Silence, save for the crackling of the fire, echoed in the hall. Triaten didn’t move.
Damen released Charlotte’s arm and took a step to Triaten. “As courtesy to Charlotte, you will be allowed to leave. If you choose to stay, there will be more extensive torture in store. I am agreeable to either scenario. Do you have a choice?”
“Leave,” Triaten snarled without looking at Damen or Charlotte.
Damen pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped a button. The two guards came back into the dining hall.
“Remove him from the estate. Drop him at the hotel in town. I have no doubt he’ll find the rest of the way off this continent.”
Triaten was yanked out of the room. Minutes slid, every second pulverizing piece after piece of Charlotte’s world. She wasn’t sure how long it took to breathe, but she finally did. Breathe as much as the numbness locking her body allowed.
In her peripheral vision, she saw Damen analyzing her. She couldn’t acknowledge him. All she could do was stare at the door Triaten had exited. Stare at the spot her soul, her heart, her everything, had just disappeared.
But she wouldn’t crumple, not in front of Damen. That satisfaction would not be his.
“You did that coldly. It was impressive. I did not think Panthenites like you were capable of such sheer cruelty to your own.”
That got Charlotte to shift her eyes from the door, fury boiling at Damen.
“I see you will need some time to recover. I will give it to you. You may have several hours to yourself before I come for you.”
Charlotte leaned back on her heel and spun on the stone. Her sapphire dress swung wide as she stalked to the side bar, and grabbed a full carafe of brandy. She didn’t bother to grab a glass before she headed to the door.
“Charlotte, stop.”
She paused at the door, one foot out the room.
“I don’t think I need to remind you, but I will.”
He waited for her to look at him. She offered him one loathsome glance.
“Willingly. You agreed to willingly. I will hold you to that.”
~~~
“I was wondering when you would show up.”
Triaten had just stumbled into the lobby of the hotel where the two Malefics had just shoved him out of the suv. The hotel was exclusive, elegant, and while it was usually Triaten’s size that drew looks, right now, he was pretty sure it was his severe limp and the blood on his body that caused the unwelcome stares. Or that he didn’t have a suit on.
Not caring enough about the stares to stop by a bathroom to wash the blood from his face, he immediately staggered to the lobby lounge to get a steadying drink.
And now he was staring at the last person he ever expected. Shiv.
Sitting half-on a bar stool—his spine was not yet right after the beating he took—he leaned against the bar, his whiskey just delivered, when she sidled up behind him.
His eyes narrowed at her, mind firing. Aiden had told him about Shiv turning into a Malefic, but in-between the attack on the Folotto compound, Skye going out of control, and Charlotte’s disappearance, he hadn’t given Shiv a second thought.
Out of nowhere, she appeared. Suspiciously so.
She pulled herself to sit on the stool next to him, setting her drink down. “Looks like you made the smart choice where Damen was concerned. He can be a bit of an asshole at times.”
“Shiv. What the hell? I swear, if you had anything to do Charlotte’s kidnapping I—”
“Please. I stumbled into this.” She waved off Triaten’s outburst. “You are, quite frankly, someone I’m trying to avoid. But then fate put you at the castle. Halfway around the world. So at the very least, I am giving fate the courtesy of seeing you.”
Triaten took her in from head to toe. Still the same, as far as he could tell. Same long dark, glossy hair. Her svelte, athletic body still held enticing curves. Her transformation to Malefic had done nothing outwardly to her. Save for she did look stronger.
“I’m assuming you know about me?” she asked.
“About being a Malefic? Yes. Now what the hell are you doing here?”
She leaned toward him, displaying full cleavage from her tight black top. “This is where Evan deposited me after Cloquet.” Her eyes surveyed the modern, sparkling lounge. “Far cry from Ohio, huh?”
“Why would Evan bring you here?”
“Don’t know. He didn’t exactly tell me a lot.” Shiv took a sip of her drink. “Pretty much nothing, at that. Just dropped me off here saying it was the best place for me right now. He had some other things to do.”
