Chapter 4 #2
“Where’s Cevon?” I ask, looking at Atticus, confused. Micah, Malachi’s younger brother, is with the girls, but the alpha’s older lion brother is missing. “Why isn’t he here?”
Orson may be Atticus’s official second-in-command, but ever since Cevon has come home, and they battled his demons together, the two lions have been closer than ever.
I’m positive they’ve got some secret knitting club or some shit to bond once more.
“He’s making sure that the building is secure, and he’s going to help keep an eye on all of the girls until we’re done here,” Atticus says.
I nod.
“Still doesn’t explain why the weak-ass tiger is here, but, you know,” Hades mutters, giving Kai a dirty look.
“Not that I owe you any explanation,” Atticus says firmly, “but I understand we’re in a precarious position right now. Devoss is here to help run down any leads needed, and, of course, he has an insight into the more…well, darker aspects of the pride.
“Fin’s got an insight into the mythical side and can offer an outside perspective that the three of you might not be able to see due to your close proximity.
“Orson and Mal are my right hands—”
“You only have one right hand, and that is your dominant side. Imagine being the weak, left hand, Kai,” I tease, waggling my brows at the tiger.
He growls, and I just laugh, not scared in the slightest.
“Enough!” Draven snaps. He turns and faces us all, a storm cloud travelling throughout the room as the ursarix comes out to play. The expression on Daddy D’s face is pure rage, and it’s quite hot, from an objective point of view.
With the jagged scar down the left side of his face, and the bright golden eyes full of a heated intensity, the only thing he’s missing to qualify for my phone screen background is a raging boner.
He’s just not as impressive without one. He’s just mid-tier attractive now.
Draven grumbles low, and the sound echoes, stirring up something inside of me. My inner imp lights up in glee at the darkness we can sense from the bear. It shouldn’t give me as much of a power boost as it is right now, but, honestly, I rate it.
Draven and I are connected through our bonds to Maeve. Whether or not she’s accepted them, we know they’re there, fate knows they’re there, and that gives us a unique connection. So, it’s likely some mystical perk of our mating bonds.
So, when he’s angry, my imp feeds off him more than we would for anyone else.
Or at least that’s my understanding of it.
“You’re all underestimating the gravity of Maeve’s situation,” Draven says, his voice low but edged with steel. “This isn’t a joke, and every second we waste arguing is another second she’s in danger. I shouldn’t have to explain that to any of you.”
He exhales sharply, gaze narrowing. “I don’t give a damn about the pegasus himself—he’s a drain on our time and resources—but Maeve cares, even if she won’t admit it. That makes him relevant. So, we find him, we stabilise him, and we do it without compromising her safety. Understood?”
“Understood, big daddy.” I salute the ursarix, smirking as his nostrils flare.
Malachi and Devoss don’t bother to hide their sniggers, but at least Griffin tries.
“I haven’t yet reached out to Adrian about the events of this morning, but it’s something we’re going to need to do as soon as physically possible,” Atticus says calmly. “I have no doubt that as soon as we tell him, he’s going to demand either to come here in person or that Maeve go to him.”
“Fucking controlling cunt,” I snap, glowering at Atticus.
“It means you guys need to make a decision.”
“You’re letting us decide?” Hadrian asks. He frowns, looking between Draven and me as if there’s some hidden motive he’s missing, but he focuses back on Atticus when we don’t reveal it for him. “I don’t understand. Why are you letting us decide what happens?”
“I know you’re not used to the real world, little horsey, but as an adult, Mummy and Daddy don’t decide everything for you. Instead, you get to be a big boy and make your own choices,” Kai says.
His tone drips with condemnation—he’s being an asshole, sure—but he’s not wrong. We’re the ones who get to decide, and I actually appreciate Atticus for making that clear.
Hadrian’s never been much of a rule follower, but he’s also never been someone who truly makes his own choices.
Even after rejecting his family and walking away, he still acts like a Graves—just..
. a more twisted version. Every rule they gave him he’s flipped on its head.
So, yes, he’s still following a set of rules—just in reverse.
He’s been working for my uncle, doing exactly what’s expected of him, only without the public praise or parental approval. And now, he’s stuck. He doesn’t know what the right move is because there’s no one left to tell him.
He thinks this is some kind of trick, and without knowing Atticus—or having some indication of what the lion would want—he’s floundering.
