Chapter 16 #2
“I was injured,” she said softly, allowing real vulnerability to enter her voice. “Badly.”
Mael’s expression shifted immediately, concern replacing suspicion. “How?”
Nadi lowered her eyes, one hand moving to her throat.
She shifted the collar of her dress to show the false, purplish bruise she had let show through her glamor just for this occasion.
“One of Braen’s guards. He had a silver blade.
He… slit my throat.” She let her voice tremble slightly.
“I’ve never… I’ve never felt pain like that before.
It was meant for Raziel. I just happened to be wearing his face at the time. ”
“Silver?” Lana’s eyebrows rose. “For any vampire, it’s an almost guaranteed death sentence, let alone a fledgling.”
“Yeah.” Nadi let a shudder pass through her. “I learned that the hard way.”
“And where was my brother during this attack?” Mael moved closer, his expression softening further. “Why didn’t he protect you?”
Nadi hesitated, the perfect picture of a woman torn between loyalty, fear, and perhaps a little bit of temptation. “He… He was dealing with Braen. It happened so quickly.”
“I see.” Mael exchanged a glance with Lana. “And these injuries kept you hidden for three days?”
“Raziel didn’t want to return until I could maintain my composure.” She shrugged. “He said it would raise too many questions if I appeared… damaged.”
“How considerate of him,” Lana’s voice dripped with disdain. “And where exactly did you recuperate? Not at his estate, surely.”
“No.” Nadi shook her head. And it was clear Lana already knew that from her spies, anyway. “Somewhere else. A property owned by Ivan, I think. I honestly don’t know. I wasn’t really awake when we got there or when we left. Everything has been a bit hazy.”
Mael’s massive hand settled on her shoulder, surprisingly gentle. “You poor thing. My brother has a habit of letting others suffer for his mistakes.” His golden eyes searched hers. “You understand now, don’t you? What I was trying to warn you about?”
Nadi allowed herself to lean into his touch, just slightly. Just enough to suggest vulnerability. “He did save me,” she whispered, the half-truth easier to deliver than she expected. “He could have left me to die there.”
“But at what cost?” Lana snarled with shocking vitriol. “What did he demand in return for this salvation?”
Nadi flinched, the reaction not entirely feigned. The memory of Raziel’s fangs at her throat, of her life draining away, was still too fresh. “I… I don’t know. But I feel myself being sucked in deeper and I don’t know if I can ever escape.” That was the moons’ honest truth, wasn’t it?
Lana looked like her heart broke in half. The woman took Nadi into her arms and held her in an embrace that felt real. Slowly, the blonde released her, but her pink eyes lingered on hers, searching for something. “I am so sorry.”
Mael’s expression darkened. “My brother never does anything without calculating the potential benefits for himself.” His thumb stroked her shoulder in what was clearly meant to be a comforting gesture. “Did he hurt you, Monica? You can tell us.”
The question hung in the air between them, weighted with implications.
Nadi could see what they wanted—confirmation of Raziel’s cruelty, evidence they could use against him.
And part of her, the part that still burned with the need for vengeance, whispered that she should give it to them.
Use their hatred of their brother to her advantage.
But the truth was, Raziel hadn’t hurt her. Not deliberately. He had been lost in blood starvation, barely conscious of his actions. And she had offered herself willingly. And he had stopped himself from killing her.
She wondered what Mael would think if he knew the truth—that she had chosen to save Raziel’s life at nearly the cost of her own. That in that moment of decision, her hatred had been overcome by something far more complicated and dangerous.
“Monica?” Mael prompted, his voice gentle but insistent.
Nadi let tears fill her eyes. Ones that weren’t entirely fabricated. She was so tired of weaving lies within lies, of keeping track of which version of herself she was supposed to be in each moment. “I’m sorry. I can’t…”
The pain wasn’t feigned. The exhaustion was real. She was just carefully directing it toward the narrative they wanted to hear.
“It’s all right.” It was Mael’s turn to pull her into an embrace, his massive frame enveloping her completely. “You don’t have to say it. We understand. Believe us, we understand.”
Over his shoulder, Nadi caught Lana’s expression—a mixture of satisfaction and calculation that sent a chill down her spine. Whatever game the Sweetheart Mistress was playing, she wasn’t motivated by concern for Monica’s well-being.
