30. JulianMaeve
30
JULIAN
M y pegasus snarls, his fury mirroring my own.
She called herself my mistress. A mistress?
As if I’d ever sully her like that. She’s mine. Precious, perfect, and she thinks I’d really drag her into some twisted affair? Like I’d ever degrade her like that. She’s the only thing that matters.
“Oh, who the fuck am I kidding,” I rage at myself. “Of course, she does. That is exactly what she thinks.”
I’ve never hated my uncle’s treatment of Maeve more than I have at this moment. She sounded so broken, so hurt , as if she wasn’t worth more than that. I could kill him for letting that happen.
My fists clench at my sides, shaking. I’m raging, and Lucifer’s going to take the full fucking brunt of my anger. Cunt absolutely knew what he was doing when he called me.
All he does is ruin shit.
“What the fuck do you want, Lucifer?” I snarl down the line, my tone dark and dangerous. I hear his manic cackling, as if this is the funniest thing he’s ever heard.
The sound is familiar but so much more twisted. He’s grown, but it’s still the same psychotic energy I remember.
“I’m going to hang up if you can’t get your shit together,” I warn. “I am not in the mood for your pathetic games.”
My pegasus snarls, not liking that I’m giving our cousin any time of day. He’d rather I just ditched this entire place and flew over to where Maeve was. Not only could we not handle that long a flight, but we’ve got no idea the coordinates of the Phoenix Pride.
Fucking idiot that he is.
“Whoa, baby cuz, is that the attitude you were raised to have when speaking to your elders?” Lucifer demands, tutting at me. “Your mother would be horrified.”
“When talking to the Devil, you don’t act polite.”
He laughs, but it’s a lot less manic than his first one was. “I never thought you were funny. Hadrian’s always said you were a bore.”
That’s interesting, and something my brother has never mentioned. I didn’t realise the two of them were in contact.
Unless… he’s just playing me right now and trying to wind me up in order to twist me into whatever shit he’s got himself into now.
“Don’t test me right now. What do you want?” I tap my foot on the floor, trying to shake off some of this aggression.
“Don’t act like you hate me. Not only do you still have my number saved after all these years, but you answered the phone when I called.”
“I was hoping it was the morgue telling me you were dead.”
“Oh, baby cousin, that’s so embarrassing,” Lucifer taunts again, his tone dipping dangerously low, sharp as a knife. His amusement grates on me.
I growl. “What is?”
“That you’re trying to act like our mate and failing so spectacularly.”
My heart skips a beat. Our mate?
“Our mate?” I freeze, the words lodging themselves in my throat. Even my pegasus stops his tantrum and pays attention to the words of my psychotic cousin. “I don’t know what?—”
“Maeve? Beautiful, blonde, so fucking vicious.” He cackles his manic laugh when I don’t say anything. “She’s convinced you’re lying about being her mate, you know?”
“What did she think when you told her about yourself?” I can’t help but ask.
“That would be a great assumption on your behalf,” he replies. The pause that follows feels like a punch to the gut.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, you’re so dumb, Jules,” he says, laughing. “I never told her she was my mate. I saw how it’s gone for you, and I wanted a different future for myself. We’re condemned for sharing the same surname as that fucker. I won’t be saying a word about our bond anytime soon.”
“I get the feeling she’s condemned us no matter what,” I mutter. The weight of Adrian’s shadow looms over everything.
Just another thing that I’m pissed at my uncle over.
“Meh, she likes me well enough,” Lucifer replies. “I’m currently her security detail, and she finds me funny.”
“How the fuck did you wrangle that one?” I ask, rolling my eyes. Lucifer’s like a cockroach—an infestation you’ll never get rid of, and so many have tried. He’s always landing on his feet.
We might not have spoken over the years, but my cousin is infamous in some circles, and famous in others. He’s toxic, dangerous, and the darkest stain on my family line possible.
“She requested me. By name.”
I laugh, thinking he’s joking. “Yeah, sure.”
