Page 10 of Malice
With a laugh, Hades strode to the door. “Follow me.”
Chapter
Two
MALICE
The soft click of my kettle turning off coincided with the blue light snuffing out. That was my water ready. Without missing a beat, I began the ritual of preparing my cuppa.
It was a shame we didn’t need to eat because this beautiful kitchen was mostly wasted. Out of the four of us, Chaos and Sin were the most likely to work their way down here and make something, but that was more force of habit. Muscle memory, if you will. Food provided no nourishment or essential function for our kind, but it didn’t harm us to partake either. If anything, I think it was probably some sort of self-soothing behavior.
“I know whyI'mhere. Why areyoulurking in the kitchen?” I asked Grim as I removed my tea bag and set it aside.
Grim released a low hum more akin to a growl, his eyes never leaving the window and the view beyond. “Something is on the horizon. I can sense it. This is the best view of the drive.”
I gave my tea a few stirs before lifting it to my mouth. “And you really think our enemies are going to slowly parade their way up to our front door?”
“I think they are unpredictable, which is why they’ve gotten the drop on us twice already. Can’t you feel it in the air? There is something electric running through my every cell. Intuition perhaps. Either way, a storm is about to break.”
He wasn’t wrong. I could feel it as well but had chalked it up to the continued peril the world was in. I flicked my eyes up to the sky, which was still a fiery blend of red and orange. Before I could reply, Chaos barged into the kitchen, his large frame tense as he gathered ingredients for yet another one of his smoothies. His movements were jerky as he slammed cupboards closed and grumbled to himself without paying the two of us any mind.
“Something bothering you, Chaos?” I asked, finding it odd that three of us were all on edge.
“I need to fuck or I need to fight. I’m on the verge of exploding, and it’s only getting worse.” He ripped open a banana so forcefully the fruit broke in half and fell to his feet. “Fuck!”
Grim simply offered me a raised brow before saying, “Exhibit A.”
“I’m not sure a hankering for violence is really that much of a?—”
Sin’s panicked, albeit muffled, shout rang out from the direction of the stairs. “Guys! Come quick, something’s wrong.”
Grim didn’t bother utteringI told you so. Before I could blink, he was gone. I followed suit, materializing right beside Sin as he stood in Merri’s doorway. That feeling Grim spoke about hit me harder than Chaos wielding a sledgehammer and nearly sent me to my knees.
“Fuck me,” I whispered.
A quick peek showed that my brothers were no less affected. Chaos gripped the door so tight that the wood cracked beneath his hold. Sin was pale, hands shaking as he stared at Merri writhing on her bed.
“What the bloody hell happened?” Grim bit out, the veins in his neck distended as he visibly fought to keep from going to her.
I couldn’t blame him. The way she whimpered and moaned woke that same need to care for her inside me. That, coupled with the intense arousal permeating the room, had me achingly hard in my jeans.
“Sin?” I asked, just the formation of that single word entirely too difficult.
The incubus had to tear his eyes away from Merri before he could respond. “I don’t know. I found her like this. She’s been unresponsive. I don’t think she’s all there right now.”
Merri’s back arched as she traced her fingers along her inner thighs, then up the length of her body. Dammit, I could see how wet she was even through the fabric of her leggings. She gasped and locked eyes with me, her pupils eclipsing those beautiful blue irises along with the sclera, making her appear more demonic than she ever had before.
“She’s not,” I whispered, the first tendril of understanding beginning to form in my mind.
“But this is her power,” Chaos argued, his muscles straining as he physically held himself in place.
And it was her power. It was attempting to lure all four of us to her side like willing captives. But why? What had happened that sent her into such a state?
“I think her hunger is in the driver’s seat right now,” I finally said.
Chaos grunted and shifted on his feet, clearly unsettled. One glance at his tented joggers told me everything I needed to know. He needed to fight or fuck. He’d said it himself. It looked like fuck was the best option. “Is this what it felt like the first time this happened? When you found her in the wine cellar?”
“No,” Grim ground out. “This is worse. That time she was just weak. This feels like she’s gone completely feral.”
