Page 6 of Fated Unkindness
“You look like hell. Maybe since it wasn’t some asshole trying to steal shit or people, you can just go sleep it off?” She suggests with a laugh under her breath.
“Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. You’re going to be there to question her, right?” I ask.
“Yep, I wouldn’t miss it. Because she was injured, they are doing the questioning in the morning. The girl sounds like a badass though, Dax. And you know, I can never have too many badass friends. Honestly, I hope she sticks around, judging only by what I know now.” She says this as she puts her arm around my waist to help me. She guides me up to the boat house. There’s a small living quarter above it that I tend to spend more time in than I do in my room at the estate. Kait stays at the door as I stumble into the living space and flop down onto the settee, legs wide and arms crossed beneath my head. I pass out almost immediately. The last thing I hear as I drift off to sleep is Kait laughing, closing the door, and locking it with a firm click.
I sleep my drunken rage off and wake up early the next morning. I bathe and come out to the kitchen in my towel, hopeful that coffee will help with this splitting headache I woke up with. I knowI could just heal myself with an elixir, but it’s a sick sort of game I play with myself because I know I deserve the pain and I’m already healing quickly without intervention. I stand on the balcony of the boat house, drinking my coffee, when the door opens and my little brother and Kait come in with a plate full of my favorite breakfast foods. The scent of melted cheese, eggs, potatoes, and peppers makes my mouth water.
“Ah, now that's what I'm talking about.” I groan and grab Kait, holding her face between both of my palms. I kiss her on the forehead.
“Hey! The food was my idea! Where is my kiss!?” Trent whines playfully. I punch him in the arm and snatch the plate of deliciousness from him.
“Thanks for the breakfast, but I’m not kissing your ugly mug,” I laugh out at him.
He gives me a dirty look and says, “Jokes on you bro, everyone says I look just like you when you were my age.”
“Damn. Well in that case…” I grab him and pull him into a headlock rubbing his hair with my knuckles and starting to take him down combat style, in the living room, just like Ma never liked. I don’t know what has gotten into me. I haven’t felt this cheerful and awake in ages, but there is a weird tingly feeling brushing at my skin causing me to want it…happiness.
Kait is laughing and picking up a fork she stabs a large bite of meat and potatoes off my plate. Talking around her food she says, “Enough fucking around assholes. Let’s get down to the square before Cano gets back in there with her. Shit got weird last night.”
I look at her with a sour face. “What do you mean shit got weird last night? I thought she wasn’t being interrogated until this morning?”
Trent slaps me on the back. “The female that crossed the border last night is built different, bro. She’s powerful, and not just like normal powerful… like, could be the change we need in the battle with Demetrey powerful, but that’s not the weird part.” He shares a look with Kait who just looks kind of shocked, her brows raised and one quirked higher than the other.
“Cano lost his shit last night when he took this female into questioning. People are talking and think that they may be mates because of the sudden change in him.” That gets my attention. There haven’t beenactualmates in the kingdom in years because of the poison the Demetrey are spewing.
I don’t say anything else. I just walk to the closet and get dressed. I keep a few changes of clothes here for when nights like last night happen. This tends to happen more often than not these days because of the fact that I can’t stand being around Cano more than I need to be. Black training gear, leathers and boots unlaced, because it bothers Cano. I smirk at them knowingly, and march from the boat house without another word. Kait and Trent don’t need me to say anything to know where I’m going.
We get to the square just after sunrise, but Cano is already there. He’s speaking to the guards at the front door in a hushed voice, which isn’t uncommon. It doesn't go unnoticed that he’s been extra secretive lately. I don’t pay him any fucking mind as I stride right up to the doors to wrench them open. As the commander, it’s my job to question those who enter our town unannounced. Before my foot steps through the door though, Cano’s fist slamsinto the side of my head. I react immediately, even with my slower reflexes due to my excessive drinking last night.
Grabbing his wrist, I grunt and flip him over me. He lands on his back, the breath whooshing from his lungs, and me standing over his face. I crouch down and whisper through clenched teeth, for only him to hear.
“You may think you are more powerful than me, but let me remind you… I chose not to be in your seat. I choose every day not to take your place. Put your fucking hands on me again, you won’t stroke yourself again for the rest of your life because I willtakethem. Do you understand me?” He growls in response, kicking dirt trying to get up from where I have him laid out, but his feet struggle to find purchase.
When he finally stands, he takes a step back and says loudly. “No one is to enter the questioning center. Only me and my direct crew. So, ‘commander’ I suggest you and your little friends take a hike until we get this settled.”
