25. Matilda
25
MATILDA
“Damn you!” I hiss, shoving my hands into my hair and glaring at where Luc stood only moments ago. The scent of ashes and brimstone hangs heavy in the air, reminding me of who and what he is.
I collapse back onto the bed, my mind reeling from everything that just happened. Luc saw everything in high definition, and now he knows. It’s one thing to allude to the facts, but for someone to see it right there in front of them fills me with shame and anger, making me feel sick.
The room’s temperature drops several degrees, and I shiver, sitting up, frowning as ice forms on the inside of the window. Slowly, a woman appears. Blonde and gorgeous, she is dressed in an ice-blue silk dress that falls to her feet. Her eyes fix on me with a searching stare before she smiles.
“Matilda, right?”
I nod, wondering if I should scream for help.
“It’s okay,” she says. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.”
“Who the hell are you?” I snap, getting pissed off as everyone just invades my privacy as they see fit.
“Forgive me,” she says. “My name is Xavier. I am Draven and Luc’s mom.”
“The Devil,” I mutter, eyes wide, but then I remember something. “Weren’t you a redhead when you dropped Luc off the other day?”
“Other mom.”
“Oh!” I say, feeling dumb as fuck. “Yes, of course. Draven mentioned you.”
“What did he say?” she asks lightly.
“Not too much. He isn’t big on opening up.”
“How well do you know him?”
My cheeks burn like hellfire at her probing question. “Not too well.”
“Do you know about his rivalry with Luc?”
I nod slowly.
“You have a unique opportunity here, Matilda.”
“To do what?”
“Something that our entire family has been unable to achieve.”
“Which is?”
“Bring the brothers together. They both want you.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve been watching.”
I lick my lips. “You’ve been spying on me?”
“No, I can see all from Hell.”
That floods my veins with fear. “Uhm…”
“Don’t worry, it’s not something I take lightly, nor am I prying into your life, Matilda. My concern lies with the boys.”
“What am I supposed to do about it?”
My candid question makes her smile. It is icy and full of something I can’t quite put my finger on. She is absolutely gorgeous and utterly fucking terrifying. Whoever she is down there, it has to be someone really high up in the ranks.
“You have the capacity to break them completely or bring them together, Matilda. Choose wisely.”
“Meaning?”
“I know you will do the right thing.”
“How?”
“You don’t want two of your lovers at odds with each other, child. Trust me. It never ends well.”
“Lovers,” I croak. “Luc and I aren’t…”
“You will be.”
I blink. “Who are you exactly?”
“Draven didn’t tell you?”
I shake my head. “He hasn’t said much except about his mum. His biological mum.”
“I’m the Horseman of Pestilence,” she says and then vanishes, leaving behind a trace of brimstone.
“Pestilence?” I blurt out even though she’s left. “What the fuck?” That family is more fucked up than I could’ve imagined. But now it makes me wildly curious about the rest of them. “Ugh!” I flop back to the bed and close my eyes, hoping everyone stays out of my dreams for a while. I need some sleep.
***
I wake to a crash next door on Luc’s side and sit bolt upright. “Do I even want to know?” I mutter but quickly decide I probably do not. Stretching, I realise it’s morning, and I’ve slept like the dead.
Yawning, I climb out of bed and get ready to hit the dining hall and go to class. I also have to have a conversation with Draven about Vex, but I know what I will tell him. I want them together. Like a greedy fucking slut, I want them both at the same time, all the time. I shiver at the thought.
Once I’m ready enough to face the day ahead, I make my way down to the dining hall. The events of last night weigh heavily on my mind. My intense encounter with Vex, Luc invading my dreams, and the strange visit from Pestilence, which I’m not sure if it was threatening or what.
The dining hall is bustling with activity when I arrive. I grab a plate and pile it with bacon, eggs and toast. As I scan the room for an empty seat, my eyes land on Draven. He’s sitting alone at a table in the corner, his too-blue eyes fixed intently on me.
My stomach flips as I make my way over to him. I need to tell him about what I’ve decided. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. He has said he is okay with my seeing Vex and he was the one who told me I had to figure out how I want them.
But my stomach still does a flip as I approach, he gives me a sexy smile, relaxed and confident. I wish it rubbed off on me more.
“Hi,” I say, sliding into the seat across from him.
“Morning,” he replies, his gaze roaming over me. “Sleep well?”
“I did, but it was a weird night. That aside, I have decided.”
He sits back, searching my eyes. “Weird, how?”
“Don’t you want to know about my decision?”
“That can wait. This is more important. Weird, how?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve decided I want to see you and Vex together.”
He doesn’t say anything for a minute, making me even more nervous. Has he changed his mind?
“Okay, does Vex know about this decision?”
I nod. “I know it will be strange, but I don’t like the idea of keeping you separate. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
He nods slowly. “I get it. Are you okay after your weird night?”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
I can tell he doesn’t believe me, but I’m not sure I want to tell him that his other mum came to threaten me to get the brothers to make up, nor what she said about Luc becoming my lover. Luckily for me, or maybe not, I’m saved by the appearance of the half-Incubus. He sits down next to me with a half-smile, but it is full of caution.
Draven’s eyes narrow slightly at his half-brother’s arrival. How Pestilence wants me to get these two to make up, is beyond me. I don’t even know why they hate each other so much,
“Morning, sweet witch,” Luc says, his tone casual but his eyes intense as they meet mine. “Draven.”
Draven’s jaw clenches, but he gives a curt nod in response.
Luc’s gaze bores into mine, and I see something different now. It’s softer, less intense and full of arrogance. Does he feel sorry for me after what he saw?
I grit my teeth and shovel the rest of my food into my mouth before I stand up, still chewing. “I’ll see you later,” I mumble and disappear before either of them can say a word.
Disposing of my dishes, I pull out my timetable and glare at it, hoping that somehow it has changed since I last glared at it, but sadly, I’m still due in Advanced Dark Magick in ten minutes. “Fuck,” I mutter and stuff the timetable into my backpack. I should be excited to see Vex, but instead, I am filled with dread as I approach the lecture hall. I grip my pendant and wonder if I should take it off just for this class. But that’s a slippery slope, right? I don’t know my own power, and that scares me. But I’m also terrified of what Vex said last night about not stacking up and being sent away.
Pausing outside the door, I chew my lip. I see Vex through the doorway, talking to a dark-haired girl who is giving him all the come-on signs she can. I narrow my eyes as he smiles at her, but it’s cold and distant. He isn’t interested, and it eases my nerves slightly. I know I should trust him, and I think I do, but everyone else is an enemy until proven otherwise.
The girl flicks her hair over her shoulder as she turns from him and catches me loitering in the doorway. She smirks, letting me know how pathetic she thinks I am after yesterday’s failure and my subsequent bailing on the rest of the class.
“Well, fuck you, too,” I mutter and reach around the back of my neck with shaking hands.
The second I unclasp it, Vex’s gaze shoots to mine, serious and ready to pounce. He frowns when he sees me. I hold up the pendant for him to see before shoving that in my backpack as well.
His expression changes instantly, and he nods once, turning his attention to Professor Night, who is glaring at me as I make my way to the desk, front and centre, scared as fuck as multi-coloured lightning sparks around my fingers, but at least I have a chance now.
At least, I shouldn’t make a fool of myself… assuming I don’t kill everyone, that is.