Undying Hunger

Ch. 3: I have a deal for you

Mathew's name was the magic word.

Dante slapped away Cain's hand, wishing he did the same for his mouth. Cain dropped his glass, and it smashed on the ground, making Reid gasp and jump back. Grabbing a handful of Cain's shirt, he forced the man onto his toes. Cain's grin didn't budge as he hung there loosely.

Dante practically growled, "You and I might share the same space, but we are not in the same circles. We're not on the same level."

"Interesting thing to say when we're here together," Cain argued.

"You don't want me as your enemy."

"Dante," Reid whispered, grabbing his shoulder, but someone had already discovered them.

"Your majesty, unhand that man. He is my guest," a woman's voice cut through the tension and Cain's eyes sparkled in delight. Dante's eyes widened. His stomach dropped. Queen Tabitha was storming over, her eyes shining red with a glare that could burn Dante to a crisp.

And it wasn't Cain at the business end of her fury.

It was Dante.

When the Ventura children were growing up, Bianca and Nino famously got in trouble with their parents the most. Anthony avoided the noise. Mathew could never do anything wrong enough to be punished.

And Dante was always there, pointing the finger at the culprits. Once, Bianca had been so mad she punched Dante in the head. He told her if she was going to do something wrong, she should be better at hiding it.

As a full-grown adult, Dante wished he had taken his own advice before someone caught him red-handed, holding Cain Hawthorne by his collar seconds before he beat the absolute shit out of him.

"This is outrageous. What do you think you're doing?" Tabitha roared, and Dante dropped Cain. His mind swirled with thoughts of his parents, this man's hand in their death, Mathew, and Cain, tricking him. If he was alive, his family was still in danger.

Before Cain or Dante could react, Reid elbowed Dante as hard as he could, making Dante release Cain. Reid let out a huge laugh, waving his hands as if to dismiss Tabitha.

"No, no, no," Reid continued to laugh into a bow. "Apologies, your highness. This is a mistake. These boys were just rough housing. They go way back and took it a little too far. We'd be happy to clean up the mess."

Reid said, but there was already a maid scurrying over with a broom and another with a mop.

"Is that so? Dante? You're already familiar with Cain?" Tabitha asked.

Cain leaned over, resting his arm on Reid's shoulder and heat licked the back of Dante's neck like Cain just flicked a lit match at him. Cain said, "Oh, yeah. Dante and I go way back. About eight years now, isn't it?" He asked, recalling the anniversary of his parent's death.

This man begged to be strangled. To be shot. To be pushed out into the blistering sun until he was the one who shriveled up and died. Dante felt his jaw set so tight that he thought it would snap. He couldn't look at Cain. Not when that smug look only inspired violence. He said, "I didn't expect to see Cain here. Like Reid said, I got a little carried away."

Tabitha nodded cautiously, eying them all. Reid chuckled again. "Boys will be boys."

With a little laugh, Tabitha nodded and touched her pearls. She encouraged everyone to enjoy the music and the drinks, motioning the band to keep playing. "Alright, alright. The fuss is over. You'll also find more drink inside."

"Thank you," Dante said, gently approaching the Queen, staying in a slight bow to reach her height. "Ma'am, I was hoping to continue our discussion about the coven." He didn't say more, not with Cain and all the other vampires lurking.