Chapter 5 #2
He picked up his drink and took a slow sip, like he was trying to make this look like a casual drink at the bar, not a meeting regarding the movements of the commander of Scarlata’s army.
“He went to see Nathan. Jes was tense after meeting with Wolf this morning, and I get it. He just wants to help.”
My temper flared, heat spreading across my chest. “And what, exactly, did he want from Nathan?”
Laughter from the crowd wafted through the air, piercing the tension that surrounded us.
“He was asking Nathan for men, so he could travel to the eastern kingdoms and offer protection at the borders.”
Goddess fucking dammit. From my experience, Jessiah was a good little boy, a rule follower. This? It was the definition of out of character for him. “You’re joking, right? You heard what Wolf said this morning. That’s absolutely not going to happen.”
Xavier frowned, his brows drawing together. “I agree. Which is why I’m telling you.”
Interesting. Jessiah’s lapdog was running around snitching on him?
Satisfaction crept through me at the thought. Jessiah really believed he had this whole kingdom wrapped around his little finger. He really thought he could… could what? Build a secret army using men from The Golden City and march to the eastern border, directly disobeying his brother’s orders?
“I don’t know why you’re coming to me with this,” I huffed. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not in charge of anything here.”
“Jessiah listens to you.”
I laughed out loud at that one.
“I’m serious!” he pushed. “Sure, you two fight like a damn married couple, but you’re the only one who can talk sense into him.”
I took a gulp of my drink and set it on the bartop with a little too much force. “We both know that isn’t true.”
“It is true.” He leaned forward and put a hand on my arm.
“Please, listen to me. Jessiah is… I don’t know.
I’ve never seen him like this, Rum.” He heaved a sigh.
“He’s always been loyal to Wolf, but this is different.
There’s something going on with him. And if he goes through with this, I don’t think his brother will ever forgive him. Neither will Huntyr.”
Xavier was right on that account. Wolf and Huntyr valued loyalty over everything. If Jessiah—one of their most trusted advisors and the commander of Scarlata’s army—directly disobeyed their orders? Snuck around behind their backs? Built secret armies?
It would not go over well.
But…
“I’m still not sure why you think I’d care enough to try to stop him. Jessiah and I aren’t exactly friends. Why would I care if he gets into trouble with his brother?”
“It’s not just about Wolf and Jessiah. It’s about Huntyr too. The strife that would grow between them would gut her. And I know you care about her, somewhere deep down in that cold little heart of yours.”
His eyes dropped to my cleavage.
If he were anyone else, I might’ve been annoyed.
“You know it would break her. So this nonsense needs to be stopped before it goes anywhere. And you’re the only one who can talk sense into him.”
Ugh. There weren’t enough drinks in the world for this.
In no alternate reality would Jessiah listen to me.
Xavier might think Jessiah and I fought like a married couple—whatever the fuck that meant—but he was wrong.
We fought like two people who didn’t like each other, respect each other, or even remotely care about each other.
We fought like two people who couldn’t care less.
But before I could tell Xavier how absolutely ridiculous his suggestion was, a large shadow loomed over us.
“You two look cozy.”
Jessiah.
Of fucking course.
I flipped my hair over my shoulder and twisted to face him. He had just bathed, his wet hair glistening under the flickering lights of the feast, and his massive white wings were on full display. Per usual.
“We were pretty cozy until about one second ago, thanks,” I spat.
His fake smile tightened slightly. “Well, don’t let me interrupt. Please, continue with whatever it was you two were discussing.”
Xavier downed his drink in two gulps and pushed to his feet. “Any other night, I might be entertained by this bickering, but I’m hungry. So if you’ll excuse me…”
He slipped past Jessiah, giving him a nod.
Then, to my dismay, Jessiah took the open seat. “You two seemed to be having an important conversation.”
“Don’t be jealous. We were just sharing secrets about you.”
He smiled, the rare expression exposing his annoyingly perfect teeth. “As if you’d ever be lucky enough to be privy to secrets about me.”
