Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
MALICE
The undeniable sound of breaking glass preceded my entrance into our apartment. Chaos stood in the small kitchen space, hands braced on the counter, shoulders heaving, and shattered dishes in the sink.
“Those bitches just won’t stay gone,” he snarled.
“Well, it seems he took the news exactly as I’d expected,” I muttered, shooting a wary glance at Grimsby, who stood off to the side, watching Chaos in his rage.
“Do you blame him?” Grim murmured.
“No,” I said with a sigh, sitting down heavily in one of the room’s overstuffed armchairs. “But after what Odette put me through, nothing surprises me when it comes to those four. So of course they’d have their hands all over this.”
“We have to put them down. Permanently this time.”
“By all means, please do. But do know that if you’ve been sitting on such a solution all these years, I’ll have your balls for breakfast.”
“Ew,” Merri said with a grimace, standing in the doorway. “I’m not sure I want to hear the rest of this conversation.”
“What conversation?” Sin asked, only a few steps behind her.
“I don’t have any knowledge that would be useful at present. If I did, they’d be long since dealt with.” Grim made a beeline for Merri, taking her wrist and tugging her along with him until he was sat in a chair, her perched on his lap.
“Dude. You just got her all to yourself for like hours. Give someone else a turn.” Sin made grabby hands at Merri, which made her laugh and Grim snarl.
A shadow form appeared between Sin and the other two. It took a menacing step forward, but Sin rolled his eyes and walked through the ephemeral figure. “You don’t scare me.” He scooped Merri up and carried her across the room before settling on the sofa. “Hi, kitten. Missed you.”
She let out the sweetest giggle and accepted his offered kiss before sliding off his lap and nuzzling into his side. “I missed you all.”
“We’re so sorry for all of this,” I said, my feet carrying me toward her almost of their own volition. I sat on her other side and placed a palm on her thigh. “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place, and then for us to take so bloody long to find you . . .”
Her expression was soft as she cupped my cheek. “No more apologies. We’ve had our apology tours. It’s in the past.”
“Does this mean you’re not going to try and run from us anymore?” Sin asked, giving her a squeeze.
“So long as you four don’t give me a reason to.”
“Never again,” Chaos vowed, his face fierce as he crossed the room to join us.
She smiled at him, then got to her feet before closing the distance between them. “So serious. My warrior.” Her palm stroked across his jaw, then down his neck, until she rested it over his heart.
He dropped a soft kiss to her forehead, and I’m not ashamed to admit jealousy lanced my heart.
I sent out feelers to connect with Merri’s mind, needing some sense of contact without making her feel guilty for giving the others physical affection.
I’d only had the smallest of touches from her, but I knew I’d have time with her soon enough.
A wave of emotion hit me as soon as I reached out.
Externally she projected happiness and ease, but inside she was a tumult of conflict and guilt.
She stiffened, clearly aware of my presence in her head before she shut me out completely.
“Merri,” I murmured, unable to keep myself from speaking.
She shot me a look, silently begging me not to say anything further, but the damage was already done. This woman was the center of our existence, and we’d been without her for too long. There was no way a single one of us wouldn’t cotton on to the most minute shift in her mood.
“What is it?” Grim asked, sitting forward.
“What’s wrong?” Sin echoed.
Chaos swallowed before gently prompting, “Does it have anything to do with what happened between you and Lucifer in the dreamwalk?”
The memory of Merri astride Lucifer popped into the forefront of my mind, and I immediately stilled, a small frown playing at my lips.
I understood why Chaos had asked the question.
Merri must have unresolved feelings about what happened.
It only made sense that the guilt I’d picked up on was tied to what she’d had to do with—and to—him.
“I’m fine, I promise. But there have been . . . developments, but I’m still processing so much of them. I’m not ready to talk about it yet, but I promise I will. I just need a little time to understand it myself.”
