Chapter Seventeen
CASSIA
WHAT THE FUCK is going on?
Returning to work was a mistake. I knew it with every fiber of my being, but I still decided to do so after last week’s budget meeting. I was hugely successful, securing my team a significant amount for next year, and I let that success go to my head.
I shouldn’t have let that happen. Always trust your instincts.
Nobody has said anything to me directly about my failure to execute Mammon, but I’m sure they’re thinking about it. I occasionally overhear whispers, which only confirms my worst fears.
The doors swing shut behind me. I take a cautious step inside the large room, still confused by what I’m seeing. The office is in chaos, with people scurrying around and talking hurriedly over one another. It’s unusual, and I don’t trust it.
I can recall only one time the office was this energetic. It was the day my useless brother’s coronation was announced, and even then, there wasn’t this much buzzing energy.
I instinctively straighten my shoulders, not wanting to appear confused or unprepared in front of my employees.
I’m not getting the inkling that something bad has happened.
I hope not. My bracelet has trapped me within the Wrath and Lust borders, and I highly doubt my fathers will feel inclined to remove it.
If something bad has happened and people find out I’m leashed and unable to help, my life will effectively be over. I’ll never be respected within Wrath. It would be the nail in my coffin.
“Cassia!”
I turn, locking eyes with Jassy. She’s in long, black clothing today, every inch of her body covered. The fabric swishes as she approaches. I listen intently to it, a habit I’ve developed in recent days. Focusing on my senses helps ground me, and I need all the grounding I can get.
“Was it you?” Jassy asks.
Was what me? She sounds excited—giddy, even. It makes me feel inclined to lie and confirm my involvement, but I hesitate to take credit for something I know nothing about. What if it has something to do with David? I would hate for people to think I voluntarily worked with my brother on a project.
He’s dead to me.
I attempted to trust him with my plan to execute Mammon, and he fucked me over. I know he’s the one who told our parents my actual whereabouts, and he did nothing to stop Silas from putting that bracelet on me. He’s useless, and I’ll never trust him again.
Valeria is on thin ice, too, especially since I learned she had her bracelet removed. The whore told our parents that she needed to travel to fulfill her ‘fate duties’—whatever the fuck those are—and Silas jumped to remove it for her.
She’s a sneaky bitch, and I’m angry I don’t have nearly as good of an excuse. I report directly to Aziel, so I can’t lie and say I need it removed for work. My team deals with internal affairs, and I rarely need to leave Wrath. He knows that.
“Well?” Jassy urges. “Did you have something to do with it?”
I let out a quiet sigh. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
It’s painful to admit, but I have no choice. I immediately regret it, though, as Jassy’s eyes widen and her jaw drops. She’s shocked, maybe even horrified, by my lack of knowledge. Whatever she’s speaking about, it’s expected that I’ve already been made aware. Wonderful.
I blame Aziel. I turn off all communication with the outside world when I leave my office at the end of the day. I teleport home, make something borderline edible for dinner, and crawl into bed for a solid fourteen hours of sleep.
My family knows this. I make no attempts to keep my miserable life a secret from them. If something eventful happens, I expect them to come and tell me. I trusted my family not to let me show up to work looking foolish, but that was clearly too much responsibility to give them.
“You haven’t heard?” Jassy asks.
Obviously not.
I eye the smooth column of her throat, wondering how easy it would be to snap her neck before she goes around informing people that I came into work not knowing whatever it is everybody is running around about.
It would probably be easy. Jassy is a strong Wrath, and she’s several centuries older than I, but I’ve inherited Aziel’s strength.
I like to think I’m just as strong as he is, or that I at least have the potential to be.
I haven’t shared that particular suspicion with anybody, though.
I did once when I was a teenager, and Valeria was all too quick to inform me that if that were true, the fates would’ve cursed me as they had Aziel.
I’ve fucked many men in my twenty-seven years, and I share a bond with none of them. The fates didn’t find it necessary to curse me, which I consider an oversight on their part. They don’t know what I’m capable of.
“Mammon’s dead,” Jassy blurts out. “She was murdered early this morning.”
Every muscle in my body grows taut. What?
Blood rushes through my ears, and I gape at Jassy like an absolute fool.
Mammon’s dead? Murdered? Did I hear her correctly?
I shut my eyes and focus on the even beating of my heart, trying and failing to settle my bubbling anger.
Mammon has been murdered, and not by me. Somebody stole my fucking kill.
I take several seconds to level out my emotions before speaking. “How? Who?”
