Chapter 19 – Silence
Chapter Nineteen
Silence
H aven truly is a picturesque little monster town. Atlas’s home is within walking distance of everything we could possibly need. I have no idea why the orc has a vehicle at all. I’ve never seen him drive it.
“I would prefer you keep close to Ali’s side for whatever comes next,” Malice says as we head out the back door of The Den. “Your magic is multifaceted, unlike Atlas’s or Hex’s. It’s why I didn’t make a big deal about Atlas staying behind. It’s also a perfect opportunity to prove yourself.”
“What is coming?” I make a grab for his arm.
Or Kash’s.
Whatever.
It’s strange having the nightmare cohabiting in the warlock’s body.
“Keep her safe. Otherwise, I’ll trap you in a nightmare of your own making for all eternity.” He winks at Ali. “See you soon, kitten.” He takes off, jogging down the alleyway.
“Why does that make me nervous?” she asks, looking at me over her shoulder. She’s so fucking beautiful, my chest feels tight when I look at her lately. She’s making progress with Hex, but we almost never get one-on-one time together.
It fucking kills me.
I clear my throat. “I believe he has some type of plan.”
I won’t be omitting things from my wife again.
If Malice doesn’t like it, well, then, that’s just too damn bad.
“That’s worrisome.” She glances between me and Hex. “You don’t have any idea what he has planned?”
“No,” I tell her truthfully. “Just that we’re meant to keep you safe.”
“I don’t like that at all.” Her shoulders tighten, betraying her tension.
I ache to soothe it, but we’re not there yet.
There’s commotion down the alleyway just past the curve where it opens into the street near the front of Venom.
Hex grunts. He’s back in full human form and looking more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him.
I’ll just bet he is, that fucker.
He nods from me to our mate, taking off without a backward glance.
He doesn’t need to see it occur to know I’ll do my duty and keep her safe, no matter the cost.
I take the few steps separating us and wrap my arm around her lower back.
“We need to check on Malice.” She blinks up at me like I could deny her anything.
“And you and I need to talk.” Blondish-pink hair falls over my arm as her head shakes.
“I’m genuinely sorry for the pain I caused the two of you.
I didn’t know, or I guess I let myself think it wasn’t possible, because I never experienced it, so I thought.
..” She bites her lip. “I thought our bond wasn’t strong enough.
Now, I think I’m trying to justify my bad behavior because I feel genuinely terrible.
I hate that the two of you had to know what was happening.
..” She wraps her hand in mine. “And especially that you felt physical pain because of me. The point is, I’m sorry.
I regret a lot of things, but I hope, at some point, we can move past all of this. ”
I study her face. That was unexpected. I’ve been fairly sure that she would forgive Hex simply because his beast is so pathetic. However, that left me with little to offer.
I swallow, faking a confidence I don’t have. “I’m here for our future, not to dwell on the past.”
I nuzzle my cheek to hers, but a loud screech breaks the air. She jolts in my arms, a look of terror crossing her face.
We take off toward the noises.
There’s yelling, but my gaze catches on Hex. He’s peeking around the brick at the end of the corridor. For him not to be out there in the action? It’s not a great sign.
Our shoes meet the cobblestone as we jog closer to the chaos.
Hex tosses an arm up, blocking us from making the turn to spill out into the street. We’ve made this trip plenty of times while walking to and from The Den.
There are always a few cars haphazardly parked, while others stop to let someone out or pick someone up. This time, the members of the council stand in a semicircle near the ropes that block the doors to Venom.
Malice, in Kash’s body, stands on our side of a small clunker of a car.
It’s the eight-or-nine-foot tall wyvern standing perched on the top of the car that throws me for a loop. I pull Ali closer, preparing to shield us if necessary.
The wyvern’s powerful head swivels, taking in the council members before its lizard-like gaze focuses back on Kash. Black smoke billows from his nose.
Ali screams.
I clamp a hand over her mouth as I wrap my arm around her middle. Everything in me focuses on pouring soothing command into my tone. “Don’t interfere. This is clearly what Malice warned us about.”
She doesn’t comply. Of course, she doesn’t. My wife is the most frustrating female I’ve ever encountered. She fights my hold as pink magic forms at her hands.
The wyvern screams, an ugly sounding call of death and vengeance before dragonfire spills from its open maw.
Ali rips my hand away, screaming and kicking in the air. “Ohmigod, no!”
Kash’s body is instantly engulfed in flames. It’s a gruesome sight, but I blow out a breath of pure relief when a black shadow spills from his feet, darting under the car.