“I know plenty of things.”
“Really?” He leaned in, and though he was sitting at least a foot farther than Xavier had been, he felt ten times closer. “Do tell, please.”
“Well.” I turned toward him, mimicking his teasing flirt. “Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I’ll share. I know that you went to The Golden City today to do something very, very stupid.”
Jessiah’s smile instantly vanished. “Did Xavier tell you that?”
“Relax, hotshot.” I took another drink, watching him over the rim of my mug. “I can be very persuasive when it comes to getting information.”
“It’s not what you think.”
Annoyance flared hot in my veins. “It’s exactly what I think. And it’s dangerous as all hells.” I let my drink drop back down onto the bar. “Which is why Xavier came to me as your friend, hoping I could do something about it.”
“Unbelievable.” He shook his head, his lips turned down, as if he actually had a right to be upset at Xavier.
Goddess above, that pissed me off more than anything. Xavier cared enough about him to come to me instead of straight to Wolf and Huntyr so he wouldn’t get his ass chewed out. He also cared enough to stop him before he did something idiotic and endangered his own life.
It was a courtesy I wouldn’t have shown in that situation. I could not give a shit about whether he got his ass chewed out. Honestly, that would fall somewhere close to the top of my list of satisfying situations to witness.
“Don’t get all pissy.” I waved a hand. “Xavier’s not an idiot, which is why he can see how dangerous your little plan is. Do you really think Wolf and Huntyr won’t find out that you went to see Nathan?”
He ran a hand through his light hair, his eyes darting around the crowd. “I thought I would have at least a little time before people started running their mouths.”
I raised a brow. “Well, good luck with that.” Standing, I took one more drink. Then I turned away from the bar. I didn’t know exactly where I was headed, but this crowd was suddenly feeling too dense for me.
“Hey!” Jessiah called after me. Two seconds later, he grabbed me by the arm and spun me around to face him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I yanked my arm, but he held tight. “Anywhere but here. Thanks for your concern.”
“You can’t leave.”
“Excuse me?”
“I just mean—” He bowed his head and gave it a shake. Hells, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was actually starting to lose his shit. “We need to talk about this.”
“What makes you think I want to talk about this? With you, of all people? Huntyr is my best friend. She’s the only person in this entire fucking kingdom who gives a shit about me, and you deliberately betrayed her today.”
He straightened, his shoulders and wings pulling back. “Don’t act like you give a shit about Huntyr. We both know you’ll always do what’s best for you and you alone.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” The words came out too loudly, but I didn’t care.
With the growing crowd around us prepaing for the feast, the rest of the damn kingdom would be preoccupied.
If there was anything these vampyres loved more than an ounce of drama, it was fresh blood from the feast. “How dare you say that to me.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong.”
A wildness flashed behind his eyes. He really was coming undone.
“Fine. You want to leave? I’m coming with you.”
Goddess above. This event was horrid enough without Jessiah turning into the world’s biggest buzzkill.
But he wanted to follow me around? He wanted to control my every move?
Be my fucking guest.
I peeled my leather jacket off my shoulders, exposing more skin than I had in some time. It was a damn party, wasn’t it? So why not?
“Forget it. I’m going to dance.”
As I turned away, a low growl rumbled through the air. Wolf and Jessiah had that in common. Both were better at controlling their tempers than I was, but they had that primal response to anger.
And it gave them away every damn time.
Satisfaction bubbled in my chest as I made my way into the thick crowd that circled the massive fire in the center of the city.
Two years ago, being so completely surrounded by vampyres would have terrified me.
But this wasn’t my first feast. The ones dancing here weren’t hungry. There was no danger here.
These vampyres were still in that euphoric state that came after a fresh feeding. They danced, they drank, they sang. They let their bodies sway, let the music take over their senses, losing themselves in pure bliss.
I’d never experienced a sensation like that. Not once in my entire life. But on these nights? I could pretend.
Even though I felt Jessiah’s attention on me, like we were tethered somehow, I could pretend.