Her Dangerous Desires [Notorious Nephilim 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

She watched their neutral expressions, wishing they’d just say what was really on their minds, but knowing they wouldn’t. Not now, knowing Lilith might be listening. “It doesn’t really matter though, does it?”

Gregory frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“I’m leaving in five days. My vacation is over at the end of this week.”

Paige didn’t want to let hope build at the looks that spread over both their faces simultaneously, but it was impossible not to. They looked devastated. Was it possible they cared for her as much as she cared for them? No. How could that be? It would mean giving up everything. Their Nephilim status, the future of this resort, and everything that went with that. They’d never do it. They’d built this place and made it the success it now was. Why would they simply turn their back on all that?

“It matters because she has no fucking right to harass you,” said Gregory.

“I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Not true. We’re glad you did.”

“There’s really nothing you can do about it, is there? It’s too much of a risk for your business.”

“Fuck her.” Gregory spat out the words.

“You said you all spurned her. Maybe if you had fucked her this wouldn’t have happened?”

“What?”

“Sorry. I don’t know why I said that.” Paige had no idea where that thought had come from.

His eyes widened, and then he began to laugh. He laughed so hard tears ran down his cheeks. He slapped his knee and banged his fist on the table. Paige watched him. It hadn’t been
that
funny. Not really. Just a quip that popped into her head for no apparent reason.

“There is something we can do about it,” said Demetrius, rising.

“What? What are you going to do?”

“As soon as Gregory stops laughing we’re going to talk to the others. You included.”

“Why?”

“Paige, this is still our resort. We aren’t going to let a demon or anyone else fuck with it. And I don’t care what our history with her is. She has no damn right to mess with your dreams.”

Paige had to bite her tongue. The words nearly slipped out. It took a concerted effort not to say them. She stared into Demetrius’s beautiful eyes, desperate for him to know she loved him. Gregory finally stopped laughing and stared at her with so much intensity, she had trouble taking a breath. How on earth was she going to leave here in five days? How the fuck was she going to do it? She loved them both more than she’d ever loved anyone or anything in her life. She couldn’t leave them. She simply couldn’t do it.

Paige took her time showering and dressing. Even though Demetrius and Gregory had tried to reassure her this wasn’t her fault, she felt like it was. Nothing had happened until she’d made the offhand comments about summoning Lilith in the first place. She’d had no clue what she was saying, and she shouldn’t have been so flippant about the whole thing. She should have left it alone as soon as they asked her to.

She still hadn’t told them about the grimoire she’d found or the spells she had written down. She hadn’t had a chance to retrieve the paper from Gregory’s suite. What if one of them found them before she did? What if their simply being there was fueling Lilith’s presence at the resort?

What Paige knew about demonology could fit into a thimble. She felt foolish all over again as she realized how smug she’d been her first few days here. If it turned out she’d unknowingly placed their resort in danger, she’d never forgive herself.

She’d assumed they’d be meeting indoors, but Demetrius and Gregory led her outside. They walked around Deer Lake, each carrying a folding chair, until they came to an old barn.

“We don’t want Lilith listening in,” explained Demetrius.

“How do you know she won’t simply follow us?”

“We don’t for certain,” said Gregory, “but we’re pretty sure she’s physically bound to the building.”

When she walked into the barn with Demetrius and Gregory, the others were already there. Paige was introduced to the owners she hadn’t yet met, as well as to Sofia. She was delighted to see the other women there. It told her how much the owners who had fallen in love with them valued their input.

As she took her seat in the circle between Demetrius and Gregory, Paige glanced around the space. Abigail gave her a warm, reassuring smile. Demetrius spoke first. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice, and in such an unusual place. I’m afraid we may have a problem with Lilith.”

He paused to let his words take effect. Sofia frowned in confusion, but the others showed no surprise, including Abigail. “Sofia, Reeve and Niko can fill you in on our history with this demon later. Abigail, I’m assuming you already know it?”

She nodded.

“We’ve told Paige as well. In fact”—Demetrius glanced around—“you need to be told that Paige already knows what we are.”

