‘Fokk, Sauvage, it was not. I mean you no harm,’ Zolan grunted, lifting palms in surrender.
The two men stared off for a moment until some truth must have penetrated Mak’s storm, and the glittering canines retreated a touch.
‘So what the hell are you doing here, Asivan?’ Mak’s growl dripped with menace.
The icy, coarse drag on Zolan’s last name emphasized the ominousness in his tone.
Mak’s broad chest was heaving, displaying his untamed rage.
To his credit, Zolan remained calm in the face of Mak’s hostility, his expression betraying no hint of fear or intimidation apart from the wild beating pulse on the base of his neck.
He leaned into Mak’s bared incisors ever so slowly.
‘I came to speak with your wife, believing her to be a more sympathetic ear,’ he growled. ‘Perhaps she can fill you in on our discussion.’
Saba’s heart pounded as she witnessed the standoff between the two men, a sense of foreboding settling over her like a heavy shroud.
She understood Mak well enough to recognize the dangerous glint in his eyes, a sign that he was on the verge of losing his temper.
He reared back, sheathing his fanged teeth, his jaw clenched in fury. ‘My woman has nothing to discuss with you, Asivan,’ he spat out.
Zolan held his ground, his gaze steady as he met Mak’s furious stare head-on. ‘On the contrary,Šar, your wife deserves to know the truth. So she can pass it to you as you’ve refused to listen to me these past few months,’ he replied, calm but laced with an underlying tension.
Mak gave a bitter scoff. ‘You came to visit theŠarimlate at night when you realized I was conveniently out of the house. Why else except to try to seduce her, which you also attempted at ourfokkin’ wedding? The question is, did you succeed? Are you two having afokkin’ affair? Were you lovers before we even wed?’
Zolan’s eyes flared with surprise and indignation at Mak’s accusation, but he regained his composure fast. ‘While you’ve every right to disparage me, your lack of trust in your wife’s judgment and honor is concerning,Šar,’ he retorted.
His voice cut through the tension like a blade. ‘I came here out of concern for her safety and yours, not to engage in baseless flirtations. I’m here for a freakin’ good cause.’
As he proceeded to repeat the Nightshade and Syndicate council collusion to Mak, Saba stood frigid in the room.
Frozen by her husband’s seething anger and Zolan’s steely resolve.
When Zolan felt silent, Mak cursed, long and loud.
His anguish tore into her, and tired of keeping Zolan and Shiloh’s secret from her husband, she stepped toward both men, parting her lips, ready to tell all to her husband.
Until she caught Zolan’s eyes and the narrowed warning in them.
She took a hasty breath.Fokk.
Their souls would be Mak’s if he discovered their deception and why Shiloh had jilted him.
She eased back, choosing to keep her mouth shut and hating the lies, the duplicity, hell, loathing herself.
The air crackled with unspoken animosity, each man poised on the edge of a precipice, ready to plunge into further conflict.
Mak’s gaze narrowed as he loomed over Zolan, a palpable threat in his stance. ‘I’ll take your warning under advisement. Which means you need to leave. Now,’ he commanded through gritted teeth, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Zolan tilted his chin, revealing the gash of blood on his neck, his jaw clenched in defiance as he met Mak’s intense stare with unwavering stubbornness.
‘I willfokkoff as you wish, cousin, but mark my words; the danger that lurks in the shadows will not dissipate until you act. It is in both the Asivan and the Sauvage families’ interests that you make the right call.’
His warning carried the rawness of an ominous prophecy.
With a final piercing gaze directed at Saba, Zolan swiveled on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving a charged atmosphere thick with tension and unanswered questions.
As the echoes of Zolan’s departure faded, Mak’s gaze, dark and brooding, turned to her.