“He dropped you at a hotel in the middle of the Alps?”
“No. He left me with Damen.”
Triaten’s hand crushed the glass he held.
Shiv cringed at the shattering of crystal, then leaned even closer, talking into Triaten’s ear. “Jeez, best not to say his name, I take it? Listen, why don’t you come up to my room, and we can get you cleaned up.”
Triaten pulled away and glared at her, still bristling at the mention of Damen.
“Okay,” she said, “clean up or not is your choice, but you’re starting to attract a lot of the wrong sort of stares down here.”
Triaten didn’t glance around, eyes solid on Shiv. “My bloody face that hideous?”
“No. It isn’t because the cake of blood on your face. This is a Malefic hot spot, in case you haven’t noticed. And you’re the only Panthenite in here. So whether up to my room, or out the front door, I would advise against holding claim to this bar stool.”
He hadn’t noticed. Hadn’t bothered to care about his surroundings. Had only thought about getting a drink to clear his head.
With a begrudging nod, Triaten opened his clenched hand and shook the broken glass from his hand. “Fine. To your room.”
Within minutes, Shiv had Triaten sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over him, wet wash cloth in hand. Triaten silently let her dab away on his face.
When the dried blood had mostly been removed, Triaten looked up at Shiv, her eyes only inches from his.
“Shiv. My part in how you died…I’m sorry. I had never meant what we had…ending it…to cause the pain, the death—”
“Stop,” she interrupted him. “Don’t flatter yourself, Triaten. My stupidity was my own in my death. You’re not the first person to break up with me.”
“Still. How it happened. Finding out about Aiden. The fire. It had to have been horrendous. I am sorry you were ever put in that position to begin with. Your sister was right to try and separate us. She knew instinctively what was going to happen. Maybe we should have told you.”
Shiv stopped motion and stood, thinking. She shook her head. “No, that would have done little good.”
She bent over once more and gave a smooth wipe across a deep gash on his forehead. “I can honestly tell you that I was in no position to be confronted with an alternate reality at the time.”
“And how are you doing with the alternate reality now?”
She shrugged. “I’m in it. I’m alive. It is what it is.”
Shiv took a step back from Triaten and straightened. She looked down at him peculiarly. “Your apology is nice, and probably would mean more to me if I wasn’t a Malefic. As it is, thanks, but really, no need. So can we move on?”
Triaten smiled in spite of his cracked jaw. Shiv was still not one to wallow in any emotion. He knew he should be lambasting her for what she did to Skye in Cloquet, but truth told, the fire was the thing that changed Skye. And after all that Shiv had gone through, her being manipulated by Evan was forgivable.
“Okay, onward,” he said. “Let’s talk about you being a Malefic. Do you know what your power—or powers are yet?”
Shiv shook her head. “Nope. Nothing in particular has shown itself. Speaking of which, what power do you have? Obviously, Aiden is crazy-strong. That, I saw first-hand. Skye can send back time. I’ve seen that, as well. So what do you do?”
Triaten was suddenly struck wit
h the novelty of not having to lie to Shiv. A weight lifted. “I can read minds.”
“No shit. Really? You know what I’m thinking right now?”
“No,” Triaten shook his head. “Your mind I lost a long time ago. Pretty soon after I met you.”
“I’m not sure if I’m impressed or not, then. I’ve seen some wild things over the past months.”
Triaten rubbed his jaw line, trying to crack it back into place. “It comes in more handy than you can imagine.”
“Well, I guess it’s better than no powers,” she said, “which is where I seem to be stuck at. Except for being alive, I guess. That part turned out pretty well for me.”
“So what have you been doing these past months?”
Shiv pulled out a chair from the small round dining table and swung it to face Triaten. She sat down, putting the bloody washcloth on the table. “I’ve been mostly at the whims of Evan. He puts and pulls me from place to place. Most recently, I was at some sort of training facility. And I’ve spent a good portion of it up at Damen’s castle.”
