Chapter 51 The Spare
The Spare
Sage
The door clicked softly behind Ronan, but didn’t lock, and I immediately seized on the moment to snoop.
Ronan had stalked me when I had been his bounty, and I really wanted to see the look on his face when I threw out some random fact about his life he’d never told me before.
Time to see how he liked it.
I smiled to myself. He’d probably love it.
The room was a reflection of a much younger Ronan, before he’d had the chance to really find himself.
Shelves held neat little ornaments, a sword that danced the delicate line between deadly and ornamental, while posters and trophies lined the walls, shouting “look at me” from a younger version of him I didn’t think had ever existed.
It wasn’t fancy, exactly—just… him. A mix of careful control and scattered chaos, of glimpses of softness peeking through heavy expectations.
I walked around and grinned, thinking of all the ways to tease him, when a sweet, floral perfume hit my nose.
I whipped my head around, finding someone who could only be Ronan’s sister leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and grinning broadly.
She wore a leather jacket over a silk slip dress, motorcycle boots clunky on her feet.
“Welcome to the family, sis,” she said.
An omega, but her aura reminded more of a carnivorous flower than the lilies she smelled like. Pretty enough to draw you in, deadly enough to take you out.
“You must be Maia. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” I extended my hand, but she stomped towards me, pulling me into a tight hug.
“We’re not a hugging family,” she said, “But you know how omegas are. It’ll be nice to have an outlet for all the physical affection I’ve been bottling up over the years.”
I laughed, hugging her back. “Yeah, the alpha pheromones in this house are something else. It’s even worse than my business classes were.”
She pulled back. “That’s right, Ronan told me you went to business school. And you created Kaldrin! Awesome app, by the way. I ordered the most amazing under-eye cream from a local witch on there the other day, and it totally erased the puffy bags I’ve been sporting.”
Taking my hand, she led me to the bed so we could sit.
“I don’t think Ronan ever brought a girlfriend home before, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not any good at this.
Would you rather hear embarrassing stories of his childhood, get the lowdown on the family as a whole, or talk about what comes next? ”
I pulled my legs up, angling my body so I could face her. “Oh, embarrassing stories, for sure.”
Her eyes lit up and she grinned again. “You are too fucking cute. Okay, wanna hear about the time he accidentally set the teahouse outside on fire?”
Without waiting for a response, she launched into a very detailed, hilarious account of Ronan’s misadventures in learning how to control his fire magic when he appeared at the door, a low, half-hearted growl coming from his chest.
“I should have known I’d find you in here. What lies have you been telling her?”
“Lies?” she asked, her tone mocking. “Me? Why, I’ve never told a single lie in my pure, innocent life!”
“Out,” he said, pointing towards the door.
Maia gave me another hug. “We’ll talk more later,” she whispered loudly enough for Ronan to hear.
Then she got up and stopped by him on her way out, whispering something else in his ear, only this was supposed to be a secret. I watched as his eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing, and he nodded wordlessly, closing the door behind her.
“Everything okay?”
His mouth twisted for a moment before he sighed. “Yeah, just that my dad wants to have dinner with us tonight. Maia’s worried he’s going to try something.”
I’d only seen his dad, Kenzo Oniguro, briefly before Draven had taken me out of the fight. Slightly shorter than Ronan, his face was sharper, his expression colder. Like Ronan, if you took away all the joy, all the fun, and all the personality.
Ronan had told me not to trust him, but I’d already decided that the second I’d felt his eyes on me, measuring me up, calculating my worth and utility during that meeting. A look I’d become far too accustomed to from living with Victor.
“Like what?”
He half shrugged. “It could be anything with him. He’d wanted me to prove my loyalty to the family before he’d help me get you out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was more kraken shit waiting for me. The man knows how to hold a grudge.”
Guess his old man finally found a way to drag him back to Ignareth.
“I’m so sorry I made you come back to this.”
“Hey, no, this isn’t your fault,” he soothed, holding my cheek in his warm palm. “If I hadn’t made that stupid demon deal in the first place, you never would have gone back to Victor.”
“Oh, I know,” I sniffed. “Trust me, I’ll be making fun of you for that as time passes and it gets funnier. But it’s just… I know you worked hard to get out of this life. And I’ll always feel guilty that I’m the only thing keeping you here.”
