Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nico
“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?” The supposedly hot-headed hellhound demands, glaring at all of us with a fair amount of disgust. I say fair, because how we were acting as a group was absolutely ridiculous. It didn’t stop it from happening though.
That was a fantastic question. What was wrong with us?
I would love to say I could blame Ama for this, but I knew the truth. This was on us.
Damien broke away from the chaos of our current predicament, jogging after Ama and leaving me staring in the wake of his words. My eyes darted back to where Drayven and Finias were exchanging barbs while Colt and Adrien attempted to gain some semblance of control.
I was missing something here.
I would never claim to be friends with these men, but I knew them well enough to know that this wasn’t normal behavior for any of them. There were pieces of this picture and what had happened tonight that I wasn’t being fully given.
My gaze found my father, who was watching all of this with calm amusement.
My mother, on the other hand, wasn’t even looking at the fight.
Instead, her eyes were narrowed on the door behind me.
Normally, they would have found this type of thing exciting, but instead, they looked…
Well, I didn’t know how to describe it. There was an edge of both disappointment and expectation, as if they were waiting on something.
A gut feeling told me to go after Ama. No. She wouldn’t want anything to do with us after tonight. The woman had already felt out of place at the Summit, and now we had caused a far larger issue for her, making her a source of entertainment because of the brutal way we’d been fighting over here.
Damn. We had really fucked up.
My chest squeezed, feeling a level of concern for Ama that I’d never felt for anyone else.
I wasn’t good when it came to emotion, and when it came to physical intimacy, I usually kept any emotion far away from it.
I felt a lot for Ama, though—far too much for the time I’d known her—and it was causing me anxiety.
I cared about what she thought about tonight.
I cared about whether she was hurt or angry.
Shit. I cared far too much for her to be just some woman I was attracted to.
I watched as my father turned from the scene, and it was like the tension from the moment completely popped, exploding like a water balloon.
I’d been so caught up in the moment, I hadn’t even realized how present his magic had been until it was gone.
Gone, and leaving in its wake the realization that my father had something to do with the emotional turmoil that had affected the group.
Why would he do that? For fucking kicks?
I mean, the man was a sick bastard, but that was ridiculous even for him.
Walking towards the others, I spoke harshly, “Cut the shit. Ama is gone. She’s gone because of us.
” Without another word, I walked towards my family table, smoothing out my emotions so that my parents wouldn’t notice how concerned I was about Ama.
I wouldn’t call my parents abusive, but they were definitely emotionally manipulative.
Anything I cared about was held on the line if I wasn’t doing what they wanted.
“Good job, Nicolas.” My mother offered me a pleased smile. I blinked at her in confusion as her grin turned into something that was nearly evil.
“Seducing her, causing chaos amongst the others, very tactful,” she praised as my father kept his eyes over my shoulder on the rest of the ballroom.
For someone who had been acting so light-hearted and nearly tipsy earlier in the night, he seemed almost eerily alert now.
I really didn’t like how he was acting, and that prickle of concern for Ama continued to grow into something that caused my throat to tighten with worry.
“I don’t consider it a job well done because the girl is still very much at large and perfectly healthy,” my father clipped, causing my chest to tighten. What the hell was he saying?
“What?” My voice was rough and almost choked.
His smile grew as he offered me a sinister smile, “Come now, Nicolas, you didn’t think we would ever let that hybrid whore make it to the voting ceremony, did you?”
Fuck.
“Of course not,” I mumbled, staring at the table and counting to ten before looking up, finding both of my parents already entertained by other members of our house.
Mumbling an excuse about using the bathroom, I immediately crossed the room back towards where the other guys were, the fight seeming to have de-escalated but the anger still prominent.
“Something is wrong,” I announced immediately, and they all snapped their gazes my way. I didn’t wait for them to respond before I turned down the long hall and began to make my way towards the House of Death’s quarters.
“What the fuck do you mean, ‘something is wrong’?” Drayven’s hand on my shoulder had me turning around and stepping into his space, a low rumble breaking from my chest.
