Ending his call, Maddox looked at his sentinel, who’d been waiting patiently on the sofa at the opposite end of the office. “Well?”
“It’s true,” replied Hector. “Another lair was wiped out earlier today—no survivors.”
Maddox swiped his tongue over his front teeth. “It’s safe to say that someone seeks to cull the population of descendants. Maybe even to eradicate our kind altogether.”
“Do you think maybe that’s why Viper has asked to meet with you?” he asked, referring to the president of the Black Saints— an MC club that popped up out of nowhere six months ago. “Think he wants to make it his business?”
“It’s possible. But I don’t see why he would. Neither he nor any of his ‘brothers’ are descendants; they don’t even have demonic blood.”
“But they are angels who’ve fallen, much like our ancestors, so we’re one of the closest species they have on Earth to their own.” Hector twisted his mouth. “I heard a rumor about the president.”
“That some believe he’s an archangel? One of the infamous Seven?”
Surprise flickered across the sentinel’s face. “Yes. Do you think it could be true?”
“Possibly.” Maddox crossed to the sofa opposite Hector and sank into it. “If so, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with. All the members of the Seven are dangerous.”
“If I remember the ancient stories about them rightly, there’s Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel, Samael, Azrael, and Raguel. Which one do you think Viper could be?”
Maddox shrugged. “It’s not as if we can contact someone up above and ask who’s missing.” He drummed his fingers on the armrest. “I’ll find out what Viper wants tomorrow during our meeting. Moving on, did you find out who’s trying to cause dissension among our lair?”
“From what I can tell, the whispers originated from Euan and Marcella.”
Maddox exhaled heavily. “I thought as much.”
“Yeah, that was my guess as well. But I was hoping Euan had nothing to do with it, considering he’s your cousin. I don’t think he truly cares much that Raini isn’t a descendant, but others do. He’s capitalizing on how uneasy they are that, for the first time in history, a descendant’s anchor is a breed other than our own.”
Which was why both Maddox and his demon had been utterly shocked to realize that Raini was theirs. Being far too jaded, Maddox had thought himself impervious to such an emotion, but shock had slammed into him hard that night. When his demon snapped out of its stunned state, all it had wanted was to form the bond and leave the anchor mark on the hollow beneath her ear, declaring she belonged to them.
“They don’t know what it means, or if it even means anything,” Hector went on. “But they are nervous about having Raini around, because she could see things she’s not supposed to see.”
“She only comes here once a month, and she only ever comes through the side door and then up to my office. Although the window overlooks the dance floor, she can’t see the VIP area from here. In any case, I always give the lair advanced notice of her arrival. They know to curb their … activities until she’s gone, just to be on the safe side.”
“I know. As do they. But they’re still nervous about her coming here. And Euan is claiming that your inability—or refusal, whichever—to stay away from Raini is both a demonstration of weakness and an indication that you don’t have the lair’s best interests at heart.”
Pausing, Hector rolled his eyes. “He simply wants to be Prime—always has. Those of us who’ve claimed our psi-mates understand it’s not so easy for demons to keep a distance from their anchor. Hell, I couldn’t have kept my distance from Carmen,” he added, referring to a sentinel who was Hector’s mate as well as his anchor. “The lair’s attitude toward her might change once they’re used to her.”
“Are Euan and Marcella working together to cause issues?”
“No. Marcella’s not implying you’re weak. She’s simply trying to play on how nervous people are, making them imagine all sorts of scenarios that might occur if Raini learned and leaked our secrets—claiming Knox Thorne would be a problem and that he’d stir up the other Primes. In truth, what Marcella wants is to be your co-Prime, and she’s observant enough to sense that you want Raini in your bed. Marcella therefore sees her as a threat. I think she’s hoping that you’ll walk away from your anchor if enough of our lair pressure you to do so.”
“She should know better.” Maddox didn’t respond to pressure.
“And so should Euan. No one agrees that you’re ‘weak.’ Nor are they unaware that he’s only trying to undermine you because he wants your position. They also know what Marcella’s true problem is with the situation. But the lair is still uneasy.”
Initially, Maddox had been just as uneasy about Raini. He didn’t like the thought of his fate being tied to that of another. More, having an outsider around was not wise. So he’d resolved that he’d leave her alone; that he’d go on as if he’d never met her. But avoidance wasn’t his thing. Nor was denying himself what he wanted. In spite of everything, he wanted a place in Raini’s life; to be able to see her from time to time; to ensure her safety, as was his right.
He also wanted to fuck her until neither of them could move. They’d get to that part eventually.
Making a place for himself in her life hadn’t been so simple. He’d never blamed her for being angry on discovering he was her anchor. How could he, when he knew he was not what she needed? But he was a selfish creature, so when he’d seen an opportunity to firmly plant himself in her life, he’d taken it.
Did he feel bad about it? No. Employing dirty tricks to get what he wanted wasn’t new for Maddox.
“Your demon has got to be riding you hard, wanting the anchor bond,” said Hector.
“Not as much as it once did. It settles for a while if it sees or hears from her.” Maddox had originally thought that the strength of the bond’s ‘call’ would dull if he and Raini were apart. Having no contact with her had only made it worse, though.
Being close to her did dull it for a while, just as it soothed his demon. But Maddox suspected the reason the entity was no longer so angry was that—given Raini was now part of their life—it believed Maddox would eventually succumb to the temptation to claim her.
Raini’s mind abruptly touched his. Maddox.
The pain and weakness in that one word made him tense. What is it? he demanded.
And then there she was right in the middle of his office with Carmen, slumping to the floor like a sack of spuds.
Maddox was at Raini’s side in an instant, gently rolling her onto her back. She’d passed out, he realized. His demon hissed on seeing the wet crimson stain on her tee. Maddox flipped up the material and cursed at the vicious stab wound. It was ugly. Jagged. Blistering.
He joined his palm to her own and pushed power inside her. Red as blood, it pumped through her veins, lighting each one as it traveled up her arm, down her chest, and made a beeline for the gut wound.
She arched, her amber eyes snapping open and gleaming with pain. She tried snatching back her hand, but he held it tight.