Chapter 15 #2
Raziel handed her the bowl of stew, a troubled look on his face as he moved to sit down in the plush chair across from the sofa.
“Your mother didn’t make you anything when you were sick?
I’m not surprised.” She smelled the soup.
The herbs in it came from the Wild. She hadn’t had anything like it in almost a century, and it almost made her want to cry.
The meat in it was from the Wild as well, she could tell from the gaminess of it.
It wasn’t grown on a farm like the human cows or chickens.
It just smelled better. And it would taste the same.
“Vampires don’t get sick.” Raziel shook his head. “I don’t really have anything to compare to what you’re describing.”
Odd. She’d never considered that. On one hand, that must be useful—to not have to worry about children getting sick and dying. On the other hand, why did she feel bad for him? Like he’d missed out on something crucial, like having his mother make a bowl of meat stew for him?
“It’s not magic. But it’s appreciated.” Nadi started eating the stew. It wasn’t as good as she remembered—she figured neither Ivan nor Raziel were terribly great cooks—but she’d cut them some slack. “Now, can we talk about the three-hundred-pound hyi’n in the room?”
“I filled him in on everything.” Raziel laced his fingers in front of him as he sat back in his chair. “No need.”
“Everything.” She stared at Raziel flatly. “Now he really needs to die. Are you insane?”
“I trust Ivan more than I trust myself, Nadi. He won’t betray us.” Raziel shook his head.
“If that were true, you would have included him from the beginning!” She paused, taking a breath. She really had to avoid shouting right now, she’d pass out into her soup.
“I knew how you’d react. And at the time, it wasn’t necessary.”
“Wasn’t—” She really had to calm down. She took a long moment to steady herself and work on getting her heart rate under control. “This is a risk we can’t afford. I vote that we kill him.”
“You want to do this democratically? Very well. Let’s vote. I vote that we don’t kill him.” Raziel smiled. “Ivan?”
“I vote for not killing me.”
“Lords below.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. She was going to scream. She was dealing with children. “He’s a liability. How do you know he’s not working for your brother? Or your sister?”
“I trust Ivan’s loyalty to me far more than I trust yours, Nadi.
And I have plenty of proof to back up that statement.
Would you like me to elaborate?” Raziel arched a dark eyebrow.
She found it deeply irritating that someone who had clearly been through the wringer like him could also still look so put together at the same time.
“No. I don’t need you to elaborate, Raziel. But the fact of the matter is, we don’t need more variables. Especially not at this stage, when we’re so close to failure.”
“So close to failure? How do you figure? I think this turn of events works perfectly for us.” Raziel grinned. A flash of the Serpent returned to his features.
He’d been scheming while she was unconscious.
Lowering the bowl of stew to her lap, she found herself a little too intrigued by the wicked glint in those crimson eyes of his. “Raziel Nostrom, what are you planning?”
Fae were resilient creatures, Raziel would have to give them that. His mother often spoke of them like cockroaches—insects that were seemingly impossible to kill.
He’d never been more grateful for their pernicious nature. If Nadi were a different woman, she would still be in bed. In fact, he wished she would listen to reason and rest. But he knew she wouldn’t, so he didn’t waste his words.
At least she didn’t try to claw at Ivan in her current state. She was smart enough to know when to bide her time. But if he didn’t get her assurances that Ivan was safe, he would have to worry about protecting his bodyguard from his… whatever she was.
Nemesis? Lover?
Both were true.
But the question remained what she had become.
He knew that she was a ghost that would haunt him for the rest of his days, however long they lasted, and in whatever form she might take. And if anyone could die and haunt him from beyond the grave, it would be her, he was certain of it.
What else?
He knew what burned in his heart.
But what about hers?
She’d spared his life. Chosen to save it. Twice. That was no act of conscience. No mere moment of pity or mercy. And his siblings had granted her leverage that was greater than his own—so it wasn’t about his position of power either.
It had to be something more. But what else was it tangled up in? What else was threatening to drag it down into the depths of the void like it had with Braen?
Raziel pushed those thoughts away to the corners of his mind. He had to focus on the matter at hand.
