Chapter Twenty-Two
REXTON
I’VE UPSET CASSIA. It wasn’t intentional, but it doesn’t seem to matter.
Wraths smile widely at me as I walk through the building, and whispers follow in my wake. The attention is uncomfortable, especially here. Aziel gave me a job, and I don’t particularly enjoy being fawned over in my place of employment.
A woman raises her arm, her short, black hair bouncing around her head. “Rock!”
I pause, pressing my lips together as I struggle to remember her name. I faintly recognize her.
“I haven’t heard that name in a while,” I say. “You can call me Rexton.”
Thanks to Gray, a handful of demons here know me only by Rock. The nickname doesn’t bother me, but I prefer to go by my given one.
The woman nods. “I’m Jassy,” she says, reintroducing herself. “I worked in the Wrath rehabilitation facility after the war. We were in a small handful of meetings together.”
It takes a second to find the memory, but it comes. I do remember her. She enjoyed taking notes, and she was quite expressive while doing so. She spent half of our meetings rolling her eyes, and the other half shooting dirty looks whenever somebody suggested an idea she disapproved of. I liked her.
Jassy continues. “I’m sure you’re busy, but I wanted to take a moment to formally welcome you back. I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times these past few days, but we’re grateful for your sacrifice. I can’t imagine living in Greed for so long.”
I force myself to smile. I chose to go after Mammon for selfish reasons, not for the greater good of Wrath.
I was one of the unlucky ones who were there the day Luca was killed.
I saw what Mammon did to Aziel’s youngest, how she had him tortured and dismembered. I murdered her for him, and only him.
“Thank you,” I say. It’s the polite response, the one people are looking for when they thank me. “Do you work here now?”
Jassy nods. “I was on Aziel’s team for a while, but I’m working for Cassia now.”
For Cassia? She shouldn’t be seen with me, then. I glance around, subtly taking stock of the demons around us. Cassia hasn’t kept her hatred of me a secret, and I don’t want to further provoke her by speaking to a member of her team. She’ll read too much into it.
“How nice.” I clear my throat, eager to end this conversation. “I’d actually love to speak with Cassia. Is she working today?”
Jassy smacks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “She’s not, but I can let her know you asked. I’m sure she’ll love to see you.”
I highly doubt that. Judging by the hitch in Jassy’s voice, she does too.
Cassia hasn’t been seen for three days, and I’m growing concerned. Is this typical for her? I made considerable efforts not to harm her while she was attacking me, but there was blood on the floor when she teleported away.
I assume she’s still alive and I didn’t inflict any severe damage.
Aziel may have allowed me to restrain Cassia and defend myself the way I deemed necessary, but I’m fully aware of what he’d do to me if I severely injured his daughter—or any of his children.
He’d kill me, and he’d do so without question.
Aziel has calmed considerably since meeting Charlie, but he’s still a Wrath. There’s no changing that.
“I should get going,” Jassy says. She takes a step backward.
“Of course,” I say. “It was nice seeing you again.”
She nods, walking away, and I take another quick scan of the hallway. A few Wraths are meandering about, but it doesn’t seem that Jassy and I were paid any special attention. I hope that’s true, and I drag my fingers through my hair as I continue toward Aziel’s office.
I’ve done my best to remain current in Wrath’s dealings, but knowledge was limited within Greed. Mammon was effective in shutting down her borders. My few sources were occasionally helpful, but meeting with them was risky—especially as my relationship with Mammon grew.
The risk became too great.
These past few days have been enlightening, to say the least. Wrath is familiar, but enough has changed that I feel more like an outsider than a demon born and raised within its borders. I’ll adjust. If I could adapt to life in Greed, there’s nothing I can’t handle.
One of Aziel’s assistants looks up as I approach. “You can head right on in.” He gestures toward Aziel’s office door. “He’s expecting you.”
I force a pleasant smile and push open the door. “Thanks.”
Aziel’s behind his desk. He leans back in his chair, his gaze flicking lazily over several documents. He shoots me a quick smile as I enter, but he otherwise remains silent.
He looks like shit. His clothing is wrinkled, his hair is unbrushed, and it doesn’t appear that he shaved this morning. I’m surprised Gray allowed him to leave the house in this state, and I suck my cheeks into my mouth as I sit in one of the chairs opposite his desk.
“Long night?” I ask.
Aziel snorts. “You could say that. Two of my children are refusing to speak to me, Silas is a conniving liar, and Charlie has recently decided that she wants to return to work.”
I flinch at the mention of Charlie. I’ve yet to see her since returning. I should’ve done so already, but I’ve been putting it off. I betrayed her by sneaking into Greed, and Silas helped me. She must be furious with me, and Charlie’s fury is frightening. I go to great lengths to avoid it.
“Have you had a chance to look through the documents I gave you?” Aziel asks.
I nod. “I have, and I have a few questions.”
“Of course. I’m happy to talk through anything.”
I’ve read through hundreds of documents these past few days, even the ones so dull and tedious, they had my eyes drooping and my head bobbing.
Aziel has given me a prestigious position within Wrath’s military.