“We don’t know,” Jassy says. “Mammon’s children are trying to keep everything under wraps, and we’ve only heard whispers. All communication within Greed has been shut down.”
Was it a Greed? A Wrath? Did somebody hear of my plans and sneak inside to complete what I failed to do? There aren’t many species strong enough to murder a demon, let alone one as powerful and protected as Mammon. It had to have been done by a demon.
Lust is ruled out because they’re weak as fuck, and Envy generally keeps a low profile. It had to have been a Wrath or a Greed. A Greed I can stomach, but if a Wrath stole my kill…
I’ll kill them.
“It happened this morning?” I ask, needing to clarify. “How did you find out?”
Jassy nods. “It was announced several hours ago.”
I spin on my heel and storm out of the room. I’m sure Aziel’s already in his office, and I clench and unclench my fists as I head in that direction. I’m going to kill him, and I imagine all the ways I could do it as I close the distance between us.
Why didn’t he come to me the second he heard? I should’ve been one of the first people he came to. Besides the fact that I’m his fucking daughter, I’m in line to be the next ruler of Wrath. I should be kept up to date on everything pertinent happening within the demon kingdoms.
It’s impossible to hold back my anger as I stomp through the bustling corridors. Aziel’s wing is filled with nearly the same energy mine was, and I force myself to give his two assistants a polite nod before pushing open his office door.
The room is full. One of Wrath’s top generals, Raum, is standing along the right wall.
His arms are covered in black tattoos, and his biceps bulge as he crosses them over his chest. Raum is fucking huge, and not in an attractive way.
He’s terrifying, and I do my best to avoid him.
His black eyes dart in my direction before returning to Aziel.
Two advisors are sitting in the chairs across Aziel’s desk, their posture stiff and hands clasped politely in their laps.
Gray and Silas are actively pacing the length of the room.
I shove open the door, letting it slam against the wall.
“What the fuck?” I’m across the room in a heartbeat, not caring how out-of-control I appear. Let Raum and the advisors see my rage. I don’t care. “What do you think—”
Aziel lifts a hand, stopping me in my tracks. I bite my tongue so hard, it bleeds.
“Give us a minute,” he says to Raum and the advisors.
The room is cleared within seconds. Raum teleports away, and the advisors scurry out the door I just stormed through. They give me a wide berth, too, which is probably for the best. I’m known to lash out when I’m angry.
I wait until they’re gone before speaking. “Why wasn’t I informed?” I don’t bother clarifying. Aziel knows what I’m talking about. He’d be a fool not to, and he’s no fool. “You should have come to me immediately, or at least sent one of your assistants to do it.”
“Why is that?” Aziel cocks his head to the side. “You haven’t shown the least bit of interest in Wrath. You arrive at work late and leave early, and I’ve heard you’re canceling almost half your meetings.”
“Are you monitoring me?”
There’s no reason he has that information, and I wonder which of my employees has disclosed it to him. It’s probably Jassy. She knows everything, and she would never lie to my father.
Aziel nods. “Yes. Of course I am.”
I clench and unclench my fists, then stare at the wall behind Aziel. It’s a muted, light brown, and there’s a small dent in the plaster directly beside his head. It’s from me.
We were fighting, and I threw a pair of scissors at him. He threw them back, the first time he’d ever done that, and they lodged into my right thigh. The physical scar is long gone, but the mental one remains. That was the last time I threw a sharp object at him.
“It wasn’t intentional.” Aziel sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Cassia. I wasn’t anticipating you arriving at work for another hour. I planned to go to your apartment after my meeting.”
I don’t believe him. He’s lying to make me feel better. I’ve seen him do it countless times to others, and I won’t fall for it. I purse my lips, staring him down. Silas and Gray are lingering in my peripheral vision, but I’m not giving them the time of day. This doesn’t involve them.
“Who did it?” I ask. “Who killed Mammon?”
Aziel’s eyes dart toward Silas, and the tension in the room ratchets up several notches. For the first time in weeks, I give Silas my full attention. He’s looking back at Aziel, his shoulders squared and jaw firm.
“What is it?” I ask.
Silas shifts his gaze toward me. “We don’t have confirmation of the perpetrator’s identity.”
“But you have a suspicion?”
Silence.
I try again. “Is it a Wrath?”
More silence. Why won’t they answer me? I’m holding on to my sanity by a thin, thin thread, and it’s fraying with every passing minute. I suppose their lack of answer is confirmation enough, though.
It was a Wrath who murdered Mammon.
They’ll be welcomed here with open arms. The person who stole my kill is going to be paraded around my kingdom like a fucking hero.
I’m going to slit their throat.