Not trusting Cyril for a second, Maddox never lost his focus on him. “I was unaware you had business with the prison.”
It was a lie.
One that settled between them like a four-day dead fish, all rot gut and stinking.
Of course Cyril had business there. He and Eamon had both set the shadow demon on the hunt for her. Maybe he didn’t work for them directly, but they held some leverage over him.
Handling Cyril, however, was not Maddox’s forte. It required diplomacy. He was more a gut first and rip their head off kind of guy.
“Lord Cyril,” Fin greeted as he strolled out from behind Maddox. Despite the fact he wore a pair of loose pants only and blood spatter across his chest and arms added to his disheveled appearance, he was almost gracious. “I’m afraid you’ve caught us a little in flagrante delicto.”
Maddox made a note to drown Fin, later. He ran a hand down Maddox’s biceps, and it actually took force of will to keep his expression schooled and not roll his eyes.
“You two?” Cyril said with a snort. “Do I look like a fool to you, boy?”
“Do you really want me to answer that question, buidéal pox?” Butter wouldn’t melt in his saintly mouth, nor would it diminish his smile. “If you don’t mind, lover boy here is in a bit of a way, and he’s been suffering for me so beautifully.”
Definitely drowning the little shit.
Maddox gave a mock sigh, and if not for the feeling of Fiona’s nails digging into his back, he’d be worried. His kitten was fabulous, but shy and retiring weren’t anywhere in her personal lexicon.
Still, she didn’t move away as Fin gave him a teasing wink. “C’mon, big boy, let’s get home where I can take care of you.”
“You’re hiding the succubus.” Cyril’s cool tones held not a trace of amusement.
“We’re hiding what now?” Fin’s accent became more pronounced. “Have you gone daft, my lord? I know it’s been a while since you were up.”
Riding the edge between humor and insult suited Fin, until the moment it didn’t. Maddox braced himself, but he still didn’t take his eyes off Cyril. The weight of Fiona’s hands promised him she was right behind him, but there wasn’t a peep out of her, and all at once, it hit him.
He couldn’t smell her.
The stench of sex on Fin was still there amidst the blood, pain, gore, and magic. But not Fiona. He didn’t dare turn his head, but what the fuck had Fin done?
His brother didn’t supply any ready answers, but then Maddox didn’t expect him to. Not with Cyril so close.
“He turned a demon.” Cyril’s tone was so frigid, ice slicked every single word. “You can’t possibly want to protect the beast.”
Beast.
Maddox snorted then folded his arms. Whatever Fin had done, their mate was hidden. Maddox eyed him. “Be careful who you call a beast.”
Cyril pinned him with a look. “You should never have been made either, dragon. Don’t think I won’t still hunt you.”
Her nails dug into his back. Oh, his mate didn’t like that. So Maddox laughed, needing to defuse her temper. The last thing they needed was her shedding that protection to jump Cyril for him.
While the Seven were notoriously hard to kill…
They weren’t impossible.
Maddox would put his money on him and Fin.
“Lord Cyril, the only reason you’re still breathing at the moment is your treaty with Alfred,” Fin cut in smoothly, all dulcet tones and easygoing manner. His smile was all teeth. Yes, Fin was their charming bastard. It was a mistake to ever think him weak, which a lot of the Seven did. They saw him as the pet. A feeling not unfamiliar to Maddox, because they’d done the same to him.
The original paused and snapped his head away from them. A split-second later, Maddox allowed himself to smile. Alfred strolled in from beyond the trees, carrying with him the scent of the city. If Alfred was here, then so was Rogue. The lack of forest movement didn’t mean he wasn’t tucked away out there somewhere.
Cyril exhaled a low sound of disgruntlement. Aww, he didn’t like being caught stepping over the line. Maybe Alfred would let them kill him now.
One could only hope.
“Aelfraed.”
“Cyril.”
The tension in the air thickened as power gathered between them. It had been a long time since he’d been close to any gathering of the Seven. When all of them were in the same place, it could be downright unbearable.
Another reason Alfred tended to want them to wait for him and not attend. Of all of them, only Rogue had never issued a complaint about being in their presence.
“Coming to join your lovers?” Cyril asked. “They seem to have interesting choices for recreational fornication.”
“What they do that brings them pleasure is no concern of yours,” Alfred informed him without a hint of intonation or smile. “Why are you cornering them?”
“You know why. If they don’t have her, then you do or your other pet. I saw him recently, yet he’s not here now. You never slip his leash, even when you were letting him play at assassinating you.”
“If you have a point,” Alfred said, “I suggest you get to it.”
Cyril dismissed him and Fin entirely as he faced Alfred. “You know what I want.”
“I don’t really care.”
The other snorted. “No, you would rather just do things your way and ignore the rest of us.”
“I would classify that as a trait we all share, brother.” Hands in his pockets, Alfred looked remote, untouchable, and like he belonged in this forest about as much as Cyril.
Spitting, Cyril snapped forward, closing the distance between them in less than a blink of an eye. “Do not play with me, Aelfraed. You cannot turn a demon, yet you have. She should never have been made in the first place. The demons were going to take her back, and then you liberate her.”
Alfred’s smile was thin. “I did nothing.”
“Your pets did.”
“Standing right here,” Maddox reminded him. “And I bet I can still fry your wingless ass before you could get away.” He was done playing nice. With Alfred present, he didn’t have to pretend to be diplomatic. After all, he was the pet, right?
Alfred flicked him a look that said, really?
Yes, really. Maddox was tired of these games, and Cyril just confirmed their own information. It was indeed the others that had sent the shadow demon after her.
That alone was enough for Maddox to want to end him.
“You court war,” Cyril continued, ignoring Maddox. “Bring us the succubus, and we’ll consider the terms of our treaty satisfied. I’ll await your answer.”
He backed off a step, but Alfred said, “You don’t have to wait for it.”
Maddox stilled, and next to him, Fin seemed to turn to stone. If not for the continued weight of her hands on his bare back, Maddox would have twisted to find her and spirit her away now.
“I’m waiting,” Cyril stated, his whole demeanor suspicious.
“The answer is no,” Alfred told him, and while Maddox had believed Alfred wouldn’t betray her, it still settled him as Alfred firmly aligned himself. “She’s my queen. She goes nowhere.”