“No, seriously. She heard of my heroics in helping save Atticus Phoenix?—”
“Tarun already grassed you,” I say, although it’s not true. I’ve not spoken to Tarun outside of reading the report he filed directly with Adrian about that mission.
“He what?” Lucifer demands, his words chilling and cold.
I backtrack, not wanting my other cousin to pay the price from the deluded one. “Not officially, and not to Adrian, but he said?—”
“Good,” Lucifer cuts me off. “He’s lucky I didn’t beat the fucker. Have you heard what he’s done?”
“No? I don’t make a habit of speaking to Tarun unless I have to.”
Lucifer laughs. “You’re not that bad, cousin. We shouldn’t have gone so long without speaking. Maybe I could have prevented your downfall.”
“You’re dramatic and annoying me. What’s going on with Tarun?”
“So testy, and whilst asking me for a favour at that,” he tuts. “But since I really hate Tarun and want to brag about the shit show his life has become, I’ll tell you.”
A tense silence follows, one I won’t break, this time. He’s trying to wind me up, and honestly, I’m sick of giving him what he wants.
When Lucifer does finally speak, his words are slow and deliberate. “Tarun has a mate.”
My jaw drops. “You’re kidding. Where is he? Why haven’t we heard anything about him?”
Lucifer now fully cackles, and I wait him out, the mania something nobody can rationalise with. It’s a good two minutes before he manages to calm himself down.
“What was so funny?” I ask dryly.
“He’s not into men, Jules. His mate is a woman, who he rejected,” Lucifer says, and my jaw drops. “And even funnier: his ex-mate is roomies with our mate.”
“What the fuck?” I hiss, disappointment and rage bubbling to the surface. Tarun really rejected his fated mate?
“I know. Maeve and Ari, Tarun’s rejected mate, are kind of friends. I don’t know. Ari loves Maeve, and Maeve is…”
“Difficult,” I say softly.
“Damaged,” he adds, sounding kind of wistful. “Beautifully damaged.”
“I’ve got so many questions,” I say, my mind reeling. How did everything get so messed up?
Luc hums some annoying tune that makes me want to leap through the phone and strangle him. He’s dragging it out like he always does, toying with me.
“Lucifer.”
“So boring,” he says. “Depending on what they are, I might answer them.”
“Look, you’ve caused me enough shit today. Do you really need to be so difficult?” I hiss, losing my cool.
“Fuck me, you’re as testy as your brother these days,” Lucifer taunts. “Maeve’s doing well, although I don’t think she’s impressed with your shitty gift basket.”
“Yeah, so I heard.” A sharp pang of guilt flares in my chest. It was a genuine gift because I was proud of her. “Is she safe?”
“Yes.” This is the only time he’s been serious this entire call. Good to know. “I’m bringing Hades in.”
“Hades is already brought in. Kind of,” I say, and I hear Lucifer’s sharp inhale. “He’s in the area, and I’ve asked him to keep his ears to the ground for news on her and for any threats that might emerge.”
“Good call, although the fucker never told me that,” Lucifer says, sounding put out. “Have they met?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?” Lucifer asks more urgently.
“I’m sure.”
“How sure?—”
“Fuck me, Luc. I am sure that they’ve not met. Why?” I snap, getting pissed off at my annoying as fuck cousin yet again.
There’s a pause, the silence thickening. I can almost feel Lucifer’s imp rising to the surface.
“I just wonder whether your twin bond means you’ll share a mate.”
I freeze, and my pegasus is giving me a smug are-you-really-this-stupid kind of vibe. A cold chill runs down my spine. “Surely, not.”
Lucifer’s voice is colder than ice now, cutting straight through me. “And why is that, cousin? Because you’re so light and pure, and he’s what? Damaged? Dark? A stain on our family name?”
Regret fills me. It’s clear why Lucifer and Hadrian have bonded in my absence. “That’s not what I?—”
“Because I’ll have you know, Maeve could be so lucky to have him.”
“She’s not lucky to have any of us,” I snap. “We’re Graves. Men she fucking detests because of Adrian. Don’t fool yourself otherwise.”
