His Queen (18+)

Chapter XV

THE DEMONS

But I got smarter,
I got harder in the nick of time
Honey, I rose up from the dead,
I do it all the time

***

CHAPTER XV

*****

THE NEXT DAY, I found myself sat outside with Teo on my lap. I was well aware of the fact that he had nothing to do with his time and no toys to play with, so I made sure to always be with him so he wouldn't get bored and get into trouble.

I wasn't a big fan of running around in the backyard, but I did so anyway, engaging him in a game of catch until we had both got tired and decided to take a short breath. Now I was sitting under the hot sun with him resting his head on my chest like he usually did.

The sound of loud footsteps had caught my attention and I turned just in time to catch a large, burly man making his way towards us. He was adorned in a black turtle neck and black pants and shoes with a shiny, bald head to top off the look.

Even though I was sure I had no business with him, his eyes were focused intently on me and I found worry begin to eat at me. In that single minute, I had made note of all possible ways I could get out of the situation if anything went south before resuming my 'relaxed' position albeit much more alert this time.

I had fully expected him to walk past us and pin my worry down to paranoia, but he had stopped right behind me and waited patiently until I turned around and gave him my attention.

“Boss is requesting your presence.”

I squinted up at him, the blank look on my face slipping to make way for a confused one. “Me?” I asked foolishly as I pointed to myself.

“Yes, ma'am.” He didn't seem to be judging me nearly as harsh as I was judging myself, but that revelation still wasn't enough to make me stop. “He says you should not bring the child with you.”

I further narrowed my eyes, my lips falling into a thin line. “Then who do I leave Mateo with?” It was like I trusted nobody in this house to take care of him.

At the sound of his name, Teo raised his head and looked up at me before looking up at the guard in fascination. The man seemed to have melted at the sight of Teo despite his cold front and opened his mouth to say something when a third voice joined the conversation.

“Leave him with me.”

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the sight of Celeste strutting her way over to us. She looked glamorous as per usual, in her loose black romper and her red hair tied high into a loose, but elegant looking bun. She had gone with light, natural makeup but her lips was still smeared in her signature blood red colour.

I couldn't help but stare at her in doubt as I got up and balanced Teo against my hip. Celeste didn't seem like the type that was particularly good with children. She didn't seem like she liked them at all.

“Don't look at me like that,” she scoffed before eyeing him on my hip. Teo didn't seem to have any particular issue with her and even smiled widely in her presence. “I'm not doing this willingly. Daniel forced me.”

“Oh,” I muttered, wanting to hide the fact that her words made me feel somewhat better. At least I didn't have to worry about any ill-intent from her since she didn't actually want to be near Teo, if that made any sense. “Okay.”

I peeled Mateo away from my side, not missing the way he giggled and reached out to Celeste who had taken a small step back. She extended her hands as far away from her body as she could and wrapped them around Mateo's torso, holding him up in the air as I stepped back and let her carry him.