Chapter 19 #3
“No. I’ve had no business with any fae clans since I arrived in the metropolis. My people don’t know where I am or what I’m doing.” She glared up at him. “My last contact with my family was when I killed Luciento to get to you, unless you forgot.”
“But if they do show up tomorrow,” he shifted to trap her between him and the dresser, “where would your loyalties lie?”
It was the question she’d been dreading, the one that struck at the heart of her conflicted feelings. She’d spent decades planning revenge against the Nostroms, but now she was sleeping in her enemy’s bed, sharing his secrets, protecting his life.
Killing her estranged uncle was one thing.
Betraying her whole people was another.
“I don’t know.” It was another honest answer.
“But I know this—the fae aren’t organized.
That’s the only thing that’s ever stopped them from coming together to overthrow the vampires.
The clans are too divided, too insular. But if they ever did work together?
If their hatred of each other was ever second to their hatred of the city?
The walls around the metropolis would fall.
The Wild would take over in a heartbeat. ”
“And all that we’ve worked for would dissolve, and all the humans would die. Vampire society would collapse.” Raziel studied her for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “I can assume we have a common interest in ensuring that doesn’t happen, then?”
She paused. “Yeah.” Though, sometimes, she wasn’t so sure that wasn’t the ultimate right answer.
Burn it all down. Start over. But it was a pipe dream.
She changed the subject. “Mael has positioned you perfectly for tomorrow, hasn’t he?
Security detail means access to restricted areas, freedom to move throughout the venue. ”
“And authority to act on any identified threats as I see fit.” He huffed a laugh, his hand settling on her naked hip. “Though I suspect he might be hoping I’ll identify you as one of them.”
“Or that’s what Lana is telling him.” Nadi furrowed her brow. “The question is, does Mael suspect me of anything?”
“Everyone in this family suspects everyone. The question is of what and how much.” Raziel gathered the security documents into a neat pile. “He made a point of telling me to keep a close eye on you tomorrow. Said you might be ‘particularly attractive to those who would wish us harm.’”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning he either suspects you’re not what you seem, or he’s also planning to use you as bait to draw out whoever is working against us.” Raziel’s expression darkened. “Either way, you’ll be a target.”
Nadi felt the familiar weight of being hunted, the sensation that had driven her for so many years. But this time, it was different. This time, she wasn’t alone.
“Or, perhaps,” a devilish grin tugged at the corners of Raziel’s mouth, “he’s simply hoping to interrogate you…”
Rolling her eyes, she shoved his chest, trying to nudge him backward.
He didn’t move. “If both Lana and Mael are watching us—or—” She froze.
“Wait. That’s it. They know, Raziel. Mael and Lana both know about the fae threat, they have to.
That’s why Mael is after the ledger. That’s why Lana is questioning me. ”
Raziel tilted his head to the side slightly, thoughtfully.
“It makes sense. Mael would want ammunition to bring to the table if he needed to broker peace with the fae tribes. Lana would want to know who would be in her direct sphere of influence if she suspected someone. And, most importantly, if Mael wants you, he would seek to drive us apart.”
Shutting her eyes, she let out a breath. The board had too many players. This was precisely why she preferred being an assassin. Simple. Get in. Kill. Get out. “What do we do? They’ll be watching us the entire time.”
“Then we give them something to watch.” He leaned forward, nuzzling into her hair, grasping her hips now with both hands. “We play to their expectations. Let them think they’re controlling the situation while we position ourselves for the real strike.”
“When do we move?” It was hard to focus with him digging his fingers into her skin, gripping her like that.
“Just after the ceremony. Everyone will be focused on Lana and Zabriel. No one will care about Mael, or you, or me. The moment Mael steps off stage, the moment after Lana and Zabriel kiss as husband and wife, we will take him in the shadows while everyone is distracted by the applause and music.”
It was audacious, striking at the heart of the celebration when defenses would be at their most complex but potentially most distracted. “And if the fae do attack?”
“Even better. Chaos has always been my preferred operating environment.” He slid one of his hands slowly up her back, tracing the line of her spine. “But there’s something we need to discuss.”
The direness in his tone made her look up. “What?” And that was the trap she fell into.
His hand fisted in her hair. He pulled her head back hard enough that it sent a sting through her that had her gasping. “You. And whether or not I can trust you not to go rogue tomorrow, little murderer.”
“I—” She was already moving. He dragged her to the bed, and before she could react, she was face-down on the plush, velvet surface, bent over with her feet on the ground.
His hand stroked her ass. It was the only warning she had before his palm fell against her skin with a hard crack.
