Page 60 of The Serpent's Bride
“Take her with you,” Mael interjected. “She’s earned the right to a little vengeance.”
Raziel bared his fangs, snarling at his older brother, and swore under his breath. “If she dies?—”
Nadi cut him off. “Then you don’t have to worry about an inconvenient honeymoon. You’d no longer have to decide whether to kill me or turn me. Your problems are solved. You don’t care if I live or die. So, whynotbring me if I want to go?”
The look Raziel gave her made her want to wither into the floor. By the lords below, she hadpissed him off.But a moment later, his expression smoothed, and he reached a hand up to gently cup her chin, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “You want to see what happens when you join this family? You want to play at my heels, and see what kind of a monster I really am? So be it…”
He straightened up, leaving her sitting there, stunned and fighting the urge to shiver. “Very well. She comes with me. And I leave tonight before the cowards can run aground. That concludes our business. So, kindly get thefuckout of my home.”
And just like that, everyone was dismissed. Nadi watched as everyone filed out of the room, muttering to each other. Raziel’s mood had gone from bleak to as dark as the void. She stood, getting ready to go back to bed.
He crossed the room to her before she could slip away, however, grasping her wrist. “You are playing a dangerous game.”
“It seems to me that’s the only kind you play in this family.” She wouldn’t shy away from him. And she wouldnotcower. “I can handle it.”
He yanked her to him without warning, sending her staggering into his chest. Wrapping an arm around her lower back, he pinned her there. Before she could react, he captured her lips in a slow but searing kiss that left her breathless.
Her stomach instantly twisted into knots.
When he parted from her, he looked entirely too pleased with himself. “We shall see. Now. Go back to bed. I have important business to attend.”
With that, like the rest of his family, he walked out of the room without another word, leaving her standing there confused and unsure of what to do. Every time she felt like she knew which way was up with that man, he went and flipped the compass.
Damn him to the fuckingvoid.
She was really looking forward to stabbing him.
SEVENTEEN
Sharp nails traced through her hair, waking her from her sleep.
Nadi’s hand tightened around the handle of the knife under her pillow. But as she slashed at whoever was over her, fingers cinched around her wrist, stopping her before she could strike.
“Ah-ah.” A voice, deep and dark, rumbled over her, followed by a chuckle. “I’m not falling for that a second time.”
Raziel.
Nadi’s heart was pounding in her chest as she blinked herself awake. The vampire—herhusband—was sitting on the edge of the bed, smirking down at her. She had been about to stick a steak knife into his throat, but he had been smart enough to predict the attack.
With his other hand, he pulled the blade from her grasp and tossed it idly to the nightstand. It was clear he didn’t give much of a shit about her attempt on his life. He was already standing, having let go of her wrist. “Get up. It’s time.”
She rubbed a hand over her eyes, sitting up, trying to wake up enough to process what was happening. And now that her eyes were adjusting to the darkness of the room, she noticed something was odd about him. Namely, the way he was dressed.
Furrowing her brow, she tilted her head to the side slightly as she studied him. Usually, he was dressed to the nines—all expensively tailored clothing, every stitch in the perfect place, his hair impeccably combed and clean. But now, his shoes were scuffed and dirty and his pants were a dark denim with gashes in the edges. He wore a dark gray wool vest over a linen shirt and a long black wool coat, none of which looked as though they had been cleaned in a very long time. A flat woolen cap was pulled low over his head, and his hair was oily, tied back at the base of his neck with a cord.
He looked like he had come from one of the steel plants at the edge of the metropolis, complete with the dark stains along his cheek and his neck. If it weren’t for the fact that she’d recognize his faceanywhere, she would have passed him on the street and thought him any other human worker—just another cog in the machine. If a particularly handsome one.
He jerked his head toward the dresser. Following his gesture, she noticed a stack of clothes there, waiting for her. Not the usual overtly sexual fare that he had for her. They looked much more functional—downrightmatronly.Without a word, she climbed out of bed and went to dress.
It was time to go to war. She still hadn’t decided what to do once she got there. Would she turn on Raziel when she had the chance, and kill him? Or help him kill Luciento in the name of her larger revenge on the Nostrom clan? Bet small, or bet big? She…honestly didn’t know.
The idea of slaughtering herown unclein the name of her revenge was—it felt horrible. It feltwrong.Could she go through with it? She honestly didn’t know. Could she kill her family, even estranged from them as she was, in the name of tearing down the Nostroms? At what point was it worth it?
She was so lost in her thoughts that she forgot that she slept naked. Not that it wasn’t anything Raziel hadn’t seen before. But his gaze was burning into her as she walked across the room.
“You heal quickly.”
That was exactly what she was afraid of. He was too observant to let things like that slide. It meant she woulddefinitelyhave to keep reopening the bullet wound.