Without parameters, Hadrian can’t function. If he can’t find the choice that gives the biggest “fuck you” to his parents, he freezes. It’s almost tragic.
One brother exists to be their golden boy puppet, and the other’s spent his life chasing love he’ll never get. Now, all that yearning’s turned into rebellion—a desperate, directionless rebellion.
I love my cousin, and I’m proud of him for turning his back on the family. But for someone who claims to have cut them off, he’s still far too invested in them.
“Realistically, we know that going to him is the better option,” I say, causing Draven’s eyes to flash with shock. Hadrian lets out a low groan, but I focus my attention on Atticus.
“If we bring him here, we lose the chance to figure out what’s going on with Julian and to also hold him accountable for some of the shit he’s been doing to Maeve. At the compound, he’s on home ground and will think he has the advantage.
“He won’t, since he’s pathetic no matter what slice of the Earth he’s stood on, but misplaced confidence only makes a man easier to defeat.”
“Stay on point,” Draven warns, and I roll my eyes.
“Maeve is going to hate having to go there, so, of course, it rests on her. If she doesn’t want to go back, I’m not going to force her. But between the choice of Adrian coming here and us going to him, I think she’s going to choose to go there,” I say, rocking back and forth on my feet.
I crack my knuckles in an effort to dispel some of the energy building inside of me. Imps are attracted to the darkness, and, right now, I am in a room full of morally grey men.
Sure, I’m not aroused, and my dick’s not getting hard, but my imp is filled with the energies they’re putting out, and it’s exciting us in a way that I can’t control.
I need to get the energy out, and, honestly, the best way to do it would be just to go meet with someone, play a game of predator and prey. Bring my bow and arrow—hell, I’d even just take some rocks if it meant I got to throw and practice my aim.
I’d have a great time, and so would my imp.
“I won’t take her back to a place that nearly broke her,” Draven says firmly.
“And we don’t want to give Adrian the insight into all of you,” Orson adds dryly. “Right now, he knows or at least suspects about Lucifer and Hadrian, but he does not know about Draven, right?”
“Right,” Atticus says with a nod. “He doesn’t know who Maeve is working for either, just that she’s employed at Legal Pride.”
“You’re welcome for that, by the way,” Kai exclaims, waving his hands in the air as he demands credit for what was clearly fate’s idea. “I was waiting for a gift basket or at least some fucking recognition. Ignorant fuckers.”
“What else do you expect from bears, Kai,” I say teasingly, my eyes flicking to Orson. “They’re just so… uncouth.”
“Uncouth?” Orson snaps.
“And stupid,” Draven adds, making sure to drag out the sounds as he stares the other bear down.
Ursarix typically have a calming energy, one that helps put people at ease around them. Bears are protectors at their cores, after all.
Draven’s an oddball and instead has such a dark energy that terrifies people and puts them on edge. I love it. Especially since, right now, he’s making sure Orson can feel every single wisp of it.
Both are big. Draven is bigger, though—height, width, and probably in the penis department… the place it really counts.
The scar down his cheek adds to his rugged appeal, and unlike Orson, who has scraggy long hair, Draven’s is short and well-taken care of. It makes him that little bit more masculine.
Orson’s scraggly. Draven’s photo book material. I can’t wait to scrapbook us.
“Why would you assume that Maeve and I are something we need to hide?” Draven cuts in, his voice cool and deliberate. “She’s my employee. I’m her superior. We work together—professionally. That’s it. There’s no need for secrecy.”
A faint smirk touches his mouth, his eyes flashing a brighter gold.
“If anything, Maeve will want to make the announcement even louder, to tell Adrian and everyone under him that it’s her genius driving this operation.
Her brilliance is what’s dismantling their pathetic illusion of control piece by piece.
“There’s no dirty secret here. No illicit affair. There is nothing we need to hide. Well, unless you count competence as something scandalous.”
To the bear’s credit, he doesn’t flinch at the venom in Draven’s words. Instead, he only smiles—disbelieving but composed.
“If you say so.”
“Yes, I do,” Draven hisses back.
Knowing that he’s just lost that round, the ursarix turns his back to us and looks out the window once more.
“Secret or not, knowledge is power,” Kai says. “That’s the kind of piece you keep close to your chest when you make waves on your own. Maeve’s already in the boiling pot—”
“The boiling pot? She’s not a fucking lobster,” Voss says, and I don’t hide my chuckle.
