Chapter 42 Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes
Ronan
There was one thing I’d always missed about my old house, and it was the giant soaking tub in my en suite bathroom.
Water dripped from the faucet, echoing in the humid air as I tipped my head back against the edge.
The skin on my hands burned from the cuts I’d sustained in the fight, but I welcomed the pain.
The sacrifice. Because no matter how much blood I shed or lost, it was nothing compared to what Sage was giving up to protect me.
My every thought was consumed of my mate, fantasizing about having her by my side, and spending the rest of my life making up for putting her back in harm’s way. I couldn’t wait to have her in my arms.
I also wanted to consummate this need for her physically, but that could come later. Or hell, I would be fine if it never happened, so long as she was safe from that monster.
Once my fingertips had turned into prunes, I got out, wrapping a towel around my waist and walking back into my bedroom as I used another towel to dry my hair.
“Ew, put some clothes on.”
I looked up, finding Maia leaning against the headboard while sitting on my bed, legs crossed in front of her as she scrolled through her phone.
“Come on in, make yourself at home,” I intoned flatly, grabbing a clean T-shirt and sweatpants from the pile of neatly folded clothes on my dresser. I’d insisted I could take care of my laundry myself, but Zilla wouldn’t hear a word of it.
I got dressed in the bathroom and came back out. “What do you want?”
She shrugged, popping a bubble of the gum she was chewing. “Just wanted to see how tonight went.”
The growl that rumbled in my chest was barely suppressed as I replied, “Did you know about the vamp?”
Maia paused, and then sighed. “Your job was just to collect the money.”
“Yeah, but why the fuck should we be collecting money for a service we aren’t providing?”
“Lucien… provides a different service. Or did, at least, until you beat the shit out of him.”
I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged again. “I have friends who work there. They told me.”
“And you didn’t do anything about that bloodsucking fuck?” I asked, fire raging under my skin.
“Douse yourself,” Maia replied, getting off my bed. “It’s complicated.”
Complicated, my ass. I knew this world was built on favors and debts, but if we couldn’t deliver what we were paid for, then establishments like Ripped Lace would find someone else who could.
“So let me ask again, then. What do you want?”
Her expression sobered. “I just thought you might want someone with you while you watched this.”
My frustration was ratcheting. I was so tired of being out of the loop, of being left to flounder on my own, cleaning up after assholes who couldn’t even bother to tell me what they’d spilled. “Can I just get a straight fucking answer—for once—in my Ravaric-damned life?”
Maia swallowed nervously.
“Watch what?” I yelled.
She showed me her phone, playing a video from some stupid celebrity gossip show.
… I will not be taking any further questions on my mate bond with Sage or my marriage with Accalia at this time.
My whole body froze at the sight of Sage, standing beside Victor, her expression flat. But I knew it was just the mask she wore to disguise her fear. Because no amount of makeup could hide the dark circles under her eyes, or add color to blood-drained cheeks.
That’s right, Ignareth—our favorite tall drink of blood, the Premier of Noctis himself, has just hard-launched his mate.
The hosts of the gossip show laughed, a still of Sage and Victor on the screen between them.
And not only is he mated, but he’s not divorcing his wife?
I mean, Victor was our favorite vampire playboy to report on prior to his wedding, but this is a little indecent, even for him.
Sure, but can we talk about his mate? I mean, who is Sage Hexwood? We immediately plugged her name into every search engine available and found nothing. Zip. Zilch.
They zoomed in on her face, the frame catching the slight tension in her jaw, the way her shoulders curled inward from his touch. Her body language was screaming at me.
She needed help.
Did the witch just spring out of Hecara’s cauldron yesterday or something?
My whole body began to shake, smoke billowing from every pore of my skin.
“Ronan,” Maia warned. “Keep cool. You don’t want to burn the house down.”
No, I wanted to burn the world down.
That vampire fuck was claiming Sage as his. As his mate, when she belonged to me.
Mine.
My lungs were burning, and I tasted ash and brimstone on my tongue.
I knew I should have been looking at the bright side. This was proof of life. Proof that Sage hadn’t been chained up and locked away somewhere, left to be forgotten by everyone but me.
But this also made her rescue, and her life once she was safe and with me, that much harder. She was a public figure now. Someone people would recognize while walking down the street.
