make an appearance and make my claim to your mother more formally.’
‘Stay the fuck away from my family,’ Austin snarled. ‘Or I will never make a contract for you.’
‘You really haven’t learnt your lesson yet, have you pet?’
‘I. am. Not. Your. Pet.’
The demon smiled, again creating that bizarre juxtaposition of a warm smile on a handsome face with eyes that were cold and dead inside. ‘If that’s how you want to begin our relationship, very well. I wouldn’t usually bother but you are a rare specimen. If you want to be put in your place, your position proven before you consent, then very well. Enjoy your planning. I will see you again very soon.’
Austin’s tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth as he watched the man turn on his heel and casually walk away.
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END
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