Page 19 of Fated In Ruin
I swallowed, bracing for Blake’s impending explosion. “Now you’re just being mean, Silver. I’ll keep an eye—two eyes—on your mate, and check-in is the same time tomorrow. Don’t fucking miss it, or we’ll both be on your doorstep. A text will suffice.”
“Consider it done, your Majestic Highness of All Things.”
Before I could say another word, she was gone.
* * *
“What the fuck, Riordan?”Blake whirled on me.
“We agreed this was for the…”
“No, you two agreed andoutvoted me,” he hissed, bearing down on me as Nash opened the door, then slammed it shut just as quick.
“Which is bullshit. She’s in danger, and she’s reckless. Do you seriously trust Malachi to have her fucking back if things go to shit? Because he’ll sell her out to save his own worthless skin.”
“Evangeline can handle herself. And according to Fiona, she has powerful magic.”
“Magic she doesn’t even understand. Power she doesn’t know how tocontrol, if Fiona locked it back down.”
Silence banked between us like a wall, built with bricks of rage and resentment, mortared together with animosity. With a disgusted snort, Blake turned on his heel and stormed toward the door, dragging a trail of shadow behind him.
“We have to trust her, Blake,” I called, fucking hating the distance growing between us. “We have to. I tried locking her up to keep her safe.” But that door slammed shut before my final words?—
“Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”
9
MALACHI
My head was still spinning from the taste of her blood as I listened to Vicious bring Blake and Riordan up to speed.
Good. Those two fuckers needed to understand how high the stakes were.
She’d barricaded herself into a bathing chamber, but she had no idea how good my hearing was, or how loudly she whispered. Still, her attempts at secrecy were entertaining, to say the least.
It took my mind off how much I craved this female.
Craved her so intensely, I had nearly pinned her to the couch earlier and pressed my mouth to those perfect breasts, then worked my way down, until my mouth was buried between her thighs and she was screaming my name.
As it was, my tongue was coated with the taste of her blood, and my entire body was on the verge of imploding.
I clenched my hands, digging my nails deep enough into my palms to draw blood as she strolled back in, not bothering to glance in my direction before sinking into the plush green velvet couch, the feather pillows swallowing her up.
“Are we in danger of being invaded by two pissed off vampires?” I asked, though my question was only for show.
“I bought you two days.”
I pushed off the wall and prowled closer, noted her tensing, her eyes trailing slowly down the length of my body, her scent deepening to a dark spice I could almost taste. Wasdyingto taste.
“I’m sure that wasn’t an easy conversation.”
“It wasn’t.” She dug the heel of her hand into the center of her chest and some part of me paused, noting her increased breathing was from pain, not arousal. “This will cost me, so explain how my magic is going to kill Ravok, and how soon we can go after him.”
“What if I told you I understood?” I murmured, dropping into the chair opposite her, letting my hands dangle between my thighs, trying to look non-threatening. “What it’s like to protect what little you hold dear, while the world tries to take it all away?”
“Oh, so here’s where you tug on my heartstrings and manipulate me into doing your dirty work?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Poor downtrodden Malachi Draven, the worldis so mean to me. Save your bullshit. We are nothing alike.”
I tried to ignore how deeply Evangeline’s words cut, snapping, “We have something in common. Tyrell took my brother and bent him into something I didn’t even recognize. He would have done the same to your sister, given time. Be glad he never got the chance.”