The only reaction was from Zach who raised his eyebrows momentarily. Paige let out the breath she’d been holding. At least now she knew the others wouldn’t be upset at Gregory and Demetrius.

“So, back to Lilith.” Demetrius outlined for the others what Paige had told them about the black rose, the icy air, the laughter, and her dreams. “Gregory and I have come up with a radical idea.” He cut his gaze to Paige for a second. “We haven’t shared it with Paige yet. I wanted you all to hear it first, and then I propose we vote on it.”

“What’s the idea?” asked Emmett, leaning forward. His ice-blue eyes blazed with curiosity.

“We’d like to summon Botis again. He still owes us a favor.”

“What do you propose to ask of him?” asked Niko.

“To banish Lilith.”

“Is Botis the demon to whom you gave up Erion?” asked Paige. Her voice shook, and she hoped she hadn’t made a mistake in asking.

Demetrius nodded.

“Maybe then you should ask for more than just her banishment? Maybe he can reverse her curse?”

The question hung in the air for what seemed like hours to Paige. As she glanced at their faces, she realized every man in the barn wanted the same thing, and she wondered if they’d ever voiced it out loud.

“Who is Botis?” asked Abigail.

Zach leaned close to her ear and whispered. Reeve did the same to Sofia, and Paige watched the shock and revulsion cross both their faces. There was no easy way to hear what the men had just told them.

It was then that Paige realized Demetrius and Gregory had shared a part of their history with her that the others in this room hadn’t even told the women they loved, and she was filled with desperate hope all over again.

“Is that what you all want?” Abigail glanced at each of the men in turn, including Demetrius and Gregory, as she asked the question. “You want the curse reversed so you can have children?”

“Better than leaving it to strangers,” said Zach, with an apologetic glance toward Sofia. “Not that your cousins and Uncle Jack aren’t doing a wonderful job, but we built this place. We have a history together.”

“I agree,” she said. “It was never my desire to have my family take over this resort.”

“And we owe it to the others,” said Gregory.

Everyone looked at him as if they couldn’t believe he’d spoken, and Paige noticed the color rise in his cheeks. It was the first time she could remember seeing Gregory self-conscious about anything.

“What makes you say so?” asked Reeve.

“Well, I can’t help but wonder what Andras, Leo, Hugh, and Sterling would say if they were still here to see Lilith making physical contact with a guest and invading her dreams. Especially Hugh. I never told anyone this, but I once overheard Blair talking to Caleigh, right before Joelle came. She and Caleigh were talking about how their lives might have turned out differently if they hadn’t come here. Blair said something about all her friends being married and having babies, and Caleigh asked if she ever regretted not having that kind of a life.”

“Kind of a personal conversation for you to be eavesdropping on, Gregory.” Abigail glared at him.

“I know. I’m not making excuses. Just telling you what I overheard because I think it’s important, okay? Anyway, Blair said she felt like she was married to both Leo and Andras, but that she did regret not being able to give them children to pass this resort on to.”

No one said a word. The men all glanced at each other, and Sofia and Abigail had nearly identical thoughtful looks in their faces. Paige wondered if they felt the same way as Blair had.

“Do you think it’s possible he’ll be able to reverse the curse?” asked Emmett, his gaze trained on Demetrius’s face.

Demetrius shrugged. “No clue. We were only thinking of asking him to banish Lilith, but it sure can’t hurt to ask, can it?”

“She would probably have to be the one to reverse it,” said Zach. “But why would she? What’s her motivation for doing so after all these years?”

“Because it would save her ass from Botis. He’s more powerful than she is. He can banish her or cause her a world of trouble.”

Murmurs of assent went around the circle.

“So, we’re suggesting we summon Botis to ask him to either reverse the curse or force Lilith to do so, right?” asked Zach.

Demetrius nodded. “I think we should ask him to banish her, either way.”

“We’d have to summon Botis without Lilith knowing about it.”