I don’t think he’s entirely pleased about it, but it’s what’s expected.
I murdered Mammon, and this is my payment.
He’s been quite vocal about his displeasure toward Silas’s and my lying, though.
I’m in charge of overseeing Wrath’s generals, monitoring their work and reporting directly to Aziel. It’s an honored position, one I never imagined I’d be given. It comes with a painful amount of paperwork, though, and I have a lot to catch up on.
Aziel’s door opens, and his assistant peeks inside. He gives Aziel a curt nod before disappearing again, the door clicking shut behind him.
Aziel frowns. “Cassia’s returned.”
Ah. I stifle my reaction, not wanting to draw attention to my precarious relationship with the woman. Despite my personal feelings, she’s Aziel’s daughter. He loves her, and I’m not looking to upset him.
Aziel and I grew close during the war and the years immediately after, but we aren’t friends. My primary relationship has always been with Charlie.
“I hope to speak with her today,” I say. “I’d like to make things right between us.”
Aziel cocks his head to the side. “I wouldn’t recommend that. She’s…” He pauses. “She can be…”
I understand what he’s trying to say. I’ve not spent much time with Cassia, and it’s evident she’s out of control. She’s entitled and angry, which I’d argue is an awful combination. She’s nothing like the Luna persona she used inside Greed. That woman was conniving and sly. Calculating.
Cassia is none of those things. I’d rather not deal with her tantrums, but I feel obligated to make things right.
“She and I are to be working together,” I point out. “That will be significantly easier with her approval.”
Aziel shrugs. “Best of luck to you, then.”
That’s not encouraging.
—————
“Enter!”
I draw in a deep breath, preparing for the monster I’m about to encounter. I’m expecting the worst. Cassia hasn’t given me much of a reason to expect otherwise.
My muscles tense as I push open her office door. I’d like to believe she learned her lesson after attacking me the other day, but Cassia doesn’t give the impression of being a woman who learns from her failures. I suspect she actively goes out of her way to avoid learning from them.
The scent of Cassia’s floral perfume hits me as I step into her office. It’s admittedly a good scent, and I let it fill my lungs as I eye the woman behind the large desk in the center of the room.
Cassia’s office is a perfect replica of Aziel’s. From the built-in bookshelves lining the walls to the color scheme, it’s obvious he was her inspiration when decorating this place. Does she actually like it, or is she trying to imitate her father?
Does she know the Wraths openly joke about her desperation to be like Aziel? Several people have already warned me about it. It’s one of the first things they mention. Be wary of Cassia. She’s let her bloodline get to her head, and she seems to believe she’s a miniature Aziel.
I’d feel bad for her if she hadn’t attacked me.
The woman went for my throat, for my heart, for literally anything that would kill me. She was sloppy in her attack, too, nothing like the Wraths I fought in the pits. They were seasoned, but Cassia has no real fighting experience.
She stared at the locations she intended to teleport to. It gave her next move away, and it made fighting her painfully easy. I suppose that worked in my favor, though. Despite what people say, she is Aziel’s daughter. She’s powerful, and if she ever learns self-control, she’ll be dangerous.
Cassia sits stiffly behind her desk, blinking slowly as she looks me up and down. She’s sizing me up. Again.
She looks tired.
“Good morning, Cassia,” I greet her.
She blinks again, her gaze piercing, before shooting me a broad smile. It sets me on edge.
“Good morning, Rexton.”
Her voice is sickly sweet. It’s a lie. This woman attempted to tear out my throat only three days ago. She wanted me dead, and I made her cry. I looked her in the eyes as tears leaked down her cheeks.
I humiliated her, and I did so in front of Aziel.
He may be her father, but he’s also the King of Wrath. The way she looked at him afterward, the open devastation that took over her features, was painful to see. I can’t fathom how Aziel felt. He left immediately after she did, vanishing without a word.
“I’d like us to start over,” I say. There’s no point in lying. “We got off to a bad start, and I’d love to clear the air between us.”
Cassia’s smile grows. “I would love that, too.”
She has a particular face she makes when she’s worked up. Her eyes grow wide, giving her a borderline crazed expression. I noticed it when we were in Greed, but I didn’t think too much of it.
It’s the same expression she made before attacking me in Aziel’s office. I’m beginning to learn it means dangerous thoughts are swirling through her mind.
Cassia gestures to the chair opposite her desk, waving her arm in a dramatic, sweeping movement.
She’s welcoming me to sit? I anticipated her refusing to speak with me, maybe even trying to attack me again.
She’s plotting. She has no interest in starting over with me.
That’s disappointing but not entirely unsurprising.
I shake my head, politely declining her offer to sit. I’m not going to linger, not when she’s acting this peculiar. It’s a sign of bad things to come.
“I’m actually quite relieved to see you,” Cassia says, ignoring my rejection. “I’d like to apologize for my behavior the other day. I was out of line, and I’m sorry.”
I swallow, my throat dry. “I appreciate your apology.”
Cassia blinks twice, her unnerving smile and rigid posture unmoving. It’s beyond creepy, and it remains with me long after I find an excuse to leave her office. What’s her game?