Triaten leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his thighs, hands clasped. “What do you know of this Damen?”
“You’re not thinking of going back up there?”
Triaten’s eyebrows collapsed together, taking a hard line. “No. Not after what Char just told me. But I do need to know he’s not going to hurt her.”
Shiv chuckled. “Hurt her? No. Far from it. He’s a breeder, and he’s a master at it. He’s going to make her feel a lot of things, but hurt is definitely not one of them.” Her fingernail went to her teeth, and she bit it, contemplating. “I don’t know if you would want to know this, but I imagine they have already begun breeding. She’s been up there a while, and Damen is pretty much a machine when it comes to breeding the next generations.”
Knuckles turning white, Triaten abruptly stood. “You’re right. I would rather not know that. So what else do you know of him?”
Shiv remained seated, still relaxed. “Hmmm, I know he’s the disowned youngest brother of the Folotto clan. Who I understand are pretty bad news. Evan gets upset every time someone mentions them. I know Damen has a ton of offspring around the world, and he’s very protective of all of them. Tracks them all. One was just killed recently.”
“How do you know all this?”
She gave a casual smile. “Damen—we chat, we screw, he can be good company. He can also be a dick.”
“You like him?”
“Comes and goes. He’s not looking to breed with me, so we’re easy. Let’s just say there is no love lost when we part ways, but he is a friend.” She looked pointedly up at Triaten. “And I have very few of those.”
Triaten ignored her last comment. He didn’t figure he could apologize his way out of all that happened between the two of them. “Are any of the offspring connected with the Folotto’s, even though Damen is an outcast?”
“I have no idea, we never got into it, and I didn’t ask. But oh, he has one weird offspring—apparently a Malefic-Panthenite half-breed like Skye—that has some kick-ass power.”
That got Triaten’s attention. “What is it?”
“Not quite sure, something about magma—controlling it, or something——I don’t know what good that is.”
Triaten couldn’t hide his sharp intake of breath. “Fuck. I do. Where is the half-breed now?”
She shrugged. “I’m not quite sure. That one I only overheard. And I didn’t exactly let the witch know I was eavesdropping.”
“The witch?”
“Some creepy old lady that comes and goes from the castle.”
“I have to ask, Shiv,” Triaten rubbed his scabbed forehead. “You telling me all this. Why? It’s not like we left on the best of terms.”
“Oh, please,” she waved her hand, “you think I’m setting you up?”
“It occurred to me.”
She stood up to face him, her body close to his.
“Really, Triaten, I have no loyalties to Malefics, I’ve only been one for a couple months, and haven’t been subject to the group-think like the others have.” She shivered a memory away. “Creepy brainwashing. I’ve also been promised a lot of answers that never seem to be forthcoming. And I could care less that you’re a Panthenite. I’m honestly a bit flummoxed at all the rampant hatred flying around.”
“God, Shiv. I hope you stay that way. I truly do.” His faced turned deadly serious. “You need to get yourself out of this—away from all Malefics—before you get in too deep. Before they get their hooks in you.”
Her eyebrow arched. “But it’s okay to hang out with Panthenites?”
“At least we’re a known entity. And not trying to destroy the world.”
“Not all Malefics are trying to destroy the world, Triaten. You’ve been subject to your own brainwashing, as well, you know.”
“Debatable.”
“Well, instead of debate, how about we use this opportunity while I still don’t hate your kind.” She shuffled the short distance forward that closed the gap between them. Her breasts lightly nudged his chest. “You were honestly one of the best I’ve ever had, Triaten. How about it? No strings. Like we started. Like we should have ended.”
Triaten’s head swung ever so slightly back and forth. “This isn’t the time.”
“Tell me you’re not going back up there.”
“I’m not.”
Shiv went to her tip toes, her lips brushing his. “Prove it.”
He didn’t back away. “Shiv. It’s too soon.”