I narrow my eyes on him, but I don’t have to say anything because at that precise moment, the front door opens and a beautiful woman walks out onto the colonnade, all confidence. She puts one hand on her hip and looks between the two of us. Her silver blonde hair is down in loose curls to her mid-back. She has emerald green eyes and lightly sun-kissed skin. I clench my jaw to stop it from dropping. I have never seen a female as beautiful as her. No wonder Cano is losing his shit. Power wrapped up into a pretty, curvy, little package. I have the urge to drop to one knee and pledge myself to this perfect deity, but I resist that urge. I fight and grind my teeth until I think they mayactuallyturn to sand in my mouth.
Cano on the other hand… he’s on both knees apologizing for waking her. My face contorts showing my disgust for his display openly. She is staring at him, her arched brows pulled together then she tilts her head in my direction.Our eyes lock. I feel it again then. The pulse of power radiating from her. Not only that, though, there is something else. I can’t quite place it. The tingling feeling I felt brushing my skin at the boat house, like pins and needles prickling my palms, but it was starting in my gut. Before I pay it any more attention she speaks again demanding my attention, and I am again hoping I have teeth left in my mouth when I am done with this interaction.
“I think I am more than capable of deciding who I speak to, thank you Cano. Please stand, I am more than happy to answer any questions. I came here for shelter and to help with the Demetrey problem, and not cause more trouble for you and your territory.” She says as she walks down the stairs and puts her hand on Cano’s shoulder urging him to stand. I can see the puppy eyes Cano is giving her. I see what he is seeing. Power. He is not weak by any means, but he is not the strongest among us. That role lands on my shoulders. However, not many know that because I keep it locked down. I’m not one for leadership, not anymore. I’m Dax, the asshole who gets drunk and passes out at the boat house. I’m the asshole who killed his own family when my anger became too much for me to handle, and I lost control of my power.
“You heard her Cano. She wants to talk to me.” I smirk at him just because I know it will piss him off then strut into the inquisition center and the female whispers to him loud enough, I can hear. This is no mate situation for Cano, I know that much.This is Cano wanting to seize more power for himself. He's a power-hungry fool.
“You don’t need to fuss over me, I can handle myself.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about.” Cano huffs out, his eyes throwing daggers in my direction. She touches his cheek and smiles lightly. The look she gives him is placating and intentional. When she turns to follow me into the building, she winks and my skin vibrates in response.Fucking hell.I do everything I can to stay true to my normal asshole self. I don’t need people talking about my business, but I feel a pull to her.
“My name is Raelle. And you are?” She asks chin high, but the tone is much more interested than when she was speaking to Cano. At least I think it is.
I stare at her for a moment and pull a chair out. She thinks I’m offering her a seat but that isn’t my norm, so instead I twist the chair around and sit on it backward. “Dax. I’m not here to be your friend Rae... I’m here to see if your story checks out. I’m here to get to the bottom of this, and find out what cracks I can see in your bullshit.” She looks at me completely stone-faced. Kait walks in about halfway through my introduction and when I look at her she’s looking at me like I’ve completely lost it. I ignore her and turn to face Raelle.
She is still standing when I face her again. She sits directly across from me and folds her hands on the table, saying. “Dax. I like you. No bullshit. You have questions? Let’s have them. I will answer anything you want. I have nothing to hide. Oh, and can we lose the asshole shit? I don’t want to have to bring my bitch out to play.” At this point, I’m sure I have no teeth left in my mouth. My lips twitch wanting to smile at that hot-as-shit response. I can feel Kait’s eyesburrowing into me, but I can’t make eye contact with her. I can’t peel my eyes off Raelle. The balls on this girl…
Kait is my second in command, and I always allow her in to question with me. We normally have a good back-and-forth we do with offenders or trespassers, but this is different. Kait can feel the tension in me. I see it in the creases on her forehead and the way her lips are pulled down at the corners. She knows me better than anyone and she knows that I’m struggling to keep my power hidden. My hands tremble and I fold my arms to hide it. I don’t know what it is, but it almost feels like the power in Raelle is seeking mine out.
So, I sit quietly and listen as Kait questions Raelle. She does as she says she will, and answers all the questions asked without hesitation, but never takes her eyes off me. I don’t move, afraid that I’m going to lose my control at any second. A cold sweat starts to develop at the nape of my neck. We spend the good part of three hours sitting in the same position as they go over all the questions Kait has for her. When Kait is out of questions she looks at me with a dip of her chin. I stand, spin my chair back around, and push it into the table, pivoting to walk out of the room.
“Wait, that's all? You aren’t going to say anything? After all that chest puffing with Cano?” She asks one brow hitched.
