ChapterThirty-Four
CALEB
Iknew it was only a matter of time before I’d be called to stand before the Society and answer for the death of a fae warrior. That it had taken two full weeks was a special exercise in patience. My nerves were shot, knowing Sunday was back in her old dorm room with Moira, separated from Blackthorne, Farrell, and the Viking now that their home had been destroyed.
Only a fool would believe that hadn’t been part of the plan—separating Sunday from her mates. She was stronger with them, drawing her strength from theirs. Getting everyone alone only made for easier pickings if they failed in their initial attempt to harm her. The wound in my lower back gave a dull ache as a reminder.
It had been close. Far too close.
I’d been a careless fool, too caught up in having her near me again to notice the archer in the brush. And I’d paid dearly. Sunday will never know how close to death I’d been. A few inches higher and I’d have bled out in minutes, the silver arrowhead piercing my heart, effectively staking me.
As I rounded the corner from my tunnel that led to the bottom level ofIniquity,I spotted the succubus owner herself. Lilith was deep in conversation with a fae male I didn’t recognize. The presence of any fae right now had my hackles rising.
It wasn’t until I caught his bitten-off words I realized this man was neither friend nor foe.
“It was a fae, but not of the Night Court. We wouldn’t waste our time on something as trivial as a mortal realm prophecy.”
Lilith laughed, but it was a low and scathing thing, utterly devoid of humor. “How arrogant you fae are, pretending our worlds are not interlocked.”
“If I had my power right now, I’d show you just how little time and space mean.”
She yawned loudly and dramatically, a golden chain around her wrist going taut and pulling him closer. “So you keep reminding me, poppet.”
“Call me that again, succubus, and see where I take you in your nightmares tonight. You won’t enjoy it.”
Her eyes flashed. “You know nothing of the monsters that come to me in the night, prince. If you believe you are the worst I’ve come across, you grossly underestimate my past. But allow me to remind you, I defeatedthem,and if you come for me, I will show no mercy doing the same toyou. You’ve met your match, poppet. Don’t forget it lest you want this little arrangement of ours to become a permanent one.”
I stared at them openly, the exchange fascinating. What had transpired between them to cause such loathing?
“We aren’t alone, Lil”—she tugged on the chain, making him wince—“Mistress.”
Her perfectly stained lips turned up in a smile as she made eye contact with me. “It’s okay. Father Gallagher likes to watch, don’t you, love?”
I ignored the taunt as I memorized the midnight hair and silver eyes of the man staring daggers at me. He was trouble. Danger was written in every annoyed line of his body.
“You know your secrets are safe with me, Lilith.”
“A priest safekeeping the sins of a demon? Whatever is this world coming to?”
“You tell me, poppet. You’re the one in the thick of it, aren’t you?”
The man in her keeping sneered but didn’t say another word.
“Should you be inside terrorizing a certain archangel?” I asked, looking pointedly at the door to our meeting room.
“Oh yes, that’s right. I heard there was a bit of an accident the other night. Here to get on your knees and beg for absolution, Priest?”
“Oh lovely, your brand of hospitality is the same across the board. Here I thought I was special.” The fae man settled in a chair, and Lilith immediately yanked on his chain until he moved to kneel at her feet.
I raised a brow. “Does your new pet have a name, Lilith?”
“Oh, he’s gone by many names over the years, but my prince currently answers to the name Crombie. Don’t you, poppet?”
“Fuck you,” he spat. “This is a disgusting abuse of our arrangement, and you know it.”
“Is it? Hmm. Feel free to take it up with me during our weekly business meeting, love. I’ll be sure to listen to all of your grievances very attentively.”
“Crombie...” I let the name roll around in my brain, recognizing it vaguely. None of the feelings I got about the man were pleasant.