Page 61 of Malice
“They just risked everything to defeat the three of you. Why would they join you now? It makes no logical sense,” Envy drawled.
If War’s expression were a dagger, he’d be dead. “Because they’d do anything to protect their precious children. We know exactly where to hit them to get exactly what we want.”
“I’m starting to suspect whomever first referred to love as a battlefield was intimately familiar with you.”
No one laughed at my incredibly well-timed reference. Plebeians. All of them.
Death gave a little shrug. “Anyway, like I was saying. Willing or not, allies are what we need. Especially ones with the ability to increase our own strength exponentially. We find them. Capture them.”
“Kill them?” Pride offered.
“No, you absolute tit. Have you been paying attention at all?” Pestilence snapped, then added below her breath, “How the hell did this one make the roster?”
“He’s pretty,” I replied, which only enraged her further.
“No, dear Pride. We are not going to kill them. Not when we can drain them, their mates, and their children.”
“And then we kill them?” Pride asked, sitting a little straighter.
“Why bother? They’re a renewable energy source. And with that much magic at our disposal, we will ensure our”—Death shifted her gaze to lock onto mine—“yoursuccess.”
With her words, the tension in the room shifted. Suddenly everyone was much more alert and interested. One might go so far as to say they were excited. Glancing at each member of my war council, I took notice of the agreement in their expressions. Not a single protest. This was good. Perhaps working with a team was better than I thought.
I locked eyes with Death, excitement burning in my veins at this new possibility. “Bring them to me.”
Chapter
Sixteen
MERRI
The first thing I heard when the dream materialized around me wasn’t the crashing of waves or the birds in the trees on this tropical beach. It was... a Tarzan call?
“Ah-ah-ahhhhhh!”
“What in the world?”
I didn’t know if I was more surprised or amused, but when it came to Sin, I was usually a bit of both.
The sound echoed in the distance again, causing me to abandon the sandy shore and go in search of the man. He was the reason I’d come here in the first place, after all.
“Sin?” I called, pushing past the thick flora and fauna as I wandered deeper into the jungle.
“Looking for me?”
I glanced around, not seeing him anywhere. “Are we playing hide and seek?”
“Up here!”
I lifted my gaze just in time to see him swinging from a thick vine and landing on a tree branch. Even from this vantage point, I could see the sweat glistening on his muscles, his skin bronzed by the sun. That loincloth also left very little to the imagination.Hell, I knew what he was packing under there, and I still had a reaction to seeing him clad in so little.
I could tell he was pleased with himself, so I did my best to swallow a laugh as I asked, “What is all this?”
“Me Sin.” He thumped a fist on his chest and then pointed to me. “You Merri.”
I tilted my head, taking in his cascade of golden hair and bright smile. “I dunno, man. You look more like George of the Jungle to me.”
“So... you think I’m hot.” His smirk was a deadly weapon aimed right at me.