Without access to her mind, all I could go off were her tone and body language. Sincerity bled through her words, but she spoke with a slight hesitance that suggested she was choosing her words with extreme care.
Something had definitely happened. Something more, perhaps, than what we’d have noticed in the dream. But she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.
Chaos had clearly arrived at a similar conclusion because he growled. “Did he hurt you?”
Her eyes widened, a small gasp escaping her before she looked up at Chaos. “No. Nothing like that.”
If I were a betting man, I’d say all four of us went from DEFCON 1 to 3 at her response. The last thing anyone would do was harm our mate and live to tell the tale.
“Okay, kitten,” Sin said in a soothing tone. “Take all the time you need. We’re here to listen whenever you’re ready to talk.”
“No matter what it is,” Grim added, surprising me with his stalwart support.
It wasn’t what he said, I obviously shared the sentiment, but it was just such an about-face from him that it caught me off guard.
Merri looked like she wanted to say something, then reconsidered. “So all those people I just met, they all have ties to the horsewomen?”
“Some more than others, but yes.” Chaos crossed his arms over his offensively muscled chest.
“I barely managed to pick up most of their names. I think I need you to give me the rundown of who is who.”
There was an air of frustration to her words, which I understood. It never felt good being the least informed member of a group. Merri wanted to make up for lost time.
Sin, the most social of us, eagerly jumped into the breakdown.
“Okay, settle in. Sunday is the daughter of War, and she’s mated to a vampire, a shifter, a Viking, and a priest. That really sounds like the setup to a great joke .
. . Anyway, they have a baby who nearly ended the world.
Asher and Pan are the sons of Pestilence.
Pan is the fruit of Malice’s loins, but Asher isn’t.
I’m pretty sure you knew that, but just in case.
Didn’t want you walking around thinking you had two stepsons. ”
“Get on with it, Sinclair,” Chaos growled.
“Fine, fine. Pan and Asher are mated to Rosie. She’s Sunday’s vampire mate’s little sister. Also a vampire. Rosie is mated to those two and Ben, Remi, and Gavin. Five against one. Man, that's a lot of dicks.”
Merri giggled as Sin gathered his composure.
“Lastly, there’s Dahlia.”
“I know her. I became friendly with her at Blackwood.”
“Yeah, that’s right. She’s an author. She writes those spicy books you like.”
If I were closer to him, I’d elbow him in the ribs just to steer him back on track. But thankfully, he continued on.
“She’s Death’s daughter, gag, and powerful as fuck. She’s mated to Hades, Kai, Tor, and Caspian. If you don’t want to get dragged into a long conversation about how he’s an infamous pirate, you should probably steer clear of that one. He’s a bit of a windbag.”
All of us gave Sin a pointed glare. “What an annoying habit,” I drawled.
Completely oblivious to my insult, Sin nodded. “I know, right? Like, read the room, buddy. No one cares.”
“So those are the three groups most closely connected to the horsewomen. The rest are pack, clan, or blood. Well, and the angels. They are loyal to each other and our cause.” Grim stood and strolled into the kitchen, avoiding the broken dishes Chaos had left in his wake.
He poured himself a generous serving of brimstone whiskey before leveling his gaze on Merri.
“That brings you up to speed. The last group is—”
“Us,” Merri said softly.
“Us,” Chaos agreed.
“What did everyone think when the four of you stormed into their lives? I can’t imagine it was a warm welcome given their experiences with your counterparts. Wait. How did you join up with them, by the way? I don’t think you ever told me that story.”
Grim cleared his throat and averted his gaze, which made Sin smirk.
“Let’s just say it involved a bunch of demons outside of Iniquity,” Chaos said before Sin could embarrass Grim.
“Lilith and her entourage found us and joined the fray. Once it was over, we all left together,” Grim added.
“But you’re leaving out the best part!” Sin exclaimed. “Grim got turned to stone by a gorgon. Full statue. He was so pissed.”
