Page 2 of The Serpent's Bride
Turning on his heel, he looked at the man sitting in the chair across the room from him before letting out a long, heavy sigh. Tilting his head to the side slightly, he clicked his tongue. “Marley, Marley, Marley…you really are terrible at this, aren’t you?”
The man in question let out a growl of rage and defiance as he clung to some pathetic shred of dignity. “What I’m upset about is…He sent the Serpent to deal with me?I didn’t even warrant Mael coming in person to do the deed?Doesn’t Mael understand I never meant—” He choked off in pain.
“Never meant what? Insult? Offense?” Walking across the plush carpet, Raziel went over to the large house plant Marley kept in a vase by the window in his office. It offended him for several reasons. One, it was needlessly ostentatious. Two, itstank of the Wild. And third, Marley was clearly forgetting to water the damnable thing and it was beginning to brown at the edges.
That Marley would bring a piece of the Wild into hisplace of businessonly confirmed that Raziel’s brother Mael had been right about his suspicions. Not that it mattered anymore.
“Come now. I’ve heard it all. What kind of excuse are you going to invent this time, Marley?” Raziel moved to half sit on the edge of Marley’s desk, putting him only inches away from his victim. “Mael spared your life once. He sent me to make sure he wouldn’t be fooled a second time.”
Marley wasn’t restrained; Raziel had no need for anything so mundane as protection from humans. And, clutched in one hand, Marley held a pocketknife, slicked red with blood that had come from the several fresh holes in his right thigh.
Marley didn’t respond, just whimpered.
“Now. Stop changing the subject. Tell me who you were working with, and I’ll let this be quick.” Raziel smiled warmly, casually tucking his hands into his pockets.
Marley grimaced. “Fuck you,Serpent. Fuck you, and your whole vampire family. Yeah. I sold you out. I’ve been selling you out for years. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Laughing, Raziel shook his head. “Humans. You get so petulant when cornered.Again.”
Marley picked up the knife and stabbed himself in the thigh without a moment of delay. He had no choice, after all. Raziel had told him to do it.
“Who were you working with?” Raziel’s power applied to physical actions—but sadly notwords.It was quite obnoxious. Hecouldcommand someone to speak, but what would fall out of their mouths would just be nonsense. He might as well tell them to bark like a dog.
Which was usually quite amusing, but he was not in the mood at the moment. He was in a bit of a rush.
Marley was shaking now. He was going into shock, despite his absolutelymiserableaim with the knife.
But he stayed quiet.
Very well.
Have it your way.
Taking Marley’s face in his hands, Raziel tipped it up to look at him—firmly, but not forcefully. He smiled again. “Marley, you and I both know you’re going to die tonight. Give me the name of the faescumyou sold Mael’s shipment to, and I will let you die quickly and peacefully. Don’t, and you know how painful I can make this for you. It’s your choice. Your part in all of this is over. Loyalty will get you nowhere.”
Marley shut his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks and onto Raziel’s hands. “Th—the Iltanis…”
Straightening up, Raziel patted his victim on the shoulder. Heading for the door, he took his pocket square out of his pants’ pocket and cleaned his palms. “Thank you, Marley. Be a dear and slit your throat. Deeply. Don’t want you to spend all night gurgling on the carpet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a wedding to plan.”
The quietthumpfrom behind him was the last time Marley ever crossed Raziel’s thoughts. Folding the pocket square and tucking it back into the pocket of his pants, he headed down to street level where his car was waiting for him.
A wedding to plan.
What ajoke.
To a woman he’d never met—one served up to him like a sacrificial lamb. She’d been traded away by her father like so much meat at a market. He wondered how much thisMonica Valanknew about the deal. He almost felt bad for her.
Almost.
Nadi walked into the expensive hotel room, quickly glancing over the space. A luxurious king-sized bed with decadent, golden silk sheets. Large glass windows tastefully tinted to avoid any onlookers seeing anything…untoward.
An expensive and discreet hotel.
It catered to a very specific kind of clientele. Which meant that it wasn’t her first time in the building, though her first time on such a high floor. In the basement there was a jazz nightclub that was the talk of the metropolis, all brass and rose granite and flapper dancers in shining sequined dresses.
The man who had booked the room walked in behind her.What was his name again? Danton? No, Denton. Mark Denton.
Denton locked the door, throwing the series of large and newfangled deadbolts. They wouldn’t be disturbed until morning.
