Chapter 18
RAFFAELE
The chamber was as cold as it always was.
The enchanted sconces on the walls cast menacing shadows across the room, adding a sinister edge to the assembled group of enforcers.
Some stood with the rigid precision of soldiers, their postures straight and their gazes fixed ahead.
Others, like Jareth, oozed casual indifference, as if this meeting was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Jareth leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, a lazy smirk already curling his lips.
It grated on my nerves and amused me in equal measure.
“Reports,” I demanded. I strode to the center of the room, my boots echoing off the stone floor.
The bond with Vivian pulsed faintly at the back of my mind—a tether I’d grown uncomfortably aware of since the ritual.
Her lingering irritation and confusion bled into me, but I shoved it aside.
There was no room for distractions here.
Nyx stepped forward, her silver hair catching the dim light as she consulted her enchanted slate. She was fae, and her movements were as fluid and graceful as one expected of her kind. “Multiple rival faction leaders have been spotted meeting in secret. They may be forming a coalition against us.”
A ripple of tension passed through the room. Even Jareth’s smirk faltered slightly, though he recovered quickly, his eyes glinting with interest.
“Do we have names?” I asked.
Nyx nodded. “Preliminary intelligence suggests leaders from the Ashen faction, the Nightborne, and the Crimson Dominion are involved. If true, this coalition could pose a significant threat to our operations.”
The room buzzed with quiet murmurs, but I raised a hand, silencing them.
“We’ll send a surveillance team. I want to know exactly what they’re planning before we act.
Nyx, assign one of our best infiltrators.
” Relations between my territory and the Ashen was contentious.
Our fathers were enemies, which made us enemies.
“Understood.”
“More updates?” I demanded, scanning the room.
Jareth pushed off the wall. “Got a fun one for you, boss,” he drawled. “Seems one of your former sorcerers has gone rogue. Selling our secrets to anyone with deep enough pockets. You know, the kind of shit that gets heads rolling.” He mimed a slicing motion across his throat for effect.
I ground my teeth. “Do we know where he’s operating?”
“Last I heard,” Jareth said lazily, “he was skulking around the Ashen borders. I’d be happy to bring him in. Alive, if that’s your thing. Though dead’s a lot less complicated.”
“He’s too valuable to kill without an interrogation,” I said coldly. “Assign shadow-binders to his capture. If he resists…” My voice dropped, heavy with menace. “You have my permission to end him.”
Jareth’s grin widened, and he gave a mock salute. “Consider it done. Though I was hoping for something more exciting than babysitting a traitor.”
I ignored the quip, turning my attention back to the others. “Next.”
Selene Aiello, a necromancer with an unsettling calm demeanor, stepped forward. Her dark eyes glinted with quiet intelligence as she spoke. “The Ashen faction has aligned with Lord Altair Coppola. They’re attempting to monopolize the enchanted weapons market.”
The room tensed again, and I felt a flash of unease from the bond. I shoved it aside, focusing on Selene’s report.
“They’re cutting deals with key suppliers and securing exclusive access to some of the most powerful weapons we’ve seen in years. If they succeed, it could put them in a dangerously strong position.”
My enforcers exchanged uneasy glances, their whispered debates growing louder. Some argued for immediate interference—an assassination to send a message, or a sabotage of their supply lines. Others suggested striking a deal with Altair to secure our own foothold in the market.
I raised a hand to silence them. “We won’t interfere. Not yet.”
Selene frowned slightly, but she nodded. “And Altair?”
I exhaled slowly, my thoughts spinning. Altair had made it clear that his allegiance was as fragile as a spider’s web. Hell, the man had gotten me to agree to a marriage. We’d made a blood bond, so I wasn’t concerned about Altair’s allegiances. Even if he wanted to fucking betray me, he couldn’t.
“I have a plan in the works with Altair,” I said. “Soon enough the enchanted weapons market will fall under my jurisdiction. Until then, we won’t rock the boat. Monitor their movements and keep me informed.”
Nodding, Selene stepped back into the circle.
I scanned the faces of my enforcers. They were the best in The Below—lethal, loyal, and terrifyingly efficient—but even they weren’t immune to the unease spreading through the factions.
The Ashen’s growing influence, the rogue sorcerer, the coalition…
It was all part of a larger game that I needed to win at any cost.
“Anything else?” I asked, my tone sharp.