“Is it? Charlotte moved on a while ago. That, I saw when I was up there last. So what’s stopping you?” Her hands went around his neck, tracing up into his hair. “There is absolutely nothing between us at the moment. Not Charlotte. Not my sister. So kiss me. Kiss me like you once did. Kiss me now that I know what you are. No holding back.”
Seconds ticked by, the offer, the demand, hanging with ripe intensity between them. Dammit. She was testing him. Triaten’s hands slowly slid around her waist, and he pulled her body fully into his. She hadn’t moved from where her lips were brushing his, so it was easy for Triaten to descend on her mouth, plying her lips and tongue, molding her essence into his.
He kissed her hard, knowing her body could now take whatever he had for her, and it was freeing.
But then abruptly, he pulled his head away from her swollen lips and flushed cheeks. He couldn’t quite remove his arms from her body.
When her eyes finally opened to him, he forced out words that belied what his body wanted. “God, Shiv. You taste just as good as always. But it’s too soon. I can’t. I would like to, but I can’t.”
Triaten was half-surprised when she closed her slightly parted mouth, pulling back part of her lower lip in her teeth. With a sigh, Shiv nodded and took a step away, breaking his hold on her.
“It’s fine. I understand. The last thing I want is her in your mind while you’re screwing me.” She turned from him and went to the door, opening it and holding it ajar. “You probably need to get off this mountain as quickly as possible, anyway. It was selfish of me to bring you up here.”
Triaten took a step toward her. “Not selfish, Shiv. You are one of a kind, love, and selfish is not one of the traits you possess.”
Shiv rolled her eyes. “Yea, yea.” She waved her hand out the open door into the hotel hallway. “You’re clean, now, so time to get the hell out of here before you get yourself into any more trouble. And maybe try the back stairs this time, rather than the lobby. I’m kind of surprised there hasn’t been a mob with swords descending on the room.”
Triaten leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, love. You be well. And think hard about disappearing from the Malefics. I will help hide you forever, if that’s what it takes. But if you should decide to stay in their midst, know that if you ever need anything, call—you know my number.”
She nodded, and a touch of sadness crinkled around her eyes.
Triaten vanished out the door.
&nb
sp; { Chapter 15 }
Charlotte stood in the middle of her room. In the middle of her jail. The fire in the open fireplace was flaming high, and she vaguely thought about stepping into the crackle, letting it consume her. But the brandy had dulled all emotion to such a level that she didn’t even care to move her feet, much less to kill herself.
She had come into the room in a full-out rage, tears waterfalling off her face, and had stripped down to nakedness the second the door to the room closed. Her sapphire gown went into a heap by the door, crushing the elegance out of it. She wasn’t going to let Damen’s finery define her body a moment longer than necessary.
Her blond hair hung straight down her back, free from the ponytail she preferred. In Damen’s world, braids were okay, ponytails were not, so Charlotte mostly let it hang loose. By her left pinky toe, the carafe of brandy was now on its side, only a dribble of the amber liquid pooled in a line along the bottom of the glass.
As the carafe had emptied, so did her emotions.
Failure was the only thing in her mind. Blinking like a neon sign, over and over again. Failure. She had failed Triaten. Failed their love. Failed to protect him. Failed to protect herself. Failure.
She racked her brain, trying to come up with the moment when she failed. She had worked so hard to keep Triaten out of her mind, but she must have slipped, when, she wasn’t sure. But there was no other way Damen could have known about Triaten. It had to have happened when she was in the maze. The old hag could have been in there, when Charlotte’s thoughts of Triaten were easy pickings. Or had she talked in her sleep? That was likely. Damn the dark. She had done this to herself. And now she was paying for her weakness.
“I knew you would abide by your promise. But this is unexpected.”
Damen’s voice filled the room behind Charlotte. She hadn’t even heard the door open. She didn’t bother to move. Didn’t bother to acknowledge his presence. She knew he would make himself welcome to her room, to her body.
Flux Flame (A Flame Moon Novel Page 15
