Page 85 of Conflicted

Dimitri was quiet for a long moment, lost in his own thoughts. Eventually, he shook his head sadly. “The Seraphim were my family. Including Micah. I don’t want any of them being hurt.”

“It won’t happen again, not if I have anything to say about it.”

Dimitri rubbed his jaw. “I can’t believe he hid this from everyone. Why wouldn’t he tell the rest of us about it?”

I stared at him levelly. “I think you know the answer to that. I think you know as well as I do what lengths Micah would go to to protect those he loves.”

“Actually, I don’t. Micah’s been a closed book to all of usfor as long as I’ve known him.” He paused deliberately. “Something tells me he’s not like that with you, though.”

Fuck, was that true? I shifted in my seat. What would happen once I was gone? Would he ever open up to someone again?

Like Dimitri was reading my mind, he brought up the elephant in the room. “Whatever you’re planning…you know it won’t end well for you, right? Heaven won’t let you execute an arch without then taking your own immortality.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“But you’re still going to go through with it?”

“What would you do? If you were in my shoes, and this was Dagon or Lucky being punished like this, what would you do?”

“I’d arrange for my friends to execute them alongside me,” Dimitri said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t let them live, that’s for fucking sure, but I also wouldn’t take this on alone. Having people at your back, especially high-ranking, powerful people, can make even the most self-important beings stop and listen.”

I thought about my friends. The suffering they’d so recently escaped. How difficult they were finding the adjustment. I wasn’t asking for their help; not with this. Besides,noneof us were high ranking. We were powerful as far as demons went, but we were nothing compared to the supes who appeared to fill Dimitri’s inner circle.

“That’s a nice privilege to have.” I gave him a tight smile. “Not all of us have that luxury.”

“So, you’re going to kill whoever this arch is, then sit back and accept your fate?”

I shrugged. “Basically, yes.”

“What about Micah?”

My chest constricted so tightly that it was as though there was a rope around it. A rope that tightened every time I heard his name. “He’ll be free to fall in love with whoever he chooses. Someone who’s worthy of him.”

Dimitri’s brown eyes studied me critically. “What if you’re the person he wants?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I looked away, focusing on where my hands were denting the table. “Us being together isn’t an option. It won’t ever be an option.”

Dimitri didn’t say anything, so I found myself continuing. “I’m not even sure if he wants me for me. Sometimes I think I’m just a stand in for you. A pale imitation of the one he truly wants.”

A rough hand landed on top of mine. My eyes flew up to see pity over the other demon’s face. “I doubt that very much. If anything, it was probably the other way around.”

I frowned, pulling my hand from under Dimitri’s. I didn’t want to be impolite, but I couldn’t stand anyone touching me right now.

Other than Micah, of course. His touch would probably calm me.

I didn’t hate that idea as much as I did before.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re his fated mate.” Dimitri shrugged like it was obvious. “Maybe he was drawn to me because his soul was searching for you. Perhaps that’swhyhe was in love with me, because I was a stand in until you arrived on the scene.”

I let that idea percolate in my brain before reluctantly dismissing it. I would have loved to believe it, but I couldn’t. Or rather, I wouldn’t allow myself to.

It’d only make what I was about to do all the more difficult.

“Not to sound selfish,” Dimitri said slowly, “butwhat about the deal? I can’t let you do this if it’s going to put Lucky at risk. I care about Micah, but my mates come first. Always.”

That was fair. I didn’t have a bond with Micah, but he was already that person for me. “I’ve already thought about that. It’s the other reason why I wanted to speak to you. The exact terms of the deal were that we are ‘under your direct protection.’By choosing to do this, and telling you first, the deal won’t be enacted.”

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