“We’ve got two big problems right now. The first is that Maeve’s creepy fucking stalker knows she has left the compound and, clearly, can either blend in here or has foot soldiers willing to do his dirty work for him.
“That’s where I come in. I’ll have a sniff around and see if anyone has taken up this contract without using their brain. If they have or if there is a contract, it might mean we can figure out his next move and put some pieces of our own into motion.”
“I’ll help you with that,” Hades says, cracking his knuckles. “I’ve got plenty of people to… tap.”
My cousin smirks, and I don’t know who he thinks he’s fooling because everyone understands he’s going to do more than tap them.
Devoss shrugs. “Feel free. But you’re going to be a bit preoccupied with issue number two.”
“Which is?” Malachi asks.
The ox rolls his eyes. “Honestly, with your incompetence, I have no idea how Nora finds you attractive.”
I cackle, the sharpness in his words eliciting another wave of power for my imp and I to feed on.
“The second problem is the pegasus in harm’s way, remember? You’re going to be a bit tied up figuring out his shit to be chasing down empty leads. Even if all I do is get you a name so you can handle it when you’re back… isn’t he the priority?”
“Ugh, fucking Jules always getting in the way of the fun shit,” I mutter, bouncing on the heels of my feet. The energy is becoming too much to ignore.
Or maybe I just don’t want to ignore the murderous rage inside me for much longer.
“Yes, his potential death seems extremely… inconvenient,” Kai drawls, rolling his eyes. “Fuck me, I’d never whine about Micah this way. Especially not when he’s in danger.”
“I would,” Voss says cheerily. Fin gapes, but Orson laughs. If I cared about this group of men, I’d try and understand their dynamics more, but, honestly, I don’t.
They’re a means to an end.
“I can reach out to Adrian and get things put in motion for you all,” Atticus says, quirking a brow at me. “But I’ve seen the way your uncle treats your mate, Luc, and I think you all need to be prepared for that. You can’t go in guns blazing, and—”
“We know how to play the political game, Alpha,” Hadrian says, cutting him off. He’s lowered his eyes, looking at Atticus’s chin to be respectful, despite the interruption. “We were literally groomed for it from birth.”
My grin widens. “I can definitely do it better than you can, Atticus,” I taunt.
He doesn’t bite, sadly, proving my words to be false. “I’m not doubting the way you were taught, but the reminder is something I felt the three of you may need right now. Everything is fragile with Maeve, and even I was angry to be a witness.”
“Well, fuck, I have no issue committing treason today,” I reassure him.
Atticus sighs, and Orson pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Draven, do you have a case you can use to get yourself over there? I agree with Orson and Kai that you should not reveal your closeness to Maeve just in case,” Atticus continues.
“Yes.” He grunts the word, not offering up anything else.
Atticus’s eyes narrow, and he turns to me as if I am in charge. Holy fuck—am I? Am I the leader over Daddy D?
Fuck, yes.
“He’s got it handled.” I shrug, not sure what the alpha lion expects me to do or say. “I’m sure Ades will lift my ban, too, if it means Maeve is willing to go back there for a tiny bit.”
“A tiny bit?” Fin asks, raising a brow. “You do know your mate had to—”
“Stop calling her my mate,” I snap. “None of you fuckers are permitted to slip up around her and admit it to her before I do.”
And no matter how much I’ve danced around it, I won’t ever admit the words until she is ready. She’s not an idiot, and neither is her chromius. If Maeve ever asks or even muses about it, I’ll tell her the entire truth.
But she hates both of my cousins and the bond she thinks they’ve saddled her with, and I will not allow myself to join them in their miserable group.
I like being liked by her.
I crave it.
Just as much as I crave her darkness.
“When?” Atticus asks.
I look at Draven, who turns his head at the exact moment the office door opens. The hairs on the back of my neck tingle, and Hadrian rises from his seat, turning to look at our intruder.
Dressed in a beautiful purple dress that is tight across her chest but falls loosely to the middle of her thigh, Maeve is gorgeous. Her bright blonde hair is tied up in a neat bun, not even a strand dangling free.
Her icy blue eyes are trained on the king, but the power emanating from her has my cock hardening. Her lips are rosy red, and the heels she’s wearing are sharp enough they could break through someone’s rib cage if she wanted.
Beautiful. Sensual.
Perfect.
“Today,” my pretty little princess says. “Call him today.”
Well, fuck.
I knew my imp chose her for a reason.