Ronan leaned down, resting his forehead on mine, his horns cradling my head. I fit so perfectly between them. “I’d choose to be here with you every day over being free without you. Don’t ever forget that.”
He pressed his lips against mine. “My light in the darkness.”
“My flame in the shadows,” I replied.
* * *
The dining room felt nothing like the rest of the house. Where most of the large, communal rooms were overflowing with men, lived in and warm from demon fire, this space was empty, cold, and appeared like it was rarely used.
Dinner was already laid out when we arrived, arranged with meticulous care.
Each course was small but intricately plated—thin slices of fish brushed with oil, bite-sized portions crowned with edible flowers, and ceramic dishes shaped irregularly, the beauty coming in their imperfections.
Steam curled lazily from covered plates, carrying scents of smoke, citrus, and something mineral beneath it all.
This opulence, subtle and refined, was far removed from the large, bloody steaks served on gold-rimmed plates that I’d been eating for the past five years.
I was officially in a different gilded world.
Guards in suits lined the walls, their hands clasped behind their backs as they stared into the middle distance. Living statues, ready to move with a single command.
No one said a word to me at first as we started to eat, and I vacillated between offense and relief. My only tether was Ronan’s presence on the opposite side of the table, his long legs extended so his feet could rest outside of mine.
“I hope you enjoyed your time off, son,” Kenzo finally said, his voice weighted. “Because I’m afraid we have some business to take care of.”
Ronan shifted in his seat. “I figured. But do you want to talk about this over dinner, though? Let’s meet in your office later, because Sage doesn’t—”
“On the contrary,” he interrupted, finally turning his attention towards me.
Okay, yeah, being ignored was way better than getting caught in his predatory gaze.
“Sage is family now, and as such, she has as much of a role to play in our future endeavors as you do.”
Ronan growled, the air vibrating in anger. “Just because she’s my mate doesn’t mean she’s a part of the family business.”
Kenzo wiped his mouth with his napkin, setting it back down before responding. “Nobody, not even mates, gets to live here for free.”
“Then we’ll fucking move!” he shouted.
I was beginning to understand why Ronan had been so reluctant about coming back home. Before we’d left the hotel, I’d thought of his life as something I’d be able to ignore while I did my own thing.
But now, the reality of what might be expected of me was crashing down. How exactly could I be expected to help the mafia?
“Um,” I cleared my throat, the sudden attention of all three Oniguros nearly suffocating. Even Maia would make most alphas sweat. “If it’s a matter of money, I have some. My app has been doing quite well, and I’m happy to—”
Kenzo reached over, placing his hand on mine. While the heat from Ronan’s fire was comforting, his father’s was a warning. He tutted patronizingly. “You have much more to offer us than a few paltry runics.”
Ronan slammed his fists down on the table as he stood. “Sage doesn’t have to do shit!”
The guards’ eyes began to focus on Ronan, and I worried they would actually move in on him if his dad gave the signal.
“Ronan, chill. Let’s just hear what dad has to say,” Maia said, picking up a small black bean with her chopsticks. “You know there’s always going to be room for negotiation.”
Kenzo smiled at his daughter, his head tilting a fraction of an inch to the side in respect. “Thank you for being the reasonable one, as always.”
I knew why Kenzo was insistent on Ronan being his successor—alphas never really saw omegas as having much potential, even when it was staring them in the face. But removing all designations from the room, it was obvious that Maia was clearly more suited to this.
Ronan was… too emotional. Too moral.
I loved that about him, but if not for his physical and magical strength, he’d never have survived in this world as long as he had.
“Then just spit it out already,” Ronan growled, refusing to sit back down.
Kenzo looked over at one of the guards and nodded, and he came forward, taking a small tablet out of his suit jacket and handing it over to the elder Oniguro.
He quickly found what he was looking for and slid the screen across the table so we could all see.
My blood ran cold.
It was a photo of Accalia with Alaric.
Ronan scoffed. “What does Corvane’s widow have to do with Sage?”
Kenzo took out a roll of vaporleaf, lighting it and taking a long pull. “Haven’t you heard?” he asked, releasing a cloud of smoke. It curled out of his nostrils, winding its way around his horns. “Madam Corvane is now the Premier Regent of Noctis until junior here comes of age.”
My heart pounded in my chest. He couldn’t know. There was no way.
Did he know?
Oh, Hecara, did he know?