Chapter 19 Lord Walder
LORD WALDER
“Welcome, welcome,” the man said, rising smoothly to his feet in a single, fluid motion that felt more like a performance than something as simple as standing. His hands spreading slightly as though presenting the space around him.
“And what a delightful surprise you are,” he added with a grin that was somewhere between friendly and sinister. My brows lifted slightly before I could stop them, because I didn’t quite know where to look first. So, in the end, I started from the bottom, taking in his outfit.
Or should I say, ensemble?
His half-tailored suit was a deep emerald color, the fabric catching the shifting light with every movement.
The other half flowed seamlessly into something far more dramatic.
A cascade of gold silk that fell like liquid metal down one side of his body.
The half-dress, half-suit was unusual, yes, and the contrast should have clashed.
But it didn’t.
Instead, it worked… perfectly.
Every detail was intentional, from the precise cut of the lapel to the way the silk moved when he stepped forward. His posture was flawless, his presence commanding in a way that had nothing to do with power and everything to do with confidence.
And his face… wow!
He was beautiful, as if he had been sculpted and then painted just enough to enhance rather than conceal.
His stunning eyes were lilac with bursts of gold around the pupils.
Eyes that were also lined with precision, flicking out in dramatic black points at the corners.
His eyeshadow was green tones, with lime glitter painted in the middle of his lids, making his eyes pop.
His brows were arched in a way that felt almost exaggerated, almost theatrical, yet somehow still entirely natural on him.
And when he smiled… holy mother Goddess,
It was devastating.
“Oh, I do love it when something new walks through our doors,” he said, his gaze settling on me with open interest. His head tilted slightly as though I were something to be admired rather than questioned.
“It makes the day so much more… interesting.”
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Because I had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.
“Well?” he prompted lightly, one perfectly shaped brow lifting as he rested his fingertips against the edge of the desk.
“Not even a little ‘hello’? I promise I don’t bite. Not without permission, anyway.”
“Gods have mercy…” Bo muttered under his breath beside me, the sound carrying just enough irritation to make me glance toward him.
“Of course it’s you.” That seemed to delight him.
“Oh, sweetheart, you say that like I’m not the highlight of your entire visit,” he replied immediately, leaning forward slightly over the desk as though only now noticing Bo’s presence. His expression shifted into something mockingly thoughtful.
“Although I must admit, you are a little harder to spot when you’re skulking about like a guilty conscience.”
“I’m not skulking,” Bo scoffed.
“Mm, okay, so you say little man,” he hummed, mockingly, his gaze dragging slowly over him before flicking back to me, his smile returning in full force.
“And yet here you are, bringing me a tasty little mortal. Honestly, darling, if this is your idea of subtle, we need to have a conversation.” I felt my face heat slightly at that, my attention snapping back to him properly as I straightened just a fraction.
“I… erh…” I started, before immediately stopping, because I still didn’t know what I was supposed to say here.
He didn’t seem to mind.
If anything, he seemed more amused.
“Oh, don’t worry,” he said, waving a hand lightly as though dismissing the need for any explanation at all, his tone softening just enough to take the edge off the theatrics. Although his dramatic, posh accent also helped with that.
“You’re doing wonderfully so far. Breathing, standing, not running, screaming for the exit. We’ve had far worse, I assure you.”
“I considered it,” I muttered honestly before I could stop myself, and that earned me a grin.
“Ooo, there she is… that spunk, I love it!” he said warmly, as though I had just passed some kind of invisible test.
“I knew there was spirit in you somewhere.”
Bo made a quiet, impatient sound beside me.
“We’re not here for this,” he said flatly, going on to say,
“We need to see, Lord Walder.”
Well, that certainly shifted things as his expression changed, but not before he moved. His movements were slow and strangely inviting as his hand lifted toward me. He raised his palm up in invitation, the motion so effortless it felt less like a request and not at all like a demand.
Rings flashed as they caught the shifting light, each one different. Some were set with dark stones, while others were set with jewels that glimmered in impossible colors. As for his long nails, they were painted a bold, unapologetic shade of hot pink, somehow working perfectly with his look.