She had gone back to eating her stew. Good. She needed it. Her body was healing quickly, despite the amount of blood he had drained from her—but he would need her on her feet.
He cracked his neck from one side to the other.
Every fiber of his body ached. “From the family’s point of view, we were successful in our task.
We slaughtered Braen, as we were commanded.
While we must be very careful to watch our backs, we can’t be invisible either.
Whatever games my brother and sister wished to play, I suggest you keep stringing them along.
Continued information from them will be crucial. ”
“How long was I out?” She touched her neck gently. It was bandaged.
He noted that she did not wish to elaborate on his siblings’ games. Interesting. He couldn’t say that he blamed her. “Thirty-six hours.”
She hummed. “Too much time.”
“No use mourning it.” He would far rather mourn the lost hours than be mourning her. “Lana marries Zabriel in a week.”
Nadi sighed. “Not much time to plan… whatever it is you’re planning. I hope it’s more foolproof than our Braen scheme.” She shot him a look.
Raziel grimaced. “I bore the brunt of that misstep, not you.”
She arched an eyebrow at him, clearly questioning that statement. But she said nothing.
He grunted. He was nearly mended, but he was still feeling the effects of being drained entirely of blood.
“The wedding will provide us decent cover for an attack. But in the meanwhile, we’ll need to make our appearances.
Kiss the ring. Play the dutiful, obedient, subservient, and repentant children. ”
She snorted. “We have to keep it believable, Raz.”
Ivan chuckled.
She shot him a look.
The bodyguard shrugged. “What? S’funny.”
Nadi’s expression was one of such absolutely beleaguered exhaustion, it was Raziel’s turn to chuckle. And when had Nadi begun to refer to him as Raz? He had earned a nickname. He was honestly flattered. “Mael will be our target.”
“Counterpoint.” Nadi tilted her head to the side and scratched at the edge of her bandage on her throat. “I think Volencia should be the first to die, not Mael. Cut off the heads of the issha.”
Raziel had no idea what an issha was, or why it had more than one head, but he understood the gist well enough.
“I want her dead just as much as you do, believe me. There is no one in this world who harbors more hate for that whore than I do. But this needs to be done in sequence. Mael is more dangerous than you think. Without him, she will be rendered toothless.”
“Don’t slander whores like that.” She sipped her water.
“I know plenty of wonderful whores…” Would she fight him?
Or would she listen? Tension hung in the air for a long moment, as dark opal eyes met his.
“Your plans get me in a lot of trouble. But, fine. However—if I see a chance to take her out, clean? I’m doing it. ”
That, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to argue his way out of. But perhaps he could still get another bargain from their negotiation. “All right. In exchange, you will have to give me your word that you won’t attempt to murder Ivan.”
“I don’t like him knowing my secret.” Nadi grimaced, baring her teeth. Her canines were much shorter than a vampire’s—but were still sharper than a human’s were capable of being. “He shouldn’t be allowed to live. This is a stupid risk.”
“Or, we need to admit that we can’t do this with just the two of us.
We’ll need someone watching our backs. And having him know the truth will make this much easier.
” Raziel sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees.
He was still starving. He’d have to go out and feed soon, but he wanted to ensure that Nadi was asleep in bed before he did so.
Bottles of blood were one thing, but he needed something—someone—fresh. “Do we have a deal, little fae?”
With a faint, frustrated growl, she tucked her knees up under her on the sofa and pulled a thick blanket around her shoulders.
“Fine. Okay. Deal. But Ivan—if I even get a whisper of a hint that you might be working for someone else? I am going to cut off your balls, string them up with wire, and make you wear them as nipple tassels before I finish letting you die.”
A grin split Ivan’s face. “You’re right, boss. I like her a lot more than Monica.”
“Then, we have our next steps. We play our parts. And we plan to murder Mael at my sister’s wedding.” Reaching down, Raziel scooped Nadi up in his arms. She didn’t make a fuss about it and looped her arm behind his neck. “Just another cheerful Nostrom family affair.”
Everything was starting to feel dangerously like it might have a chance of working.
Which meant it was all more than likely going to come crashing down.