Chapter 12
"You should have fucking told us," Logan shouted as he threw the pile of notes onto the table.
Cade flinched deeper into me, and I tightened my grip around her shoulders.
A small part of me was elated that she was using me as her shield tonight, while another part battled the demons in my head that were screaming for blood, demanding I hunt down whoever had been threatening our Consort for weeks.
We were sitting in the main Covenant house living room, along with James Killingham, who had insisted on following us home after the attack.
The air felt thick with tension, almost suffocating, and the scent of Cade's shampoo from her hair pressed against my chest was the only thing keeping me grounded.
"Logan," Cole snapped as he picked up the notes and straightened them out. His voice cut through the room like a blade. "Calm down for Christ's sake. She doesn't exactly need you yelling at her right now."
"Maybe she does," Logan hissed, then turned on Cade, his hazel eyes flashing dangerously. "If you had told us that someone was threatening you then we would have-"
"Would have what?" Cade pulled herself free from my arms and stood up, facing off against Logan.
The sudden loss of her warmth against me left a cold emptiness that I immediately resented.
"What would you have done? Taken away what freedom that I have left?
And how was I supposed to know that it wasn't you three sending me the notes to fuck with my head more? "
"Poison, we wouldn't do that," I protested, but she whirled, turning her anger on me.
Her blue eyes were bright with unshed tears, her cheeks flushed with emotion.
The sight of her standing there in her torn dress, still trembling slightly from the attack, made something twist painfully in my chest.
"Oh no?" she hissed. "No, you would just find other ways to fuck with me, right?
Add in a new rule into the contract that humiliates me further, right?
" I knew she was lashing out from fear of what had happened tonight, but it didn't stop the sting of rejection or the guilt that crept up my spine like ice water.
She was right, and that truth burned worse than any physical wound could.
"If I remember rightly, Princess," Logan's eyes flashed with danger as he stepped right into Cade's space, towering over her, "You were the one who had the latest rule added to the contract.
It's your own fault if you didn't check the wording and it came back to bite you on the ass.
" Cade's hand flew up, and the sound of her slap against Logan's face reverberated around the room like a gunshot.
I felt myself flinch at the impact, even as a dark part of me thrilled at the fire in her eyes.
"Go fuck yourself, you bastard," she snarled, her voice raw with emotion. Both Cole and I jumped up before Logan could respond, but I stopped short as a dark chuckle left his lips. He stepped back away from Cade and rubbed the red mark on his cheek, his eyes never leaving hers.
"What other option do I have, Princess?" he smirked, his voice dropping to a dangerous purr. "Unless you plan on actually fulfilling your duties and opening those pretty little legs for me."
Cade looked like she was going to lunge at Logan, her hands balled into fists at her sides, but then Killingham coughed from his place in the armchair in the corner.
Fuck, I had almost forgotten he was here, and this didn't look good, us fighting in front of him.
The shadows from the fireplace danced across his face, making his expression impossible to read.
"I think that nerves are frayed tonight, and maybe Miss Turner could do with a good night's rest," Killingham said, his voice smooth as silk, but then turned to face Cade.
"But first, I would like to offer my apologies, Miss Turner.
You should not have been put in a dangerous position, and I intend to make it my top priority to investigate the source of these horrific notes immediately.
" I narrowed my eyes on him. He seemed genuinely shocked when he had seen the notes and actually sounded like he cared, but I couldn't help being suspicious.
The way his gaze lingered on Cade felt predatory rather than protective, especially given the theory that Logan, Cole, and I had about his true intentions.
Killingham leant over to take the pile of notes, but Logan swooped in and grabbed them first, his movements swift and decisive.
"No need, High Lord," he said quickly, his voice clipped and formal.
"We know you are busy, and it is our responsibility to protect our Consort, and it's a responsibility that I intend to take very seriously.
" It didn't take a genius to detect the meaning behind his words.
