Page 7 of Tainted Blood

“Have a good rest,” he said as she blinked slowly, a sign that sleep was about to grab her. She had to make haste if she wanted to make it to her bed.

“You too,” she said, yawning as she left.

Alexius was still smiling as he found something else to watch, not wanting to leave this space. He spent more time sitting in the more public spaces of his home since her arrival. These places had previously been reserved for when he had guests, but now, it felt like the sitting room was becoming more of a living room, something he had never truly needed before.

He was passing the time by watching the morning news when he heard Rupert and Shania in the hall.

“We’ll need to make sure everything gets back from the dry cleaner on time. Is his wardrobe due back today or tomorrow?”

“Today. I’ll be picking it up once they open,” Shania answered brightly. “And hers?”

“Well, it seems they’ve neglected to get her anything appropriate. If you don’t mind, I’ll join you, and you can help me coordinate that. Tonight, we’ll need to do the fittings. How are you feeling about doing alterations?”

“Oh, she has an easy build. I’ll be fine. It will be a good change of pace.”

“Perfect.” Rupert sounded pleased, which was good for everyone. When Rupert was stressed about something in the house, they were all stressed about it. Alexius relied on his butler’s sense of calm control over everything that was necessary to run his home. He relied on a lot from Rupert.

Alexius didn’t make any sudden movements as Rupert walked into the sitting room. His old butler came to stand at the coffee table, looking down at it.

“Is there anything else you need from me before you retire?” Rupert asked, but Alexius looked down at what his butler was looking at.

The damn emails.

“I can file those for you,” Rupert offered as he reached for one. Alexius was faster, snatching them off the table with a soft growl.

“No, I can deal with these,” Alexius promised. Whatever pleasant feelings he had been enjoying evaporated under the heat of his anger. “You should get some rest before beginning a long day. You’ve been up for much of the evening.”

“I woke up at midnight. I’m not even close to done with my day. I will leave you to your day, though, since it seems I touched on a sore subject.”

“My enemies have continued to threaten and taunt Everly,” Alexius said as he turned off the television and stood. Lifting the papers, his gaze met Rupert’s. “I will handle these.”

“I’m sure you’ll handle their sender as well,” Rupert replied with benign acceptance. “I will make her wardrobe a priority for the household. You should focus on more important things.” Rupert nodded toward the emails but maintained eye contact with Alexius.

“Yes. I believe you understand none of the household should know about these emails.” Alexius folded them, not wanting Rupert or anyone else to accidentally read them. It was a touch of paranoia. None of them would be able to read them that quickly at a distance, but he was feeling very defensive and touchy about them now. Not only did he feel that way, but he also knew he wasn’t hiding it very well. There was a reason Rupert was being so benign and distant with him.

“Of course. I would never tell the others anything that you haven’t given me express permission to brief them on.”

“Do you understand why?” Alexius folded them again, making the printed emails even smaller. It took some effort not to crush them into tiny balls, then shred them into thousands of pieces. It wasn’t about why Alexius kept things secret. He wanted to know if Rupert understood why he was keepingthisa secret.

“I’ve known you for some time. I might not understand your exact meaning, but I know you well enough not toneedthe exact reason. And you know I will never tell anyone my understanding on the matter either.”

“Thank you, Rupert. I’m sorry for my behavior tonight. I will excuse myself and stay out of your way for the day.”

He walked around his butler, trying to escape the room as deep emotion rose. He had to remove himself from the view of the others, or he would scare them.

“Have a good rest,” Rupert said as he left, soft enough for only Alexius to hear. Few felt the need to raise their voice in his underground home because they knew Alexius would always hear them.

Once he made it back to his room, he opened the emails again, reading them over several times. He’d tried to get over the first email when it happened. Her reply had been… bold and charming. He’d enjoyed how she’d faced a threat like that and had still chosen to stay here and work for him.

Now, he was staring at the second, and the deep rage he felt was harder to suppress. These fools dared to threaten her and think they could get away with it? He wouldn’t have it. He’d see them torn apart limb by limb once he had his hands on them.

They took Jacob from me. They will not have her. I won’t allow it.

With a snarl, he crushed the papers, then ripped them into tiny pieces, letting the scraps fall to the floor without thinking. He could have copies printed again. He would reply to the next email instead of her. They were probably enjoying taunting her right under his nose, thinking he couldn’t put a stop to it. He would hunt them down and make sure they haunted no one again.

That would put an end to it. I have to put an end to this. I’m the one who brought her into it.

He’d brought her into this world to begin with, unable to fight that urge to make sure she survived Edwin and Camilla’s games. Her safety was his to worry about, and they were threatening her.

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