Chapter Fourteen
Dane
I was glad to finally be able to visit Kyson. It felt like eons since I’d arrived at Winterhaven. My life had gone from the open road to a single room. I missed the wind in my hair and the sun on my skin. Interacting with others, sitting on the curb while eating an ice cream and having the drive-thru screw up my order.
But there was a caveat to being here. Richard cooked like a dream. Anything I wanted was whipped up for me. Having a chef was amazing, but I felt a little guilty asking him to cook for me. He wasn’t really family, and I always had an urge to ask him to sit and eat with me.
But he was cool about it.
Since the incident on the porch, it had been Richard bringing my food, which had given me an opportunity to get to know him. I wasn’t sure why Kyson liked to mess with him. Richard was a hoot. Though I still had no idea what he was.
I kept forgetting to ask.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I glanced around. We were close to his room. My body froze, refusing to go any farther. Should I even check on him? We’d known each other three weeks, which wasn’t long at all. I had no right to pry.
Malachi turned to face me. “Is something wrong, Dane?”
His brows furrowed. I’d noticed since my meltdown how much he worried about me. My emotions. Like I would crack down the center, causing a fissure to form in my body.
It was sweet and annoying at the same time. “Are you okay?”
and “Is something wrong?”
should not be said multiple times a day to a guy my age. I was twenty-seven, not seventy-seven.
Admittedly, his concern was deeply touching considering the closed-off way he used to be, but this caring and nurturing Malachi was gonna get smacked if he didn’t let up on his concern.
Although it was justified right now.
“What if he doesn’t want to see me but is too polite to make me leave?”
I leaned against one of the walls, the cold marble seeping through my shirt. “I know what he’s been through.”
My throat tightened. My hand gripped my arm, fingers pressing hard enough to leave marks. “That feeling of someone invading your body is…”
I wasn’t ready to talk about it to anyone. Not that I was ashamed. It wasn’t my fault. But talking about it made it real again, forced the traumatic events to the forefront of my mind.
The possession had felt like my entire insides were packed with cotton balls. But there was a slow burn associated with it. No, that wasn’t right. More like tiny streams of lava creeping at a slow pace through your veins.
Not enough to burn, but enough to bite. The worst part was feeling like a cesspool of every negative emotion was crammed inside of me, pressing down until I’d wanted to scream and beg for death.
When Osiris had possessed me, it had taken—I still couldn’t get past not only the feeling of being violated.
A person didn’t just “get over”
something like that, didn’t go on their merry way afterward. Those experiences were haunting and they just had to learn how to cope with them as best they could.
“You’re the perfect person to talk to him.”
Malachi leaned next to me.
I flexed my hands, releasing the tension before it locked me up completely. “How’s that? You think one fucked-up person should help another one?”
“Besides you, who else is qualified?”
He waved his hand to encompass the castle. “Who else can relate better to Kyson than someone who has gone through the same thing?”
I was glad he hadn’t said trauma. I didn’t want to be seen as a victim, even though I’d referred to myself as such on more than one occasion.
“What if I don’t want to be the leading expert? I mean I’m not trying to sound harsh or uncaring, but—”
“Everyone’s experience is their own, to be shared only if, and when, they’re ready.”
Malachi turned to face me, resting his shoulder against the wall, his arms folded. “It’s a personal thing, Dane. No one can tell you when you’re ready to get over something that’s deeply impacted your life.”
“You talk like you’ve experienced…stuff.”
His eyes widened a little, then he huffed a small laugh. “Babe, you don’t get to my age without going through hella shit. I’ve been poisoned many times, stabbed, locked in chains, starved, beaten, and the list goes on. You think my skilled fighting has saved my ass every single time? Even the mighty fall, little warrior. It’s inevitable.”
Malachi was so strong, so confident and sure of himself. I couldn’t imagine anyone taking him down.
“And even after all that, I was, once again, cut off at the knees.”
What was he talking about? We’d spent most of our time together. If someone had made him fall, I would hope he told me about it. “Are you referring to Emmett?”
Just saying his name made me queasy. Those eyes, those unwelcoming fangs, those crude words. The guy had gotten off on scaring me. I should know since I was the leading expert.
“Your innocence is so refreshing.”
A small growl escaped him. “It’s turning me on.”
I suppressed a laugh. “I think a stiff wind turns you on.”
“Only if you’re the one blowing.”
He winked.
My eyes rolled as I chuckled. The sound grew quiet as I looked toward Kyson’s room.
Malachi took my hand in his. “No one is forcing you, Dane. You can either visit with him or I’ll have Richard bring something to your room. The choice is up to you.”
