Chapter 7 #2
Phoebe eyes the silver wedding band around my finger. “We’ve heard whispers that you have taken a wife, sir. Am I to assume this is correct and that she’ll be the one taking over from us?”
“Correct, and yes, she will.”
“She must be quite something to catch your attention,” Phoebe says, blushing again as she looks at me.
“She is. Now”—I steer the subject away from my personal life and back to business—“aside from terminating the contract, is there anything else the coven would like or need?”
“Sir?” Phoebe asks, slightly confused.
“The coven has always served me well, often providing more than specified in the contract. If we are to part ways, I want it to be amicable,” I explain.
“Oh.” She clearly didn’t expect this. “Thank you, sir. That’s very generous, but that won’t be necessary. It should be us asking you what you need in compensation, seeing as the contract was meant to be permanent.”
I think about this while drinking the tea Phoebe keeps refilling. “The grimoire with the spells the coven has been using, if possible. And perhaps a demonstration, seeing as my wife is new to earth magic. As soon as this has been provided, the contract will be terminated. Is this agreeable?”
“It is. Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure Loxley provides both the grimoire and the demonstration, as she is the coven elder. She will let you know when this final transaction can take place.”
I nod, empty my cup, and shake my head as Phoebe offers to refill it once more. “Are you allowed to pledge upon this?”
“Most definitely. Your terms are very generous, and Loxley will agree.” Phoebe places her arm on the table in front of her and produces an athame from a hidden pocket in her dress.
Without hesitation, she cuts the palm of her hand.
She uses a finger to draw her part of the pledge on the wooden tabletop.
Drawing my own dagger, I follow her example and add my part in Eloghyll next to hers. Both light up briefly, and our blood evaporates into the air, sealing the deal—or rather, unsealing the deal.
Sheathing the dagger once more, I rise from my seat at the kitchen table, glancing outside through the window. “I expect Loxley to contact me sooner rather than later. It’s in both our interests to sort this out swiftly.”
Phoebe nods in agreement, rising as well. She trails behind me as I leave the kitchen and head back to the transportation circle in the living room. “Feel free to get rid of this,” I tell her, and she inclines her head in understanding.
I’ve barely returned to my office when my phone rings. Frowning at the display, I see William’s name. He should be out of the country finalizing another purchase at this very moment.
“Yes?”
“They—they’re all dead.”
I stop dead in my tracks. “What happened?” I struggle to keep the anger from creeping into my voice.
“I, I don’t know.” William’s voice cracks.
If he’s calling me, it means he’s the one who found them. Shit.
“Where are you?” I ask, pinching the bridge of my nose to stave off the growing headache. I’m so done with this.
“In the hotel meeting room that was booked specifically for this transaction.”
My magic crackles at my fingertips, and I stand next to William within seconds. “What the hell.”
William flinches at my voice but quickly regains his composure.
“Lord Deimos, sir,” he says with a small curtsy, glancing from me to the chaos in the meeting room—or massacre, to be more accurate.
The room is painted red, the walls, carpet, furniture, and even the ceiling streaked with more blood than seems feasible for the number of bodies scattered on the floor.
Walking around, I count five people. Or at least, given their current state, I think it’s five.
The representative assigned from my side to conclude the sale and the assigned guard on duty.
Seeing how things have escalated lately, I insisted on at least one guard being present at every transaction, dressed like any other employee to avoid raising suspicion.
Both inhuman and both completely shredded to pieces.
Body parts and intestines are spread around like confetti.
The other party consists of two—a human and an inhuman—both torn apart as gruesomely as my people.
The fifth is a solicitor, and I hate to admit that this is probably the worst part of it all.
For the legal deals, I always insist on using a solicitor of my own, but this is now the third dead one.
Inhuman solicitors are hard to find, and I’m running out of them.
“The money?” I ask William as I step away from the bodies.
“Gone.” I look up at him, and he swallows hard at the displeasure in my eyes.
“That’s why I came down to check. As you requested, we had someone hack the seller’s bank account to monitor the transaction.
The money was transferred to their account, as agreed upon to conclude the deal.
” William seems nervous, and I don’t blame him.
