Fragile but Determined
Ruby Morningstar, daughter of the devil. It wasn't something she signed up for, but it wasn't the worst thing to happen to her. It came with a perk, or four.
The door to her tattoo parlor swung open as a large, dark-haired man with deep black eyes stepped in. Laran, a Horseman of the apocalypse. One of four, to be exact. They had come to the mortal realm with one goal in mind, but Ruby was fighting it.
She didn't want to go to Hell with them. She didn't want to give up her mortal life as if it meant nothing. At a standstill, the demonic males had decided they would use this time to get to know the being they were made to protect.
She thought they were crazy at first, misinformed. Now she just wished they were insane. The truth of it was that they were protecting her from herself just as much as other demons. The clock was ticking and she knew she would have to make a life-altering decision.
"Are you ready?"
Laran looked down into her bright blue eyes, the black of his hair shimmering red under the lights. With no glamor and no desire for one, the power he held could be felt by anyone who came too close. No one dared to piss him off. One look from those dark eyes could turn a mortal's stomach inside out.
He raised an eyebrow at Ruby's silence, her eyes roaming up and down his muscular form. She seemed a bit out of it, but after everything that happened it made sense. The men didn't want her rushing back to work. She swore it was the only way to get back on her own feet though, so they didn't argue.
They only wanted the best for her. Giving her time to figure things out on her own wasn't something they could do forever, but for the time being they would bend the rules.
"Ruby."
He reached out a hand, brushing a loose strand of onyx, silken hair out of her face and behind her ear. She looked up into his eyes, their gazes locking together.
"You sure you want to do this?"
She thought over his softly spoken words. He was usually rougher spoken and more brash, but even he had adjusted himself for her currently fragile state of mind. She nodded.
"Moira can't attend, and someone has to donate in her stead."
Moira, her best friend, had been donating to demon orphanages for as long as they had known each other. She would go to the benefit each year to present her donation and say a short thank you to the founders. Nothing too extreme.
This year she couldn't do it and had asked Ruby to do it months ahead. Though her friend swore she didn't have to do it now, she refused to go back on her promise. She would go, hand over the large check, and then come home. Simple.
Well, except for the fact that the benefit was a four-hour drive away and she would be accompanied by four large demon bodyguards. All of them were pushing her closer to the succubus-edged cliff of her genetics just by existing. Now she was supposed to survive being stuck with them for twenty hours of driving?
Not to mention they all planned to attend the benefit with her as well, not just the drive. Dressed in suits and her in a gown, they were sure to draw attention.
She looked up into Laran's eyes, his gaze still looking her over as if he knew something she didn't. Did she look different now, she wondered, to their demonic gaze?
"Do you think it would be better if just one of you came with?"
He raised that infamous eyebrow once more, a hand moving out to take hers as he came a bit closer.
"Some alone time with you? Now that's something I'd fight for."
She rolled her eyes, explaining herself better.
"I just think four large men surrounding me the whole night is going to bring attention to us we can't afford right now."
He nodded almost immediately, ready to reassure her.
"We've got it covered. Allistair and Rysten will head out first, then you and I will go with Julian. We won't stay hooked on you all night, but we will be close by to keep an eye on you. We won't make a scene."
She nodded, feeling a little lighter knowing they would be there for her but not suffocating her every move. With that they headed out, her soft hands locking the door behind them. On the way home she stayed quiet, her thoughts consumed by the past.
"We're home."
A gentle touch to her shoulder rattled her thoughts back into reality. Home? They were already home? Her home. Did it even feel like such a safe space anymore? Sometimes she wondered if it was more like a cage for her inner demons.
She got out of the car and headed inside with the help of Laran's hand against her lower back. He wanted nothing more than to stay with her, but he wouldn't push her. Not now.
"You can come in."
Shit. He knew doing such a thing would get him in the dog house with the other guys. He hesitated at the entrance until she turned to look him in the eye.
"Laran. Moira is out of town for the week and I would feel safer if you...stayed."
That was all it took, his boot-clad feet passing the doorway. To hell with the opinions of the others. If she wanted him to stay he would do just that. She was the sole purpose of his existence, who was he to fight against what she asked of him?