Narrowing my eyes, I yanked my hand away. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,”
he argued. “I think the extra pounds looks damn good on you.”
My head snapped back, lips parting. “You did not just say that to me.”
“I’m just gonna shut up now,”
Malachi grumbled. “Try to compliment someone and you get your head bitten off.”
“For future reference, don’t compliment weight gain.”
I leaned back against the wall, wishing he hadn’t mentioned it.
“Humans have strange hangups about their bodies.”
He settled next to me once more.
“Our sole reason is to reproduce, so it’s ingrained in us to look our best to lure the perfect mating partner.”
I cringed on how nerdy that sounded.
“Is that what you call what’s happening between us? Trying to reproduce?”
I was ready to give him an earful when I saw the spark of humor in his eyes. “Boy, when you let your guard down, you go all the way.”
Malachi’s jaw clenched. “Are you visiting him or not?”
Note to self. Never tease him about how sweet he is.
“Yes.”
Not really, but with the mood change, I didn’t want to go back to my room. “How did it look like a farmhouse outside but a colossal castle on the inside?”
I was proud of myself for finally remembering to ask.
“Fairy dust.”
Malachi knocked on Kyson’s door.
“How many people did Kyson tell?”
It seemed everyone knew about my reference to fairy dust. Richard had even said it when we walked back inside.
Malachi held up his index finger.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“One person. That’s all it takes.”
My veins filled with ice. “You’re not going to tell anyone about the stuff we talk about, are you?”
I’d shared a lot about my childhood with him. My dad, my friends, how I’d crushed on a straight guy. Christopher had taken it very well. He’d left a note in my locker to meet him under the bleachers. I should have known something was up, from the location to the snicker he’d given.
And things had become mortifying after that. I wasn’t going to give that memory any more attention than I already had.
It was best to forget I’d nearly blown the quarterback in front of all his friends.
The doorknob suddenly turned, and then the door inched inward a little. I gazed at Malachi, who looked like he was bracing for an attack.
What were we walking into?
“I told you to stop checking—”
Kyson’s words died when his gaze landed on me. “You brought a friend. How sweet.”
My breaths grew shallow, and my heart raced. It was the same thing Osiris said to me in the restaurant. Clearly Malachi remembered, because he watched Kyson a little more closely. But Malachi had visited him since his ordeal.
This had to be a coincidence.
Kyson had been Osiris’s vic—unwelcome guest too. Malachi and I were just being paranoid, jumpy since Osiris’s impromptu visit.
Only, Malachi didn’t get jumpy. He’d kept his cool during that fight at Flaming Wings.
Right now, he moved slowly, looking like he was checking out the décor on the walls. I so needed to decorate my depressing room… with no money and unable to leave the castle. I didn’t even own a phone. I couldn’t afford one, so there was no use online screen-shopping.
“How’ve you been, Kyson?”
I didn’t want to seem uncaring if it was truly him.
He didn’t even look my way as he stood there. He was too busy watching Malachi. “Okay, I guess. You?”
“Dealing.”
Malachi’s hands were tucked behind him while he looked as though he was on a Sunday stroll.
In someone’s bedroom.
Kyson didn’t flinch as Malachi circled him, slowly closing in. His movements were smooth, casual even, as if he had all the time in the world. It struck me that this was the Malachi everyone feared, and I was witnessing firsthand a calculating warrior in action.
And as bad as it sounded, I was fascinated, drawn to the quiet power of a dark predator observing his prey. It just killed me that his target was inside Kyson.
Determined to help, I tried to keep the conversation flowing—something about how Richard’s cooking should be illegal—though I wasn’t really paying attention to my own words. Kyson’s responses were clipped, his usual wit replaced with disinterested replies.
Despite my gut telling me Osiris was inside of him, my mind tried to reason that Kyson wouldn’t act normal after what he’d just been through.
Anyone would be subdued after… well, what he’d endured.
Malachi reached the dresser near the far wall, his back to us, and rested one hand lightly on the edge. “Richard mentioned something about apple pie earlier,”
he said, his voice calm, steady. “Did you have a chance to try it yet?”
Kyson shook his head once. “No.”
That one syllable held no warmth, no humor. Just flatness. Every time the two were near each other, attitudes flared. Now. Nothing.
I let out a nervous laugh, the sound too loud in the quiet room. “Well, you are missing out. Best pie I have ever had.”
I sounded like a straight-up robot.
God, I sucked at acting. If Malachi didn’t hurry up and do something, someone was going to hand me a Razzie Award.