“Do not fucking touch me,” I snapped, feeling my anger at this situation peak. “I am telling you something is fucking wrong. Ama is in danger.”
That last part seemed to be all I needed to say for the four of them to follow me.
I had never been to the House of Death’s suites, but the faint scent of Ama’s Succubus magic was one I wouldn’t soon forget.
I turned a corner and, as we reached the staircase, stopped momentarily, narrowing my eyes on Samuel, of all people.
“Prince Nicolas.” He offered me a good-natured smile from where he leaned against the railing, smoking a cigarette and looking completely at ease. The man was a complete slime ball, so the fact that he wasn’t in the ballroom meant he was undoubtedly up to no good.
I didn’t offer him a greeting in return, simply stalking past him as he let out a chuckle, making me shake my head.
I had always found him particularly annoying, but tonight he was making me furious.
After I checked in on Ama, ensuring her safety, I would come back and work out some of my frustration on his face.
Shit. I really wasn’t normally violent. But I also wasn’t normally a lot of things that I was with Ama. The woman changed me, and it was both terrifying and like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. Would I ever get used to the effect she had on me? Did I want to?
Incubi, by nature, indulged in whatever they wanted, and I very much wanted to indulge in Ama and everything she had to offer. That was, if she was even offering, which, after tonight, was highly doubtful.
When I turned down the hallway towards her suite, I immediately knew something was very wrong.
“Fuck.” Drayven’s words had my jog turning into a full-out sprint as I tugged her door open.
Ice crawled up my spine as I stepped into the room, an onslaught of different things hitting me at once. For one, there was a dead man with his throat torn out lying near the door of her bedroom, easily visible from the living area.
Secondly, there had clearly been a struggle. I could smell fear lingering in the room, and Ama’s Succubus magic had left an imprint on the energy of the space. Had she used her magic? Why?
I watched as Finias turned the body over in the pool of blood, his face completely blank of emotion as he looked around.
That was dangerous. Far more dangerous than Drayven, who after a sweep of the room, returned from the bathroom holding Ama’s torn dress and looking like he was about to break someone's neck.
What the hell had happened here? Where was Ama? The man was clearly dead…I didn’t want to consider whether she had been injured. I had to believe she was alright. Where was she, though? I stayed perfectly still, not knowing how to handle the emotions coursing through me.
“Damien was here,” Adrien’s voice was hard and sharp. I looked over at him and found the man looking almost panicked, which was extremely unusual for him. In fact, I think this was the first time I’d ever seen emotion from him at all.
“Someone tried to have her killed,” Colt’s voice was choked. I looked over at him and found him staring at the body. “Damien must have gotten here and stopped him…which means they are together.”
“This man is from my house,” Finias said coolly, looking down at the body.
A growl tore from Drayven’s throat, but I could see the fire raging in Finias’ gaze as he ignored the Reaper and strode towards the door.
I had an idea of where Ama and Damien were, but I hesitated to go find her.
Not because I didn’t want to check on her and make sure a single hair hadn’t been harmed on that gorgeous head.
No, it was because I was ashamed. While we’d been fighting amongst ourselves, Ama had been attacked.
I followed behind the others as I considered everything that had happened, my mind starting to form connections and make assumptions that were extremely dangerous and upsetting.
Had my father known? Is this what he had been referring to?
Would that mean my parents had worked with the House of Runes in order to… kill Ama?
Fury grew in my chest at such a betrayal as we turned down a different hallway than I’d expected.
Why wasn’t Damien staying with the others from House of Hellfire?
I shook my head as we reached a dark door and, instead of knocking, Drayven grabbed the handle.
The door was yanked open before he could turn the knob, and Damien offered all of us a look that immediately silenced us.
Shit. He was furious.
“Damien,” Adrien’s voice was cautious. The Hellhound didn’t say anything, stepping to the side as we quietly entered the room. I walked over to the bed, ignoring the others as they quietly demanded answers from Damien, wanting…no, needing to see her face.
