Chapter 12
I’m the first to return to the lobby, so I head for the black leather sofas that form the sitting corner. Choosing one that faces the plaza and the small garden outside, I sit down, hoping Malakai won’t be too long.
“Lady Deimos.” A voice sounds next to me, and I turn to see Creiddyla standing there. “Can I…” She gestures to a seat in front of me, and I nod. She sits down and studies me for a long moment, making me uncomfortable, which only fuels my anger.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Creiddyla eventually says, her voice soft and careful, but her smile is genuine, just like the golden sparkles in her eyes.
“I’m sorry for the other day.” The way she clears her throat tells me she’s nervous, and it’s enough for some of my irritation to slip away.
“I’ve been working for Lord Deimos for… a while now.
Until a few days ago, I never had the pleasure of actually meeting him.
I think I lost my head there for a moment.
” She starts to fidget in her seat, clearly uncomfortable.
She bites her tongue the moment she looks and sees the daggers in my glare.
Because clearly, I can’t handle the idea that someone who isn’t really into men happens to be into my man.
“I’m sorry, this isn’t—” She exhales deeply. “I just wanted to apologize for my very unprofessional behavior earlier.” Her eyes are filled with hope yet still fearful.
Looking at her makes me realize my anger isn’t because of her, but because of the betrayal I suffered in the past. Biting my lip, I take a few seconds to let myself fully catch up with what this means.
I’m not over it. The fear of disloyalty haunts me even after all I did to even the score; the trauma is still too fresh.
Malakai told me he takes wedding vows seriously—meaning he won’t betray me, not like I was betrayed before. Trusting him doesn’t come naturally, but I think I can at least try to believe him.
The anger and jealousy slowly start to seep away. There will probably be many more who react to him like Creiddyla did. I can only ignore it because I know he’s mine in every way possible. The thought is comforting and makes heat pool low in my stomach—warm and pleasant.
I look back up at Creiddyla and see her still fidgeting. I don’t know why, but this matters to her. So I take a deep breath, clearing all doubt from my mind, and tell her, “Apology accepted.”
Relief washes over her face, and she relaxes. “Thank you,” she says, a sweet softness seeping into her voice.
I nod, and she gets up to return to her desk. Just then, Malakai rounds the corner, immediately piecing everything together. Although he seems to approve, concern flickers across his features.
“Everything okay?” I ask when he comes to a stop in front of me.
“No, not really,” he replies, taking me into his arms and holding me close for a moment.
I inhale his scent, a smile tugging at my lips as warmth fills me, making me dizzy and craving him at the same time. That fire and brimstone takes me over, and I only faintly notice the underlying coppery tones of—
“You smell like blood,” I observe, causing Malakai to laugh.
“Thomas broke a few rules, and I lost my temper.”
“You killed him?” I look up at him in surprise.
“I wanted to for a moment, but no, I didn’t kill him. Just the human guard he was stupid enough to hire for himself.”
“Oh,” I say, deflating a bit. “Defeats the purpose of a guard, though.”
Malakai laughs, though the sound lacks amusement. “Yeah, well, that’s the problem with humans. They don’t last long.”
“What else?” I ask, wriggling free from his arms, sensing there’s more.
He sighs. “A transaction went wrong. To make matters worse, it’s one I didn’t approve of.
Thomas went out on his own and cost us a lot of money.
” Malakai pinches the bridge of his nose, then looks at me, seemingly remembering that he never fully explained what went wrong.
He gives me a wry smile while leading me back outside.
“I told you before that every now and then, someone is foolish enough to try to compete against me.” He glances at me, and I nod.
“For a while now, some idiot has been trying to undermine me—buying buildings and land from under my nose. Recently, they’ve gone further, killing my representatives and stealing the money while they were at it. ”
Malakai throws me another look as we round the corner. “I’ve been branching out to provide enchanted jewelry, but a few shipments have gone missing or been destroyed.”
“Enchanted jewelry?” I ask, my curiosity piqued, my hand going to touch the jewel around my neck. Something tells me this might be important to know.
For a second, a tingle at the base of my neck spreads through my whole body. The streets are bustling with people going everywhere and nowhere, giving us a wide berth when they pass. Some look us over, but not in a way that explains the feeling of being watched.