“The important thing,” Lana’s tone was suddenly soft with manufactured sympathy, “is that you survived. And now you have choices, Monica. Real choices.”
Mael released her, though his hands remained on her shoulders. “Remember what I told you. When the time comes, I can protect you from him. From all of this.”
“We both can,” Lana added. “After the wedding, everything will change. The question is, where will you stand when it does?”
The implication was clear. Their offers still stood—betrayal for protection. Raziel’s life in exchange for a place in the family. The question was, what were they planning?
Nadi lowered her gaze, playing the part of the conflicted victim once more. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “I’m afraid.”
“Fear is wise in this family,” Mael said grimly. “But you don’t have to decide anything now. Just… keep your eyes open. And remember that you have allies.”
“Does your mother suspect anything?” Nadi asked, deliberately changing the subject. “About… about us taking so long to return?”
Lana’s laugh was brittle. “Mother suspects everything and everyone. It’s how she’s survived this long.” She touched Nadi’s arm lightly. “But don’t worry about her. Focus on keeping yourself alive until the wedding.”
“And after?” She allowed herself once more to let real fear and vulnerability play on her voice. “Once you’ve… made whatever move it is you’re making?”
“After,” Mael replied, his golden eyes meeting hers with disturbing intensity, “you’ll need to make your choice. And quickly. You’ll know when the moment comes.”
Lana glanced toward the door. “You should return to Raziel before he becomes suspicious. Remember—say nothing of our conversation.”
Nadi nodded, straightening her posture and carefully reassembling the mask over the mask over the mask she wore every day to survive this stupid political nonsense. “Thank you. Both of you.”
As she turned to leave, Mael caught her hand. “One more thing. Where is Raziel keeping the ledger from Braen’s club? The one with the trafficking records?”
The question caught her off guard. She hadn’t expected them to know about that. “I honestly don’t know. He didn’t tell me.” She paused. “But I think I could get it.”
Mael studied her face for a long moment, then released her hand. “Of course he didn’t. My brother trusts no one, not even those closest to him. But if you could get it, Monica, that would be very valuable.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
After Nadi left the room, she paused in the corridor, taking a moment to steady her breathing. The conversation replayed in her mind, fragments of truth and lies twisting together until she could barely separate one from the other.
She found Raziel waiting for her in the main foyer, his expression neutral but his eyes alert. He offered her his arm as they descended the grand staircase, leaving Volencia’s estate behind them.
It wasn’t until they were sealed in the privacy of his car, Ivan at the wheel and the privacy partition raised, that either of them spoke.
“Well?” He didn’t bother keeping his voice quiet. Ivan knew everything now. Nadi had to admit, unfortunately, that it was nice having someone “in” on the situation.
Nadi leaned back against the leather seat, suddenly exhausted. “They wanted to know where we’ve been for the past three days. I told them I was injured in the fight, but I left out your wounds.”
“And they believed you?”
She turned to look at him, studying the blank expression he wore, one that revealed nothing of the violent, desperate creature she had seen in his tower. Nothing of the man who had wept as he held her dying body.
“Mael did,” she finally replied. “He seemed genuinely concerned.”
Raziel’s expression hardened almost imperceptibly. “And Lana?”
“Lana is playing her own game.” Nadi shifted her gaze to the window, watching the metropolis blur past them. “And Mael asked where Braen’s ledger is.”
Raziel’s hands stilled in his lap. “That’s… interesting. How would he know about that?”
“I don’t know.”
“And what did you tell them?”
“That I had no idea where you’ve hidden it.” She sighed. And left it there. “Raziel, they’re both still trying to turn me against you. They’re convinced the wedding is going to change everything.”
“They’re not wrong about that,” he murmured, almost to himself.
Nadi felt a chill at his words. The wedding would change everything—just not in the way Mael and Lana expected. Not if Raziel and Nadi’s plan succeeded.
But as the car carried them back toward Raziel’s estate, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were all dancing on the edge of a precipice.
That the intricate web of lies and conspiracies they had woven was about to unravel, one delicate strand at a time.
It was clear that theirs wasn’t the only plan in play.
And she wasn’t sure any of them would survive the fall.