Relief flooded me as I found Ama lying on the bed, clutching a pillow, and breathing deeply.
Her face was flushed and her hair damp, as if she’d recently showered.
Her eyelids fluttered slightly as she squeezed the pillow beneath her.
I knelt down next to the bed and reached a hand out to graze her cheek, a soft rumble leaving my throat.
My gaze traveled down to her neck, and white-hot fury slammed into me.
Bruises. Like a hand had wrapped around her elegant throat, bruising it completely.
These marks would only get worse as they truly set in and began to heal.
The shade would turn from the dark purple and red they currently were, to green and brown, likely marring her beautiful skin for weeks.
I stood up, nearly crashing into Finias, who was standing over me staring down at Ama.
His eyes tracked the bruises on her, and he muttered something under his breath before rounding the bed and getting in with her.
I felt a surge of envy at how he felt the right to be so close to her—to touch her like that.
I turned away from him, smoothing her hair as he watched her with what I could only call love.
Someone was going to die for hurting Ama.
I had never felt so violent in my life. I paused on that thought.
Would I really kill someone for this? Even if it was my own family that had given the command?
The crisis felt overwhelming, and I put my head down, trying to center myself as I ran a hand through my hair in a nervous gesture.
“If we hadn’t been busy fucking fighting, she would have never been alone,” Damien’s voice was low and dark as he narrowed his eyes at Drayven.
Colt ran a hand over his face, sitting down against the wall as he stared at the bed but didn’t approach.
Adrien clearly didn’t feel the same way, because he walked over, leaving me with Damien and Drayven.
Drayven offered Damien a sneer and looked back at the bed, his eyes locking onto Finias. I stepped in front of him. “Stop. Just fucking stop it.”
“The assassin was from his fucking house. He admitted it,” Drayven growled.
Adrien was there, then, he got in Drayven’s space, making the reaper step back. The Wraith’s voice was cold and low, “If you wake up Ama after the experience she just had, I will remove your eyelids so that you never sleep again. Are we clear?”
Drayven grunted, and Adrien appeared back at Ama’s side. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling both oddly relieved Adrien had said something to Drayven and equally terrified. Both Finias and Adrien scared me in good measure. I was man enough to admit that.
“Listen,” I directed my conversation to Damien, Drayven, and Colt. The Fallen Angel was listening, despite his gaze being focused on the wall ahead of him, seemingly zoned out. I had no idea what was going on in his head, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“It’s clear that someone thought getting rid of Ama the night before voting was a good idea,” I hissed. “I don’t think it's just the House of Runes' fault. I think…”
I couldn’t believe I was admitting this, but the more I thought about it, the truer it sounded to me.
“I think my parents are somehow involved. I am almost positive my father used his influence to create a more toxic and aggressive environment during that fight. When I went back to the table, he even expressed that he wished Ama had been hurt. I don’t think either of them want her at the ceremony tomorrow. ”
Damien shook his head, “But fucking assassination attempts, Nico? I mean your parents are bastards, but they aren’t murderous ones.”
“I wouldn't be so sure about that,” I exhaled slowly.
“We need to be ready for tomorrow.” Colt’s voice was filled with tension, and when I met the man’s gaze I saw a wave of emotions that I had no business sorting through.
“Ready for what?” Drayven asked, his eyes darting over to the bed every few seconds, as if he was considering getting in there with Finias just to be close to Ama. The idea was almost laughable, yet I understood it completely.
“At the voting tomorrow, we need to tell them about the attempt on her life, along with what little other information we have,” Colt exhaled and stood up.
“Which means you are going to have to incriminate your own house, Nico. Same for you, Finias. No one will believe Ama if we don’t tell them everything. ”
He was right.
“We are picking sides,” Damien concluded.
“No,” Colt looked towards the bed, “We are picking Ama.”
He was right. We were picking Ama. For the first time ever, the six houses would agree on something. Protecting Ama was essential.