“You’re in a mood, and I can’t be bothered to entertain it. What’s wrong with you?”
I grind my teeth, holding back the flood of emotions. “You called me while I was on the phone with Maeve, and she got upset.”
“Isn’t that just her standard mode where you’re concerned?” he taunts, but there’s an edge to his voice.
“No, you absolute tosser,” I snarl. “We’re getting on better these days. She was upset, or maybe mad, or a combination of the both. I don’t know.”
“What did you do?”
“She called herself my mistress, Luc,” I say, the words catching in my throat. It fucking stings just to say it aloud.
“What the fuck?” Lucifer sounds genuinely surprised. “How could she think you were lucky enough to have two women who found you worthy?”
“I can’t fucking stand you. Why did you call?”
“Honestly, just to brag that our mate likes me better than she likes you,” he says, and I hear a beep as some elevator doors close. “I might lose you for a minute, don’t hang up.”
We do lose connection for a minute or two, and I feel anxious the entire time. My stomach is in a tight ball of dread, and I can’t help but feel responsible.
I could’ve lied. Told her it was work, or Adrian, or even that I needed a shit.
Anything but to let her doubt her place in my life.
“You’d think Atticus Phoenix would have enough money to have an elevator that doesn’t lose signal when you’re in it,” Lucifer bitches. “He’s got a fucking legal office full of business people who are constantly on their phones. What does that say about him?”
“I don’t really care. Can we get back to Maeve, now?” I demand, not giving a fuck about the quality of the lifts.
“No can do, Julian, because she’s gone.”
Every nerve in my body lights up like fire, adrenaline flooding my veins.
“What the fuck do you mean that Maeve is gone?” My tone is dark and deadly—I sound like Hadrian.
“Got to go, little cuz. It’s time for me to go rescue the prettiest princess of the entire land.”
The phone goes dead, and I let out an angry whine.
Where the fuck is my mate, and what is happening to her because of me?
Maeve
“Can you not just take a hint and fuck off?” I snap, moving away from the jaguar shifter who is following me.
“All I asked was your name,” he protests.
I turn down an alley between two shops, reaching for my phone in my pocket. My heart beats faster, a dark pit forming in my stomach. I don’t have my taser with me—like an idiot—but I can at least dial Lucifer for some help.
My chromius whines, tense and alert, her restlessness spreading through me. I know she wishes we had a form to protect ourselves, and in this moment, so do I.
He’s already going to be pissed at me, but at least this way, he gets to be the hero, and maybe even inflict some bodily damage to the man annoying me.
It’ll be a win win for him.
“You don’t need to know my name, just leave me alone before my security arrives,” I snap, trying to keep my voice steady as the alley gets a little darker. My pulse is erratic, and I hope he can’t hear it.
I don’t know why I walked down the alley, but something in me felt like it was the better choice than a shop.
“Security?” he sneers, stepping closer. “What are you? A mythical? What’s your form, gorgeous?”
Bile rises in my throat, my skin crawling as his shadow looms over me.
“Hey, dickhead,” an extremely familiar voice says in a posh British accent, and both me and the jaguar turn to him. My eyes widen, my chromius whining inside of me, an eagerness she’s not felt in a while filling us both.
I can barely breathe, both annoyed and kind of relieved to see him in front of me. He’s got a large presence that seems to relax me whilst settling my little tag along on edge.
I don’t understand how he got here so quickly, but after the way our call ended… I can’t find it in myself to care.
Now, I can rage at him properly, in person.
His baby blue eyes are hard and full of a cold kind of rage that I’ve never seen on Julian before. His curly black hair is as messy as always, and he’s wearing a pair of grey shorts and a tightly-fitting athletic shirt that shows off every inch of his toned, muscular physique.
Not the most intimidating of outfits, but somehow, he makes it work for him.
“She said no,” Julian snarls, coming to a stop beside me. I adjust myself, not liking how close he placed us. He’ll hear about that the moment we’re alone, but for now, I’ll stay quiet.