Ali continues to fight my hold for all she’s worth. “Silence, I can save him...”
I stagger back as she lands a solid kick to my shin. Somehow, I always manage to forget she was raised as heir to Faere throne, and as such, learned methods of defending herself.
“Stop, you infuriating woman!” I command as her nails rake down my arms.
“Come now, kitten. You didn’t think you’d be rid of me that easily, did you?” Malice purrs.
I take several steps back into the darkened alley, yanking Ali along with me. She finally stops struggling as she spots Malice.
I release her, but I’m shocked to see she’s holding her bracelet. I’ve never seen her without it on.
“You fucking dick,” she hisses, slamming her palm into Malice’s suddenly solid chest. “I almost broke a bead for you.”
I frown, staring at the bracelet. My head tilts as I appraise it. I’d like to know what that means.
“That’s extremely heartwarming to hear.” He pulls her flush with his front. “And if you had, I’d be spanking your ass raw right this very moment.” He kisses her cheek. “Never use your magic in front of the council. Certainly not to save me. I assure you, I’m very hard to kill.”
“I couldn’t stop myself from at least trying,” she admits, her gaze darting away. “You’re important to me.”
I’m still quite focused on the necklace and the bracelet, which has slithered its way back around her wrist. My mind travels back to our wedding day and the gift the small child gave her immediately before Ary was stabbed.
The bracelet was of a similar style with large beads, but details beyond that have faded with time.
“We need to get somewhere safe,” Hex warns. “It’s going down out there. The wyvern fled.”
“Good,” Malice says, chuckling. “Otherwise, I would’ve had to find a way to free him. Kash was a wretched man, in case there were any doubts.”
Malice sits on one corner of the sofa, stretched out across the bed portion that I now know is called a chaise lounge. Ali kneels over him, cuddled up close. Hex, the poor besotted bastard, sits practically on top of Malice’s right side. He’s got a hand on Ali’s back.
They look like quite the comfortable threesome, but once again, I’m on the outside, staring in like a voyeur to their private moment.
Atlas storms inside the back door of his house.
He’s loaded down with take-out bags, but he drops them on the coffee table before leaning over, pulling Ali’s mouth to his, despite the fact she’s resting on Malice’s shoulder.
Again, I wish I knew that was an option.
The sad thing is, I’m pretty sure it isn’t for me .
I shake away the bitter ache that radiates in my stomach. She said she wanted to work on things between us, and that won’t be possible if I can’t let go of the hurt and resentment.
“Explain,” Atlas growls, jabbing a finger at Malice.
“The wyvern is an acquaintance with a bone to pick with the dearly departed Kashius.” Malice snorts. “Are you hungry, kitten?”
Ali nods, leaning up on her knees.
Atlas sighs, digging in the bag and handing Malice a sandwich. The nightmare unwraps it, pulling his shadows tight against his form as he offers Ali a bite.
“My veggie burger?” she asks, looking at Atlas over her shoulder.
“Like I’d try to feed you beef.” He scoffs, grabbing out a few other packages and handing them out.
Apparently, he instinctively knew Malice would be offering it to her. It’s taken years for Hex and I to understand each other at that level.
Ali bites into the outstretched burger and moans in delight.
I set down the sandwich in my hand. I’ve no appetite for it at the moment. “Back to the show you put on...”
“Ah, yes. I needed a public way to dispatch of Kash’s shell. The wyvern needed to...” He laughs, shrugging. “Burn off a little of his rage. It worked out in the end. They’ll certainly not be expecting Kash to report for duty come Monday morning.”
“That’s true.” Atlas takes a seat on the floor near the edge of the couch and passes Ali a bottle of water.
It’s no great wonder the human realm is filled with plastics, but after drinking a glass of water from the tap, I understand the necessity, even if it is quite disheartening.
My eyes are continually drawn back to Ali’s bracelet. It’s niggling at my mind. I’m not sure why, but I’m not going to let it go without investigation.
They talk amongst themselves, but my magic pulses with interest.
I need to get my hands on that piece of jewelry.
Atlas shoves down his wrapper, yanking his phone from his pocket.
He curses under his breath. “The council is still crawling around. Saber made it clear you’re to stay home until the dust settles.
” Ali opens her mouth to respond, but Atlas continues, “That’s at Dread’s request. He’s also asking for everyone to come back in for the night.
They’re putting several council members up in rooms at The Den. ”