I wouldn’t want to deliver this news either, especially since I’m practically forcing the family to promote him to head of the family.
“Minutes later,” he continues, “it was transferred out to a different account, and from there, it just vanished. I came down to check when I got the call.”
“And the deed to the land?” I already know the answer, but I need to be certain.
“Also gone.”
Fury rages through me, and I briefly lose control.
I kick a ripped-out heart with such force that it soars through the room and bursts against the wall.
It leaves an ominous, dripping dark red stain on the eggshell-colored wall, chunks falling to the ground with a wet plopping sound.
William shudders, and I graciously pretend I didn’t notice.
Though I’ve decided I need to cut the family out, I might still have a use for him.
That is, if he has the stomach for the job.
“Get the Nephilim in here for cleanup, and make sure that no one enters until he’s done. The last thing we need is anyone catching wind of this, especially any humans.”
“I’m on it, sir,” William says, pulling out his phone to make the call.
While he does, I circle the room again, searching for anything I might have missed the first time. I also let my magic loose on the scene, vines of smoky black energy snaking through the bodies and severed limbs. If any magic is lingering, I’ll find it.
“He’s on his way, sir,” William says, and I nod, my eyes still on the chaos around us.
At this point, it’s infuriating how good they are at remaining undetected. Whoever’s doing this is like a ghost. Even with someone on the inside helping them, this is a spectacular feat.
There’s a knock on the door. After confirming the identity of the person on the other side, William lets the Nephilim inside.
My magic returns to me, unable to find anything, and I straighten, glaring at Inakr as much as he glares at me.
He’s a smug bastard, and I can’t stand him, but he’s the best at what he does.
That’s the only reason I keep him and his insane exclusivity rates on my payroll.
His haunting lilac-gray eyes scan the room before landing on me. A grin plays on his face as he runs a hand through his light blond hair. “Quite a mess you made here,” he says, stepping up to the first corpse and nudging it with the toe of his black leather shoe. “It’s going to cost you.”
“Just get it done,” I snarl, not bothering to correct him. What I wouldn’t give to rip his head off.
Inakr watches me as I walk to the door, fully aware of my thoughts. He knows I won’t act on them because he’s irreplaceable, which only makes him even more insufferable.
William follows me outside, closing the door behind him, and I size him up for a moment. “How’s your relationship with your parents?”
My question clearly catches him off guard, his eyes widening in surprise. “Alright, I guess? No disrespect meant, of course.”
I nod, glance up and down the hallway, and then return my attention to him. “I’ve tasked Thomas with ensuring you can take over by the end of the year.” William’s mouth falls open. “But I have a feeling he’s not going to step down easily.”
He hesitates for a moment before speaking. “Father is a proud man. He assumed he would hold his position until the day he died. The fact that won’t be the case makes him feel… pushed aside.”
Something in the way William says this makes me think he’s relieved to share these thoughts aloud, even if that someone is me. I can’t tell him that if Thomas keeps pushing me, his father might indeed get his wish to hold his position until he dies.
“He resents you for it?”
“He won’t admit it, but I suspect he does. Even though I’m his son. Both my mother and I have tried to explain that he should see this as a reward for services rendered.” William shakes his head, sighing. “But he’s too stubborn.”
“He should understand that I don’t play around. If he doesn’t step down willingly, I’ll have to force him,” I say, giving William a hard look. He nods in understanding.
“I truly hope it doesn’t come to that. He has worked hard his whole life—he was even younger than I am now when he took up the mantle. He deserves to retire and enjoy his life.”
“I hope he also comes to see it that way.” I let sincerity seep into my voice because, despite my resolve to make Thomas step down if push comes to shove, I’d rather avoid it. But if it turns out he’s behind all this turmoil, then that’s a different matter entirely.
“Thank you for your honesty, William,” I say, and he bows his head in acknowledgment. “Stay here until cleanup is sorted out. Take tomorrow off and return the day after.”
“Understood. And thank you.”
Whatever is happening with the family, William better not be involved. He’s a good kid, and Elly seems to like him. It would be a shame if I had to eliminate him along with the rest of his family.
“Fucking mess,” I mumble before casting a transportation spell to take me home.