How can he go from respecting my space, from not overcrowding me and keeping his distance, to standing close enough I can smell the sweat dripping off him. It coats his black pepper and smoked vetiver scent.
Wait… black pepper? Smoked vetiver?
Julian smells like white leather and grapefruit, usually.
I’m bristling with anger, but I stay quiet, waiting to see how this situation is going to play out. I don’t understand why he’s here— how he’s here.
But a small part of me is relieved.
The jaguar adjusts his stance, his posture tense, clearly sizing up the situation. “It’s just a misunderstanding,” he stammers, holding his hands up as if that could fix anything. “No harm, no foul.”
“No, it’s not that simple,” Julian growls, his voice low and menacing. He steps past me, crowding me in a way he usually doesn’t to get in the man’s face. I feel suffocated, trapped. “No does not mean convince her or keep asking until she changes her mind. No means back the fuck off.”
“Understood. I’m not trying to cause any issues.”
“That’s a little sad,” Julian says with a sneer. “Because I am.” And his fist flies forward, and I flinch as the guy’s nose shatters.
The sickening crunch of bone echoes off the alley walls, and the jaguar drops to his knees, clutching his nose, blood streaming between his fingers.
Julian doesn’t stop there. He drives a vicious kick into the guy’s stomach, sending him sprawling on the ground, gasping for air.
He crouches down next to the man, and snarls a chilling, “I didn’t hear you say no.”
“Please, stop,” the man chokes out through his pain.
“That wasn’t a no, was it, sweetheart?” Julian asks, looking up at me with such an intense, cold look that a shiver crawls up my spin.
My heart races, and I instinctively step back. I don’t know how, but this isn’t Julian. This man is someone darker, more dangerous. But despite the violence, I can’t help but feel a surge of… something. It’s twisted, unsettling.
“No, it wasn’t,” I manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Didn’t think so.”
Not-Julian smiles—a cold, predatory smile. He stands up, brushing off his hands, then delivers one final kick to the guy’s head, knocking him out cold.
But then there’s a commotion in the upper street, and he sighs. Then he turns to me with an expectant look. “Time to get out of here, sweetheart.”
He offers me his hand, and I freeze, the final confirmation needed.
Julian wouldn’t make that mistake—not again.
I stare at his hand like it’s a snake ready to bite. My pulse hammers in my ears.
My chromius is screaming inside me, her distress mixing with my own. Something is wrong. Deeply, deeply wrong.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, affronted.
“Who are you?” I whisper, my voice trembling as I take another step back.
“What?” he asks, tilting his head, his smile faltering slightly. “I’m your mate, Maeve. Why are you looking at me like that? I would never hurt you?”
The words don’t hit right. My body feels cold, my mind racing to piece this together. This man looks like Julian, but he is not Julian.
“How do you know my name?” My voice wavers, and I feel a deep, sinking dread settle in my gut.
My eyes dart between him and the alley entrance. I can’t get past him. I’m trapped.
“My name is—” he says, looking around, before meeting my eyes with a twinge of regret in them.
“You’re going to lie to me,” I whisper, my stomach clenching in pain. “How is this possible?”
“How is what possible, sweetheart?” he asks, taking a step towards me. I’m going to be sick. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you’re pretending to be someone I know. Someone you’re not. Who are you, really?” I demand, trying to sound stronger than I feel.
His blue eyes, so eerily similar to Julian’s, flicker with something like regret.
“Julian.” He sighs and looks me up and down. “Look, I never meant to panic you, love. I was just trying to help when I saw the shitty situation you landed yourself into.”
“Do not call me love.” My heart is thudding against my ribs, my brain moving so fast I can’t make sense of a single thought in my own head.
Lucifer is going to kill me, and honestly, I might just let him. I deserve it.
“I see. My name is Hadrian Graves. In human form, Julian and I are identical twin brothers. Have you not heard of me?”
“And in your shifted form?” I ask, my eyes darting above him to the alleyway exit. I won’t get past him.
Fuck me.