She hissed, baring her teeth, her hands digging into the comforter. “Raziel, what’re you—”
“I know you. And I know what you’re going to do, my little fae.” His voice was deep, already husky and thick from lust. His hand fell against her ass with a second hard strike.
She gasped, but when she went to struggle, he grabbed a handful of her skin and squeezed hard enough that it brought tears to her eyes.
“Ah-ah. Stay still, beautiful… accept your punishment.”
“But I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Oh, but I know you will.” He chuckled, still pinning her head to the bed with her hair, his hand pressing to the sheets beside her. His hand stroked the burning skin on her ass. “Tomorrow will be abject chaos and I know you will misbehave.”
His hand left her to deliver another hard crack!
This time, she bit her lip to keep from moaning. Why did this do such terrible things to her? Why? She should be screaming, fighting, tearing his face off. But here she was, submitting to the Serpent—her enemy—and desperate for more.
“Fuck you, Raziel, you—ahnh!”
She hadn’t heard him undo his pants. And he barely paused at her core before he rammed himself into her body, filling her in one smooth, brutal movement.
The pace he set was as unforgiving as how he began it. And it was exactly what she needed. What they both needed. She snarled, swearing at him in fae as he pinned her shoulders down with one hand, the other grasping her hips as he pounded into her like a machine.
And all he did was laugh. “That’s it, my—nnh—little wild beast… fight me. I want to feel the moment you remember you’re mine.”
Moons, it felt so damn perfect. Everything about it.
“Say it,” he growled at her, lifting her torso from the bed. His thrusts became violent impacts into her, sending blinding flashes of ecstasy crashing through her. “Say you’re mine. Now and always. And say you’re sorry for what you’re going to do. Beg me. Beg me for forgiveness.”
At first, she resisted, swearing at him with every obscenity she knew, and there were plenty. But it only spurred him on, and she could only take so much.
Finally, with a half-sob, half-wail, she surrendered. “Please—”
Her cheek met the sheets again.
His tempo slowed, but it only seemed to allow him to bury himself harder, deeper into her body. Pausing only to speak. “Please what?”
Each thrust felt like it was going to drive her mind out of her body. “F—ah—forgive me—”
“Mm… not good enough… I want to hear you say it all at once, fae…” He leaned back to caress her ass again before slapping his palm down on the sensitive skin hard enough that she had to bite the sheets to muffle her moan.
“Look at you. Look at how much you love this. What a perfect little thing you are. Now say it. Say you’re mine, and beg for forgiveness for whatever you’re going to do tomorrow. ”
She couldn’t take it anymore. She just couldn’t. Her body was on the edge of release, and it was making her head spin. “Please—Raziel—I-I’m sorry, please forgive me—I-I’m yours, now and forever, please—”
Both his hands went to her hips as he unleashed himself on her, giving them both what they desperately needed.
It was only moments before she was crashing over into oblivion, her body unable to handle much more of the onslaught.
He doubled over her second later, clutching her to him, pleasure claiming him in turn.
When she could think straight again, she was under the sheets with him, nestled up against his chest. He was holding her gently. He placed a kiss to the top of her head. “You shouldn’t walk around naked,” he murmured.
“You shouldn’t be such a bastard,” she grumbled back at him.
He chuckled. She could feel his mood drop. “Tomorrow isn’t just about eliminating Mael. It’s about survival. All of us—you, me, even Ivan—we’re all potential targets. And I need you to be careful.”
They’d started this game thinking they were the hunters, but somehow, they’d become the prey. Multiple factions circling, each with their own agenda, each seeing the wedding as an opportunity to reshape the metropolis.
“Are we making a mistake?” she asked quietly. “Should we abort, find another way?”
Raziel was quiet for a long moment, his fingers tracing small circles along her lower back. “We’ve come too far to turn back now. And honestly? I’m looking forward to it. Let them all come. Let them all make their moves. When the dust settles, we’ll be the ones left standing.”
His confidence was infectious, reminding her why she’d chosen to trust him in the first place. Despite everything—the blood, the surveillance, the approaching storm—she found herself smiling.
“Then, we see this through.”
“Together.”
Nadi couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking toward the edge of a precipice. Tomorrow would bring the moment when all their careful preparations would either secure their victory or destroy them utterly.
Even with how complicated their current situation made everything.
But tonight, in the quiet sanctuary of Raziel’s bedroom, she almost allowed herself to pretend that they were simply lovers planning their future together. Almost believed that the morning wouldn’t bring another performance, another layer of deception, another dance on the edge of a knife.
Almost.
Because the wedding was going to change everything. Somehow. Everything would be transformed.
In the darkness of the night, surrounded by shadows and secrets, Nadi closed her eyes and tried not to think about how many ways tomorrow could end in disaster.