“Well, where are my manners?” he drawled, his tone light, though his eyes remained sharp.
“Kiki. Just Kiki, darling. Think of me as a one-name experience.” I couldn’t help but laugh, the statement putting me completely at ease enough to place my hand in his.
Once there, he lifted it with theatrical ease, pressing a soft, exaggerated kiss to my knuckles.
The gesture lingered just long enough to feel intentional before he released me.
“So, you say you need to see the boss man, um?” Kiki’s expression didn’t lose its charm, but something sharper slipped beneath it now. Something more observant, as his gaze flicked between us, lingering just a fraction longer this time.
“We do, and we are also on a time limit here,” Bo answered, nervously looking back towards the way we had come, as if worried any minute Oblivion would come storming in here. Of course, I should have probably asked by now if that was a possibility, because I certainly hoped not!
“And what exactly have you brought that would justify interrupting his Lordship’s evening?” he asked, giving me another once over. As for Bo, he didn’t hesitate.
“She’s not the payment, Kiki,” he said, his tone clipped, and Kiki’s eyes flicked to me again, slow and assessing, before a soft, almost playful hum left him.
“Shame,” he mused, tapping a finger lightly against the desk.
“I might have been tempted to make an offer,” he added, winking at me and making my eyes widen. He leaned forward then, just enough to close the space between us slightly, his smile turning conspiratorial as he lowered his voice.
“Relax, darling, I’m teasing… No, I will leave that decision to our Lord.” I visibly gulped at that, something he seemed far too pleased about. Then, just as quickly, he straightened again, the moment dissolving as though it had never happened.
“Stop playing with my human,” Bo snapped, making me frown, but before I could remind him that I didn’t belong to anyone, that painful pang pierced my chest. Secretly knowing there was one person I wished I did belong to, and it wasn’t anyone in this room.
Kiki sighed, long and dramatic, placing a hand over his chest as though deeply wounded.
“You see what I have to deal with?” he said to me, his tone dripping with exaggerated disappointment.
“No appreciation for my charming nature.”
“I appreciate you leaving,” Bo shot back.
“Cruel,” Kiki replied instantly, though the faint curve of his mouth betrayed him as he pushed himself away from the desk in one smooth motion.
“Alright, you impatient bastard you, let us go and see what our Lord has to say.” He stepped out from behind the desk, the full effect of his presence somehow even more pronounced now that he wasn’t partially obscured.
The swift movement of fabric, flared to the side in a bright curtain of gold, catching the light like magic.
The confidence in every step was runway worthy, honestly.
“Well, are you coming, Princess?” he said, pausing to look over his shoulder, checking that we were following his tall frame. One made even taller thanks to shiny black, eight-inch heels. The type I would have walked one step in and snapped an ankle.
Bo and I shared a look, but only one of us huffed a sigh before following the flamboyant Kiki.
“After all, if we’re going to interrupt our dear Lord Walder, we'd better do so before his mealtime. He does so hate waiting for his food,” Kiki said, making him sound more like some wild beast than one worthy enough of the title of Lord.
“Good… maybe it’ll put him in a better mood this time,” Bo muttered under his breath, and again, this didn’t exactly sound promising. Kiki paused mid-step, then turned his head just enough to glance back at him, one perfectly arched brow lifting.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he said, voice smooth as silk,
“Nothing puts him in a better mood… not until he finds her,” he added this last part more to himself, and before I could ask what he meant, he continued walking. His long stride was harder to keep up with, and even more so for Bo’s little legs.
Of course, it also didn’t help that my attention was still being dragged in every direction at once as we moved through the space. It was impossible not to look, even when I knew I probably shouldn’t stare.
Because the deeper we went, the stranger it became.
But walking through the lobby and beyond was making me question if this was a hotel or a nightclub.
Like the raised section we passed, where a band of horned demons played something loud and relentless.
All the bodies were moving in time with the song, while above them, winged figures spun through the air.