Merri’s eyes were round as she glanced between them. I could practically feel the questions bubbling up in her mind, but she was wise enough not to voice any of them.
“That sounds . . . like a lot,” she managed.
“When isn’t it?” I asked.
She snickered. “Yeah, fair point.” Then she sobered. “Okay, so that explains the connections to the horsewomen. And why they still have a vested interest in this thing. Do you think Lucifer is actually running the show? Or do you think they’re using him?”
It was an astute question. One that none of the others in the Hades Society had thought to ask. Which just proved how well Merri understood our kind.
“I wouldn’t put it past them to be manipulating him, but I can’t say for sure,” I said. “They’ve pulled the wool over our eyes more than once.”
Merri came to me then, taking my hand and running her thumb over the tops of my knuckles. “So could they have Pan and Sunday? I don’t know when Luc would have had the opportunity to take them.”
“It’s highly likely, whether they’re in cahoots or not,” Sin murmured.
“All of it’s connected,” Chaos said, leaving no room for doubt. “Regardless of who’s puppetmastering all of this, the horsewomen wanted their children so they could drain them and supercharge themselves.”
“Much like Hel drained us to free Lucifer,” Grim said bitterly.
“So it’s like their MO,” Merri murmured.
“Certainly seems to be,” I agreed.
“Then we can’t let them. If there’s a way for us to get Pan and Sunday back, we have to do it. Which means I’ll try the dreamwalk, so long as it’s okay with you.”
Was it okay? I hadn’t gotten past the part where he was missing. “You won’t have to feed on him just because you’re in a dreamwalk?”
“Oh, God, no. I would never feed on your son.”
It was obvious from her expression that the idea had never even crossed her mind.
I wasn’t sure what it said about me that it was practically the first one in mine, but either way, I was glad to know it was off the table.
I’d do just about anything for my son, but when it came to my mate, I wasn’t nearly as selfless.
“Then, yes. If there’s a chance you can reach him and help him escape, please . . .” I trailed off, unsure how to end that sentence.
“Of course. Consider it done.”
“Wait,” Chaos said, drawing our attention back to him. “Before Merri attempts anything, she needs to feed. She exhausted her reserves on Lucifer, so she needs to top up and ensure she’s back to full strength.”
A shockwave of lust radiated through the room, its epicenter Merri. She was hungry, but conflict was etched onto her features.
“What is it, hellcat?” I asked.
“I will need to feed at some point, but we’ve been apart for so long, and I want to be with you all. Not as a means to an end, though.”
“Does this mean you’re not in the mood for a hamburger?” I teased, my lip curling up in a soft smile. What had once stung now felt like a private joke.
Merri let out a slight laugh. “Exactly. I’ll need one later. But right now, can we all be together because you love me and I love you? Not for any other reason?”
That sounded about as close to perfection as I’d ever get.
“It was never just about feeding you, Merri. Even when we told ourselves it was.” I tugged her hand until she settled in my lap. My lips pressed to the side of her neck, just a soft kiss, but I hoped it conveyed how special she was. “Every moment we are with you is another affirmation of our bond.”
“Malice is right,” Chaos said, coming to kneel in front of her. He rested a large palm on the top of her thigh, his fingers tightening as if to emphasize my words. “It’s always been more for me. Taking care of you is just a bonus.”
“Me too. I’ve been in love with you since our first time together, kitten.” Sin dropped a kiss to her shoulder, and she sighed in pleasure.
I felt Grim’s presence behind me, his dark energy intense and heavy.
It was enough to have me shifting to make space for him, space he immediately took advantage of.
Instead of using his shadows as he had in the past, he reached forward and trailed his bare thumb across her lower lip.
“I was a fool to ever make you doubt me.”
Merri shuddered, her eyes fluttering closed as all four of us touched her. There was something poignant about the moment, as if it was the culmination we’d all been unknowingly working toward.
Leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, I murmured against her skin, “Let us love you, Merri.”