Page 45 of The Crownless King
Levi waited until he was sure Amaya had made it upstairs before he stormed into the house. He skirted the dining room. To run into anyone else would set off the temper he was barely holding on to. He needed…fuck!
What did he need?
He needed her.
Her just being next to him outside had calmed the beast that had rode him all evening while he’d tried to work. Her presence had soothed him and from the moment she stepped outside, her magic had reached inside of him, balancing the conflicting drives between him and the monster the Akachi had made him. And instead of basking in that, he went and opened his mouth. Sitting next to her was both calming and stirring.
His night hadn’t been particularly bad, but he’d spent the majority of it missing her. Frustration had his temper frayed. He’d thought giving her space after their night out would lower the tension rising between them, but if anything, it made it worse. Backing away from her had been hard and he’d braced himself for her renewed requests for freedom. But no escape attempts or pleas came from his mate.
That confusing fucking woman.
He’d let his mask slip at the club and showed Amaya some of the power he’d hidden from her. Slipping into her mind past her shields had been easy, the warning in the action clear to them both. The thought that she would fear him had crossed his mind at the time, but it mattered more to him that he showed hismate just how much restraint he’d had when it came to her. It had worked, but it had also backfired.
The same images he’d projected into Amaya’s mind played in an endless loop in his. Sleeping was out of the question, and most nights, all he could do was sit in his office and watch her sleep. Did he feel bad for the camera he had in her room? Hell no. Did it make him a bit of a creep? Absolutely.
Something between them had to give, or it wouldn’t only be the Akachi driving him to madness.
The moment they’d gotten back from the club, his stubborn witch had fortified the shielding over her mind, keeping him from any hint of her thoughts. All of the progress he’d made with her had been wiped out, but at least now he could lower the façade he kept over his emotions.
Let her feel how she affected him.
Except…Levi didn’t know how she was feeling and that was starting to make him doubt himself. Was he doing the right thing holding her here? Yes, it would keep her safe, but that had nothing to do with his reasoning. Had he been less impulsive, he could’ve found a better way to get her to stay. For once in his long life, Levi found himself unsure.
He’d been ruler over his small coven for close to thirty years. Small shit in vampire years, but in that time, every step he’d taken had been determined, solid. His impulsive decision to secure the Akachi had been the source of his missteps and he was finally at a place where he needed to admit that.
He couldn’t rule his people this way.
What, then, was the alternative? Run to the Archive, hat in hand, and give back the stone? Pride wouldn’t let him do that,and it had nothing to do with the Akachi. He paced his room and fought with his fractured thoughts to gauge a solution to that. Bas touched his mind and caught his attention.
‘Your Highness, a messenger from the Collective has requested a last-minute meeting.’
Levi checked the time on his watch; there was maybe an hour before dawn. He growled at the disrespect. Even though the Bayi were not beholden to the sun, it was still presumptuous for the Collective to send a lackey to him at this hour. They’d caught him in just the right mood too. This messenger would be lucky if he left this compound alive.
‘I’ll be down in a moment,’he told Bas.
His steps were unrushed as he headed downstairs. As he entered his throne room, Bas and Lucas were posted up next to his throne, their balaclavas in place. Settling into his chair, he eyed the Collective’s messenger. The white crew neck sweater the male wore, marked his affiliation. It had a goldCwith a snake winding around it decorating the upper left breast of the sweater. Levi scoffed at the gray glen check slacks the male wore. The warlock was highly overdressed to deliver a message. Especially one that could well end with his death. Clearing his throat, the male waited on Levi to speak.
“What can I help the Collective with?”
“The Collective is requesting a meeting with you,” the warlock announced.
“That could’ve been an email,” Levi said dryly.
“There are rumors that you are holding a Chawi captive. I’ve been sent ahead to see if there is any truth to that.”
“Rumors? As in more than one person speaking on the business that happens behind my compound walls? Does the council have spies among us?”
A small flinch from the male betrayed the truth. Levi kept his face neutral even while anger bubbled in his chest.
‘Bas.’
‘I’ll get to the bottom of it,’Bas reassured him, already knowing what he needed.
If there was a spy among his people, he wanted to know who it was immediately. He focused his attention on their guest. Using the power he’d received when Sebastian mated with Raven, he raised the temperature in the room. It could be the remnants of Amaya’s power curtailing his temper, but instead of lashing out as he wanted to do, he regarded the messenger and allowed his anger to show on his face. Sweat beads gathered on the male’s temple and he tugged on the collar of his sweater. Levi let the male sit in the heat and uncomfortable silence for a long moment before he finally spoke.
“If you think I’ll allow the Collective to further disrespect my coven by letting them to search my compound, you must be dumber than you look.”
“Either that or he’s ready to meet the final and lasting death,” Sebastian said next to him.