The formal tone was laced with warning, but if Killingham had noticed, then he was better than I would like at masking it.
His expression remained placid, almost sympathetic.
"Very well, Mr Bale," he said with a nod, "But I do expect a full report of your findings. We take the safety of all of our Consorts very seriously in the Trivium."
"As do we," Logan said. The tension between the pair as they almost stood off against each other was practically sucking the air from the room. My fingers itched to reach for Cade, to pull her back against me, to shield her from whatever game Killingham was playing.
Finally, Killingham stepped back and turned to Cade, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
"Well, I will be taking my leave. Please, Miss Turner, get some rest," he picked up the mask that he had been wearing at the party from the chair arm. "And if you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out."
"Thank you, Mr Killingham," Cade replied quickly, her voice steady despite the tremor I could see in her hands.
Killingham nodded to each of us before making his way out of the room, his footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor.
We listened in silence until we heard the front door close with a heavy thud.
Then Logan turned to face Cade, his expression hard as granite.
"From now on, you go nowhere alone, you understand me? Either one of us or someone we trust will be with you at all times."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Cade snapped, her voice rising with each word. "Are you really using this attack to fuck with me further? Am I not already under enough of your surveillance as it is?"
"Clearly not," Cole said quietly from where he stood by the fireplace, the flames casting his face in sharp relief.
"I mean, you still haven't told us who it was you were hiding with in the hallway earlier this evening.
" Cade shrunk back, fear flashing across her face like lightning, and my skin instantly prickled at her reaction.
The scent of her fear was almost tangible, mixing with the lingering perfume she'd worn to the ball and the metallic smell of blood from where the attacker had nicked her skin.
"I-I told you," she stammered quickly, "I was alone."
"Bullshit, Princess," Logan snarled, stepping closer to her again. "Someone tried to kill you tonight, and you are still lying to us."
"Poison, we are just trying to stop anyone from hurting you," I said, trying to reason with her, reaching out to touch her arm. The look she gave me could have killed an army, her blue eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and defiance.
"Oh yeah, of course you are," she spat, jerking away from my touch.
"You wanna reserve that right for yourselves.
" I felt like I had been slapped. The words hit me like a physical blow, driving the air from my lungs.
I knew that her emotions were on edge right now, and I stepped towards her again to try to help her ease.
"Poison, please-"
"No, I can't deal with this right now," Cade snapped as she pulled away from me again, her voice cracking with emotion. "I need space and a fucking shower." She then turned away from us all and stormed from the room, leaving the door open.
I watched as she rushed up the stairs out of view, the sound of her footsteps fading into silence.
Conflict warred inside me. I wanted to go and comfort her, to reassure her that we just wanted to make sure she was safe, but I also wanted to find out who the fuck had been threatening my Poison for weeks and who dared to attack her.
The image of her pinned beneath that masked man, the knife glinting in the moonlight as it hovered over her throat, flashed through my mind again.
My hands began to shake with suppressed rage.
I felt helpless that I could do neither protect her nor hunt down her attacker right now.
I turned back to face the guys and saw that they were each working through their own thoughts. Logan still looked pissed off, pacing the room like a caged animal, while Cole had a dark, concerned look across his features, his mismatched eyes distant as if seeing things none of us could.
"I think I am going to make her a drink to help her sleep," I said and turned and headed from the room and down the hall into the kitchen to start making the drinks.
I was filling the kettle when Chris, one of the housemen, came into the kitchen. I nodded to him as he reached into the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Logan and Cole joined us in the kitchen, their footsteps heavy with purpose.
"Update?" Logan asked Chris after he had taken a drink from his water.
"We are still out searching for clues," Chris said quickly. "All of the housemen are on it, Regent." I glanced over at him quickly.
"All of them?" I asked, and Chris nodded.
"Everyone except Max. He is still with your cousin at her dorm," he said quickly, and I allowed myself to breathe, knowing Luce was safe. The knot of tension in my chest eased slightly at the knowledge.