“We could do it in the woods,” said Niko. “He’s not bound to the building.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Emmett. “But we need a contingency plan. Because if it fails—”

“We don’t need a contingency plan,” said Gregory. “Botis isn’t best buds with Lilith or any other demon. If he can’t reverse the curse himself or says ‘no’ to forcing her to reverse it, then that’s fine. It’s not like he’s going to run to Lilith and tell her what we’re trying to do. And we can still ask him to banish her. Like Demetrius said, he owes us a favor. At least then she’d be gone from here. Isn’t it about time we no longer had her hanging over our heads?”

Gregory glanced around at their faces. “If we can father children one day, at least this resort will be in the hands of family. If not, do we really want the future new owners to have to deal with Lilith’s shit? We did what we did. It’s done. Isn’t it about time she got over it already?”

Demetrius wondered what the hell had been in the beer he’d given Gregory the night before. Not only was it the longest speech he’d ever made in front of others without insulting one of them, but he was pretty sure it was the first time any of them had heard him voice words that indicated he gave a shit about the resort. And he was absolutely certain it was the first time the others had heard Gregory express concern for anyone else.

What the hell had Paige done to him?

The look of astonishment on Zach and Emmett’s faces was nothing short of comical. Niko was trying unsuccessfully not to laugh, and Reeve had a sudden suspicious coughing fit that prompted him to excuse himself outside the barn for a moment.

“Well said, Gregory.” Abigail looked more shocked than anything, but the admiration in her voice was unmistakable. “I can’t imagine what all of you have gone through with her.”

“Well then,” said Demetrius, “as soon as Reeve rejoins us, let’s vote. Unless there’s something else to discuss first?”

“Does anyone remember how to summon Botis?” asked Niko. “If I remember correctly, Hugh and Leo were the ones who did that for us originally.”

“Oh, I think I can find a book or two in my suite that might help us.” Gregory glanced toward Paige as he spoke, and Demetrius didn’t miss the way she colored. Gregory had been right. She
had
found something. He hoped like hell she hadn’t yet tried anything.

Reeve returned, and Demetrius called for a vote. No one opposed the idea. It passed unanimously.

“When should we do this?” asked Reeve.

“I believe last time we waited for nightfall,” said Niko.

“Then let’s do it sooner rather than later,” said Demetrius, glancing at Paige. He didn’t want Lilith’s interference to escalate any further than it already had. It wasn’t fair to Paige. He and Gregory would need to have a serious talk with her later, not only about what she might have found in Gregory’s suite, but about everything they’d discussed here. He wanted to be sure she was truly all right with it.

“Do you want all of us there?” asked Sofia. She looked a bit green.

Reeve put his arm around her shoulder. “It’s not necessary for you, Abigail, or Paige to be there unless you want to be.”

“I’m in,” said Abigail.

Gregory glanced at Paige and raised his eyebrows in a question.

“Are you kidding?” she said. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Sofia let out a loud sigh and rested her chin in her hands. “Well, I’m not going to be the only one who chickens out. Okay. I’m in.”

When they returned to the resort, Demetrius suggested he and Gregory take Paige out on one of the lakes and bring along a picnic lunch. She eagerly agreed, and Demetrius didn’t miss the look of relief that passed across her face. She was afraid to be inside, and Demetrius hated that. The sooner they summoned Botis and asked for his help, the better.

Demetrius was afraid to hope that Botis could convince Lilith to reverse the curse, but he was absolutely certain Botis could permanently banish Lilith. He’d spoke with Uncle Jack and arranged for a lunch basket, then met Gregory and Paige by the dock on Pine Lake. He chose the largest rowboat so they’d have room to relax and enjoy the beautiful day.

Paige couldn’t stop admiring the scenery and remarking on the fresh scent of the pines. “I don’t think I’d ever get tired of being out on this water.”

Demetrius gave her a wide grin. “Are you saying you’d rather be out here than busy with indoor activities?”

She tossed her hair in a flirtatious gesture and then smiled and leaned back against the wood. “Not at all. But maybe we can just stay out here all night?”

He returned the smile but kept his mouth shut about the obvious implication of her words. She didn’t want to go inside.

“Why do you believe Lilith is bound to the building? I didn’t realize demons could be.”

“We aren’t certain she is,” said Gregory. “But since we’ve never seen her outdoors, we assume she is.”