Hadrian lets out a low chuckle, but there’s no humour in it. “Seen Julian’s?”
“Unwillingly,” I mutter, still processing.
“Step back,” he commands, and before I can say anything, he shifts.
It’s instantaneous, and the air around us crackles with energy. His pegasus form is almost identical to Julian’s—strong, majestic wings, with a powerful build.
He’s so fluffy, so wide, so pretty.
He’s different in one main way, though.
Where Julian’s shifted pegasus is a pure white, almost angelic, Hadrian’s is not. He’s darker than the night itself. His coat has a magnificent shine to it, and I’m genuinely entranced by the beauty of his beast.
Together they’re like night and day… no, they’re like light and dark.
And based on Hadrian’s actions tonight, I can’t help but feel the darkness extends far beyond just his coat.
My throat tightens, my heart pounding in my chest. This man is not here by coincidence. He’s here for me. He knew my name, which is surprising.
I don’t know which one of his relatives has blabbed. I can rule Tarun out, for sure, but the rest of them are on my list. Did Adrian send him to succeed where his identical twin brother failed? Did Lucifer have him as an extra set of eyes? Did Julian rope him in to not need to admit to Adrian his failure?
I don’t know the answer, and my stomach is sick at the thought of needing to figure it out.
Hadrian is another Graves with another set of problems. Is he an Adrian bumlick like his brother or a hater of the man like his cousin?
Is he a suck-up like Tarun or does he have his own problems to add to the mix?
I force a smirk onto my face, masking my fear. “Wow, so incredible. A little horsie with wings.”
He lets out an indignant whine that could almost be classified as cute.
You know, if he wasn’t a dick sent here by Adrian himself to try and do what Julian couldn’t. Potentially.
“Well, have fun with him,” I say, gesturing to the unconscious—and maybe dead—man in the alley. “I’ve got things to do that don’t include watching you make a fool out of me.”
Hadrian shifts back, the ripple of magic in the air unsettling my chromius.
“Maeve!” His words are a desperate shout echoing through the air.
“Bye,” I call, waving my hand over my shoulder, not bothering to turn around. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I’m not sticking around to find out. Seriously, how stupid do they think I am?
But I don’t get far in my escape of him.
I come to an abrupt halt as I see a familiar figure blocking the alley entrance. My stomach drops. It’s Lucifer. His tall frame looms in front of me, his eyes pitch black, his expression deadly serious.
The dangerous aura radiating from him is suffocating, and my chromius reacts immediately, calming slightly in his presence but still on high alert.
I can’t move. I should run down the alleyway and pray that Hadrian is going to be up for murdering me in a move to protect me from Lucifer’s rage.
Or maybe I could…
“You’re not getting out of this one, princess,” Lucifer says, his voice low and menacing as he steps closer. His nose twitches, and his eyes darken as he delicately sniffs the air. “What the fuck?”
“Hey, cuz.” Hadrian’s voice drawls from behind me. I turn and see him walking towards us without a care in the world, as if nothing has just happened between the two of us. “I didn’t expect to run into the two of you today.”
Lucifer’s gaze shifts to Hadrian, and his eyes darken even further. The tension is thick, electric.
“You shouldn’t have run into her like this at all,” Lucifer says, giving me a stern look. “Maeve ran off from me earlier, and I’ve spent the last half hour looking for her.”
“Oh, Maeve,” Hadrian groans, tutting at me as if I’m a naughty child he’s got to tell off. “You’re going to be in very big trouble.”
“Don’t you stand there and lecture me,” I snap, glaring at the pegasus. “You’re in trouble, too, Mr I-Know-Your-Name-Without-Even-Being-Introduced-To-You.”
He groans dramatically. “Don’t try turning this around onto me. I know your name because?—”
“Both of you shut up!” Lucifer’s voice booms through the alley, and we both freeze. His fury is palpable, swirling in the air like a storm ready to break.
It’s ironic, really, that the psychotic devil is the one that has managed to shame us into silence.
As much as I loathe to admit it, I’m not sure I’m going to survive the reckoning that’s coming.