His timbred inflection was edged with steel.
She blurted the confession, rushing over the words. ‘The man who warned came to warn us about Codex and Nightshade.’
Mak’s rasped drawl went even icier. ‘Who. Is. He?’
‘The man she ran away with is Zolan Asivan.’
‘Thefokk?’ Mak growled, half rising to his feet.
His face convulsed as fury hit him like a tidal wave.
His eyes flamed, and she thought she saw the air rent with an amethyst flash of energy as rage burned in his veins.
He flexed his arms, clenched his fists tight, and canted his head, glowing capillaries appearing under his skin as if he was about to flame out.
His breath was torn from his lungs in a hoarse, coarse rasp. ‘She left me for him, the one man I loathe more than any other?’
His utterance was laced with pure, unadulterated wrath, shocking her into a jolt.
‘She chose him?’
His growl was disbelieving, as if saying it aloud would make it less real.
A knife of agony twisted in her gut as searing hatred coursed through him and blazed in his eyes.
‘I’ll make them both regret it,’ he snarled, teeth grinding so tight his jaw stood out in relief. ‘I’llfokkin’ destroy them because this wasn’t just a betrayal. Tis a declaration of war.’
She reached out to touch him, keeping her voice gentle yet commanding. ‘You’ll do no such thing,Šar.’
He glared at her for a long moment, chest heaving. ‘Why?’
‘Because you’re a better man than that. Also, she’s not a traitor to the Sauvage family. She’s just a woman in love with a man who happens to be your cousin.’
‘Fokkhim!’ Mak growled, wrenching away from her and stalking off to pace his office.
She kept her eyes on him, following his enraged strides.
‘Take the enmity away, and she’s my sister, and he’s your kinsman. No matter how you feel about Zolan and the Asivans, he and she are our blood. Our Akkadian principles hold us to a higher standard, as does our allegiance to family. You are theŠarwho needs to embody our code with honor above all of us. Walk the path of light, Mak, and forgive them.’
He growled, his lips twisted, his eyes bitter, doing that thing he did, flicking his tongue over his glittering fangs. Prowling back to his chair, he sat with a heavy sigh.
Casting his face from her, he threw his feet on his desk and arms tight over his torso, lost in thought.
‘You were aware of this all along?’
The question was whispered, which sent chills down her spine.
‘Not until the night before the wedding. Shiloh begged me not to say a word, but I can’t stay silent anymore.’
His muscled chest heaved with a shaky inhale. It took a few minutes, but his mood shifted as a new emotion replaced his cooling rage.
After some extended moments, he gave a husky, throaty chuckle, which turned into a belly roar.
He laughed long and loud, head tipped back, revealing his sinewed nape.
He let out more chuckles and guffaws then slowly calmed down, wiping his eyes, his torso still heaving.
She found herself staring at him with some incredulity. ‘Please share.’