Kazamir stepped forward. The man was cold, calculating, and utterly ruthless. Dressed in his usual black, his imposing figure seemed to draw the shadows to him, his icy gray eyes scanning the room.
“Sir,” he began in a low, gravelly voice, a hint of satisfaction coloring his tone.
“We intercepted an informant near the estate’s outer perimeter.
He tried to escape using cloaking magic but failed.
My team captured him after a brief skirmish.
He’s bound with enchanted chains in the chamber next door. ”
A glimmer of irritation rippled through me. I felt Vivian’s discomfort somewhere in the back of my mind, her frustration amplifying my own. I shoved the sensation aside, focusing on Kazimir’s words.
“Is he talking?” I asked.
Kazimir’s lips twisted. “Not yet. But he’s terrified, already showing signs of cracking. He won’t last long.”
A hint of amusement came through the bond—Vivian’s reaction to my irritation, no doubt—but I ignored it. “Good. Keep him alive. Barely.”
Kazimir nodded once.
Nyx tapped her enchanted slate with delicate fingers, the runes on its surface shifting as she spoke.
“Might I suggest psychological measures before we resort to physical ones? Illusions, perhaps. Fear is a powerful motivator, and breaking his mind could make him more pliable before Kazimir begins extracting information physically.”
Kazimir smirked. “I like the way you think.”
Selene cut in. “I can bind his spirit temporarily, compelling him to answer truthfully without killing him—yet.”
I let their suggestions simmer, already formulating a plan in my mind. “I’ll attend the interrogation personally. Kazimir, lead the way.”
Kazimir inclined his head, and I followed him to the chamber next door. The muffled sounds of the captive’s ragged breathing filtered through the heavy door.
When Kazimir pushed it open, the sight that greeted me brought me a lot of satisfaction.
The prisoner was bound to a chair in the center of the room, his wrists and ankles shackled with enchanted chains that glowed faintly. His clothes were torn and bloody, his face pale with fear. He flinched as we entered, his eyes darting between us like a cornered animal.
“Please,” he rasped. “I don’t know anything.”
Kazimir chuckled darkly, his cold gaze fixed on the captive. “They always say that.”
I stepped into the room, the door creaking shut behind me. The shadows responded to my presence, slithering along the walls and creeping toward the chair. The captive’s breathing quickened as they wrapped around his legs.
I crouched in front of him, meeting his terrified gaze. “You’re going to tell me everything. Who you’re working for. What their plans are. And why the fuck you thought you could spy on me and live.”
His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. “I—I don’t know! They don’t tell me anything important. I swear!”
Kazimir stepped forward, his hand glowing with an eerie light as he rested it on the captive’s shoulder. The informant let out a choked cry as Kazimir began siphoning his life force, the glow intensifying as the captive’s energy flowed into him.
The bond thrummed with Vivian’s disgust. Her discomfort was distracting, but I shoved it aside and focused on the task at hand.
The captive’s face contorted in agony, his breathing ragged as Kazimir drained him. “Please,” he whimpered. “I’ll talk! Just—just stop!”
I raised a hand, and Kazimir pulled back, though his expression was one of barely restrained impatience.
“Start talking.”
The captive’s chest heaved as he struggled to speak. “I was approached by someone,” he stammered. “They paid me to gather information. I don’t know who they are, I swear! They never told me their names. Just… just that they were working with others.”
“Who?” I snapped. “What faction?”
“I don’t know!” Tears streamed down his face. “They only ever mentioned informants—people they paid off. They said they had eyes on one of your allies, but they never told me who!”
I leaned closer, my patience wearing thin. The shadows tightened their grip on him, eliciting another strangled cry. “You’re lying,” I growled. “Who the fuck are they working for?”
“I don’t know,” he sobbed. “Please, I swear I don’t know! They never told me!”
The bond pulsed again, and I felt Vivian’s unease spike. It only fueled my anger.
Kazimir glanced at me, his expression expectant. “He’s useless.”
I straightened, my jaw tightening as I looked down at the quivering mess of a man before me. His sobs grated on my nerves, and I felt a surge of hatred for the weakness he represented.
Without another word, I put my hands on either side of his head. He didn’t even have time to scream before I twisted sharply, the sickening crack echoing through the chamber as his body went limp.
I wrinkled my nose at the stench of sweat and fear that permeated the room, then let his body slump back against the chair.
“Find out who the fuck is behind this. I want names.”
Kazimir nodded. “Consider it done.”
He left the chamber without another word.