Victor could get away with having a wife and a mate, because no matter how scandalized Magiks would pretend to be, he was a wealthy, powerful alpha, and that apparently was worthy enough of respect in some assholes’ minds to excuse or even celebrate that type of excess.
But Sage being with me would brand her as something else entirely.
“I gotta say, I didn’t see this coming,” Maia said softly, turning off the video. She tucked her phone back in her pocket. “What’s his end game, you think? Does he know about you? Is he just marking his territory?”
The image of Sage, looking so defeated and worn, was burned in my mind.
I’d barely been with her for two days, and even I could tell that nothing she was wearing she had chosen herself and that she absolutely did not want to be there.
For as much as Victor claimed to be her mate, he really didn’t know a thing about her.
Or he just didn’t care.
“No, I don’t think so. He killed her last boyfriend, so if he knew she had a real mate, I think he would have sent someone after me already.
Besides,” I added, my voice catching for a moment.
“Sage went back to him because she wanted to protect my stupid ass. I can’t imagine she’d admit to my existence now. ”
I took a deep breath. Focus, calm, and calculation were needed here. My anger could fuel the fire I’d been stoking, but I couldn’t let it guide me. Sage’s life was on the line.
“It’s probably to make sure she doesn’t run again,” I finally said. “Now everyone knows who she is. She won’t be able to hide without wearing a glamour for the rest of her life.”
Maia scoffed in disgust. “I’m no seraph, but this vamp is really making me want to puke.” Then she looked up, placing a tentative hand on my shoulder, causing me to flinch for just a moment.
My family had never been big on physical affection.
“We’re gonna get her back. And honestly, even if she wasn’t your mate, just knowing everything she’s gone through and what he’s doing to her now, I’d want to save her just on principle.”
“Just like you helped those omegas at Ripped Lace?” I shrugged her off me.
Maia’s face froze, and then her gaze narrowed. “That’s different.”
“Is it?” I asked, crossing my arms. “Because from where I’m standing, we stood by while innocent Magiks we were supposed to protect got attacked, over and over again, long after they’d asked for help.”
Her tongue played with the tip of one of her elongated canines. “You really never were cut out for this life, were you?”
“No fucking shit.”
She sighed. “Ravaric, I wish I’d been born an alpha.” She shook her head. “Well, do you want to know your next test or not?”
* * *
Some annoying remix of a pop song blasted through the club, the bass reverberating through my horns and giving me a headache.
I couldn’t believe I used to come to places like this every weekend.
And I also couldn’t believe my dad wanted me slinging bruum.
Collecting payments was at least grunt work. This was lower than that. This was the kind of shit you needed to do before you could even be considered for grunt work.
I took out a roll of vaporleaf and lit it, taking a deep inhale and leaning against the wall in the hallway leading to the bathrooms.
Cut Glass was owned by us, and the cops on this beat were on our payroll. But we still kept up the facade of illegality, or the dumbass college kids here on spring break would get suspicious. Buying drugs had to be enough of a secret to be fun, but not so much they couldn’t find us.
A group of three elves came up, nervous, fidgeting, and looking around.
“Hey, um…”
I rolled my eyes and shrugged the backpack off my shoulders, opening it just enough for them to see the neat rows of foil packets inside.
“A gram each?” I asked flatly.
They whispered among themselves before answering. “Y-yeah.”
“Three hundred.”
“Runics?” one of them asked.
I stared at them blankly. This couldn’t be their first time buying bruum, was it? “No, merfolk scales.”
When their faces blanched, I scoffed. “Of course I mean runics.”
They let out a few mirthless chuckles and took out their wallets, looking about as obvious as it got, and slipped me the cash.
Holding the vaporleaf roll between my teeth, I counted the money slowly in front of them, watching them sweat and shift on their feet. They coughed and looked around like they were about to get caught.
Oh yeah, this was their first time. Maybe it was a little mean to make them squirm, but I needed something to do to entertain myself.
All accounted for, I put away the money and handed them the packets. “Have a good night.”
They thanked me and walked past to go to the bathroom, when one of them stopped and pointed towards the vaporleaf.
“You should quit, you know. That stuff’s bad for you.”
Fucking elves.
* * *
I’d started the night with thirty grams and was down to ten. If this was literally all I had to do, I supposed it wasn’t too bad. My dad could have chosen something a lot more insidious.
But then Toru showed up with another bag.