Chapter 6 Malec
Malec
“I'm Maleciandro, the next capo of New York,” I smirk, savoring the terror etched across Solas’s face. “But you can call me Malec,” I add, my voice dripping with venom. “If you can still speak when I’m done with you.”
Tonight, justice belongs to Abert.
I finally have the perfect chance to avenge his son’s death, and fate handed me the man responsible on a silver platter—Solas, the brother of the Bratva’s head in New York.
That Russian filth is going to die slowly, painfully, in Abert’s hands.
And me? I’m ready to make his soul my hunt for the month.
I’ve been hungrier than usual lately. A dangerous craving slithers beneath my skin, burning in my veins. My mother would have my balls if I turned New York into my personal buffet without reason. But revenge and dinner? This night can’t get any sweeter.
“Malec.”
A rasp cuts through the air behind me—Abert’s voice, sanded raw by smoke and rage. My grin hooks wider on instinct. He’s old, sure, but the weight of him, the menace he carries... no one matches that. Not even me.
Footsteps close in. I don’t turn. Not yet.
My pulse quickens anyway, muscles coiled like I’m bracing for a strike.
Only when he halts at my side do I tilt my head, slow, flashing teeth in a grin.
Pride burns in my chest. I gave him the perfect hunt today, and that gleam in his eye—the sharp, satisfied kind—makes every cut and bruise worth it.
His glare snaps to me, familiar as a scar. The same look that’s beaten me bloody more times than I can count. My grin just deepens.
“He’s all yours. Enjoy,” I say, gesturing toward Solas like I’m unveiling the chef’s special to our most exclusive guest—with this ridiculous black suit I wore today to please Abert, I feel the part.
Abert lets out a low growl, his gaze locked on Solas like a shark circling a wounded fish.
“Oh, I will,” he mutters, cracking his knuckles as he steps forward. His hand moves to the back of his black leather belt, pulling out a small, worn pocket knife.
Interesting choice.
If he’s starting light, I already know he’s planning to take his time.
“I wouldn’t even wait to snack on that piece of shit.”
The low growl vibrating in my head yanks me back to reality. Right. My aunt’s outside this dump with my so-called guardian. I roll my eyes.
“You, of all mercreatures, should know the hunt tastes better when you play with it first. You’re no fun.”
He doesn’t even bother arguing anymore—just huffs, annoyed.
I think he’s long since accepted that trying to shut me up is a lost cause.
That’s the price of growing up with a dragon tethered to your life force.
He can’t hurt me, can’t even piss me off unless he’s close enough to absorb the blow if I lose control.
Abert crouches, eyeing Solas like a predator savoring the moment before the kill. Solas is hogtied—wrists and ankles yanked behind his back, tight enough to snap something if he so much as twitches.
“With these filthy hands, you took the life of my only son,” Abert growls, his voice low and cold. “It’s only fair I return the favor. And don’t look at me like some wounded dog—” he sneers, twisting the knife of his words, “—because that’ll just make killing you sweeter.”
A muffled scream claws at the gag binding Solas’s mouth as Abert slowly presses the tip of his knife into his temple—no rush, just enough pressure to let the fear bloom.
Yes. That’s the Abert I know.
“Call me when you’re done,” I say offhandedly, flicking my hand like I’m brushing away dust. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t make it to the next life.”
I turn on my heel, not sparing Solas another glance.
“I’ll be outside with Myko and Bay.”
“Hungry as hell,” I share with Myko the second the door shuts behind me. I need that catch. I’m not letting Solas’s soul go to waste.
“Don’t even start,” Myko snaps back, his voice echoing in my head. “You were the one going on about 'play with the prey’ nonsense. Sometimes I wonder if you’re actually Bay’s son, not Alin’s.”
“Well, I spent most of my free time with you and Bay, so don’t blame me now. You made me this way.” I say aloud with a chuckle, as Aunt Bay’s red hair comes into view, tied back in a messy bun—making her look even smaller—she and my mom are so short in their human form.
Myko’s body is coiled protectively around her, with only his massive tail resting against the dirty cement road. His huge head hovers just above hers, eyes glowing purple with annoyance like they’re mid-argument.
Ah. That explains why he didn’t argue with me earlier; it wasn’t me—he’s already neck-deep in Bay’s wrath.
They both turn toward me like I’ve just walked in on something I shouldn’t.
“What’s going on?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Don’t even ask—” Bay starts, but Myko cuts her off.
“Glad you asked. Your sister snuck out again.” His tone is smug, but when Bay’s frown deepens, I know she heard it too.
Of course she did. I can barely have a second of privacy with him, but for her?
He lives inside her body—tethered to her soul like a parasite with scales and claws. Merfuck, my aunt is strong as hell.
Wait. Did he just say—
“Kayla. Yes.” Myko confirms with an irritated growl. “She snuck out about an hour ago. Some guy picked her up. She messaged Bay to keep it quiet, but she only saw it just now.”
Kayla? With a guy?
She’s fucking sixteen.
He’s dead.
The surge hits hard—rage crackling through my veins like lightning fueled by my hunger.
My body lights up with it, the familiar electric-like blue glow spilling across my skin, seeping even through the fabric of the black suit I loathe.
The pod marks etched into my body, covering every piece of skin, flare to life, and when the Mal-El crescent moon ignites on my forehead too, I know I’ve passed the point of no return.
I can’t control it anymore. I stop breathing.
“You see? That’s why I told you to keep it quiet!” Bay’s voice rises, sharp and accusing, not even bothering to keep it inside her mind. But all I see is light—blinding, pulsing, burning through me from the inside out.
“I need to feed. Or I need—”
On cue, Myko coils around me, his massive scales wrapping tight.
The second he touches me, I gasp—air finally flooding my lungs.
He draws the energy out of me, slow and steady, like pulling venom from a wound.
I close my eyes, helplessly addicted to the wave of calm that follows.
It’s like a drug—one only he can give me.
“No. You need to see why this isn’t something you keep quiet about. We need to bring her back. Now.”
Myko snarls the words—not to me. But he’s too consumed trying to manage both my outburst and Bay’s fury to realize I heard it too. I hate when they argue, but this time—I’m with Myko.
“She’s sixteen! And she’s a royal—she can handle herself if there’s danger,” Bay snaps, planting her hands on her hips like she’s drawing the line. Determined. Unmoving.
She wants us out of Kayla’s business.
Yeah... not gonna happen.
Kayla’s powers can't protect her.
“You forget our enemies already know enough to dart her to sleep and lock her up—just like they did to my mom in the past.” My voice comes out sharp, venomous. “I’m not leaving it to chance. And I’m definitely not letting some guy I’ve never even met put his filthy hands on her.”
Myko finally releases me, and I steady myself as the last of the blue glow fades from my skin.
“He’s as dead as Solas.”
I flash Myko a menacing grin, and Bay lets out a heavy sigh, the kind that says she knows she’s already lost. Two against one—she’s not winning this battle.
“Fine,” she mutters, lifting her hands in mock surrender. “But we follow her quietly first. Let her have something—anything—that even remotely resembles a normal life.”
I roll my eyes. “We’ll try it your way, if it makes you feel better. But the second he breathes too close?” I lean forward to make sure she’s not missing the threat, voice dropping low. “I’m going in.”
“Great,” she grumbles, rolling her eyes right back at me. “The ‘perfect’ brother...” she mutters under her breath as she heads toward the white SUV Pedro gifted her last year—the same year she finally passed her driving test. Honestly, that alone is a public safety hazard.
I shoot a smug smirk toward Myko.
“Looks like we’ve got two souls for dinner tonight. Let’s go hunt the first one.”