I was itching to cross the space between us. I wanted to reach out, reassure Kyson, maybe draw out a bit of the old him. But I stayed put, my own unease keeping me where I stood.
When Malachi turned slightly, something silver curled in his hand caught the dim light. A flash of claws, maybe? I wasn’t sure since I forced my gaze away. I didn’t want Kyson noticing how hard I was staring behind him, but the metal covered each finger to the first knuckle.
Malachi nicked Kyson’s arm with it, but he’d moved so fast, one blink and I would have missed what he’d done. It was actually frightening to know he could do that, and I was grateful as hell he didn’t move like that in bed.
There you go thinking about crazy shit when you’re nervous.
Kyson’s gaze snapped to Malachi. A guttural sound escaped him as he pressed a hand over his arm.
Heart pounding, I stepped back. That sound didn’t belong to Kyson. It was too deep and disturbing.
Slowly, Malachi turned to fully face him. His calm presence was unnerving against the glee radiating from Kyson. The air in the room grew heavy, the demon’s eyes glowing with arousal. I felt like I was going to vomit.
“How could I pass up the opportunity”—Kyson’s voice was a sickly blend of seduction and malice—“to dwell inside one toy while observing the other?”
Observing? How long had he been inside Kyson? I didn’t even want to be in the same room with the demon. My skin threatened to crawl right off my body. Images of my time spent with him wouldn’t stop tormenting me, causing my heart to beat out of control. I felt every cut, every burn, and remembered every prayer where I’d begged to die so the torture would finally end.
Keep it together, Dane. Kyson needs you.
My gaze shifted to the door when Giovanni walked in, hands in front pockets. “You know, I had my suspicions, which is why I’ve stuck close by.”
There was something in the way he looked at Kyson, and for a brief moment, pain flashed in his eyes, but it was gone a heartbeat later. “You really don’t want to piss me or my brother off.”
The guy still intimidated the shit out of me. He looked like he could rip out someone’s throat while flipping through videos on his phone. There was just a cold, malevolent aura about him.
His gaze flicked to me, as if just thinking about him had gained his attention. “Didn’t see you there, Dane, though I should’ve known.”
He scented the air, just a faint twitch of his nose. “You are a fragrant bouquet of flowers.”
Malachi snarled.
Kyson staggered a little while clutching his arm. A grimace twisted his face, and for a hot second, I thought it might be the real Kyson again. But then he straightened, and I realized Osiris was still in charge.
“You think a little silver will harm me?”
Osiris sneered, but the strain in his voice and that stagger betrayed him. “Come now, dark prince. Surely you can do better than that.”
Malachi’s wings shifted slightly, but his stance didn’t change. A steady anchor as Osiris’s grin stretched wider.
“I don’t need to do better,”
Malachi said. “I just need to know.”
“Know what?”
Kyson—no, Osiris—cocked his head. His eyes sparkled with nauseating pleasure. “That it’s me? That I returned to his body as soon as you left him alone after the last time I possessed him?”
A faint hum of energy stirred in the air. I shot a glance at Malachi, but his face remained impassive.
“Leave his body. Now.”
Giovanni’s tone was chilling, an underlying edge of a natural-born killer laced through it. He slid a set of daggers from hidden sheaths beneath his untucked dress shirt, twirling them expertly, like they were an extension of his hands. My breath caught when the dizzying speed caused them to whistle.
Osiris’s grin was smug, his expression cunning, but he ignored Giovanni’s demand. Instead, his gaze flicked to me, causing bile to rise in my throat. “Do you think Malachi will save you again, sweet boy?”
Hearing him say Malachi’s name made my teeth clench.
“In a heartbeat.”
I narrowed my eyes, “You’re just a demonic bully, and he will flatline you.”
“Damn right, baby,”
Malachi snarled.
Kyson’s arm twitched under his hand, like he was fighting against something.
Malachi’s expression hardened, his voice dropping to a low, commanding growl. “Leave his body now or I’ll rip you out myself.”
Osiris glanced between Malachi and Giovanni, his grin faltering just enough for me to realize the demon was afraid of them.
But he recovered quickly, his restrained laugh echoing once more. “Such bravado, prince. Do you think I fear you?”
he asked softly, his eyes calculating. “Not after you ran like a coward from our fight.”
Malachi’s feathers rustled faintly. “You have seconds left. Use them wisely.”
Osiris wasn’t one to back down, but the subtle crack in his confidence was there, a small fracture in his facade.
For the first time since this nightmare began, I felt something close to hope.