“Jewelry like Creiddyla’s necklace. It glamorizes them to hide their inhuman form. In other cases, I’ve been experimenting with sun-repelling pieces to sell to vampires and other nightwalkers, though that’s still a work in progress.”
Unable to pinpoint it, I push the unease down and return my full attention to the conversation. “Both purchases going wrong and merchandise disappearing,” I say. “It has to be infuriating.” Despite the seriousness of what he’s telling me, my voice is light, happy to be included.
“It most certainly is,” Malakai agrees. “I haven’t been able to uncover much information about them, let alone catch any culprits.
” As we walk, the tall, ornate office buildings start to give way to apartment buildings and shops, leaving the business center of the city behind.
“Worse, they have access to company files, meaning there’s an inside man—someone double-crossing me. ”
“Where do Nikolay and Andrei come in?”
“They were caught moonlighting, the idiots. They even had the money deposited into their regular bank accounts. I swear they’ve been getting dumber by the decade.” Malakai sighs. “I’ve been absent for far too long, allowing things to rot from the inside out.”
He sounds angry, and I understand why. This company is his life’s work—something he spent centuries building despite being imprisoned. I can’t even imagine how it must feel to discover that someone is trying to undermine that, especially with potential help from the inside.
“Shouldn’t Thomas or the family in general have been able to prevent that?”
“They’ve tried, but there’s only so much they can do. I’m not even certain about their loyalty anymore.” There’s a faint note of sadness in his voice. “I’ve been considering getting rid of them.”
“You mean the family?” I ask, unsure how to feel about this revelation.
Malakai glances at me from the corner of his eye. He then places his arm around my shoulders, tucking me under his arm while we continue walking toward the outskirts of town.
“Yes.” His voice drops, as if to ensure we’re not overheard. “The last generations have been messing up a lot. I might need to cut my losses. Soon.”
We come to a halt, but my attention is solely on him.
“In all honesty, I want to run a legitimate business—mostly to prevent a certain brother from being tempted to come and look around. But half-breeds—hellspawn especially—are foolish. They can’t stay out of my business, always trying to outdo me. You’d think they’d know better.”
Despite the seriousness of the matter, I giggle. Malakai looks at me with raised eyebrows. “I’m sorry,” I say through my laughter. “I just can’t imagine you as an upstanding, law-abiding citizen.”
He smirks. “I’m talking about work, love. Though excitement has its perks, I prefer work to be without the problems this brings. That way, I can focus on having fun outside office hours.”
“And what’s fun for you?” I ask, smiling seductively.
Malakai shifts his arm from my shoulders and places a hand on the small of my back, tipping up my head with the other.
“I’m from the bad side of the family, so anything you can think of.
You want to spend the night torturing and murdering some of these idiots just because we can? Then by all means, let’s.”
The idea of leisurely torturing and murdering doesn’t surprise me. After all, his magic is fueled by blood.
“And that won’t get you in trouble?” My breathing becomes heavy, my chest tight, as I see the promise in his golden eyes.
“Maybe, maybe not. But at least it’ll be trouble we create for ourselves.” Malakai leans forward, his lips brushing mine when a voice calls from behind us.
“Deimos?”
He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Always these interruptions,” Malakai mutters. He straightens, turning to face the older woman standing next to us. “Loxley, it’s good to see you again.”
“Wish I could say the same,” she replies unapologetically. “At least it’ll be the last time.”
Just by the way she speaks to Malakai—brash and unafraid—I’m impressed.
Loxley appears to be around sixty, though something about her radiates wisdom beyond her years.
She wears a simple, long dark green dress, and a malachite pendant hangs around her neck.
Her arms bear black tattoos, vines crawling down from her neck to her fingers.
With beautiful amber-brown skin and long gray hair braided over her shoulder, not a strand is out of place.
Bright, icy blue eyes assess me as I scrutinize her.
“Your wife, I assume? She smells like your kind of foul magic and then some.”
“She is.” Malakai doesn’t offer my name, and Loxley doesn’t bother to ask, but I can tell he doesn’t approve of her comment.
“Loxley,” he starts, turning back to me, “is an earth witch. Her coven has worked for me for many centuries, handling the magical aspects during my absence. Since their services are no longer needed, the contract binding her coven to me will be terminated after today.”