Page 78 of The Crownless King
Anger burned through the last of his good mood and he stepped closer to the warlocks. Sebastian stepped back to allowhim room. One male gazed at Levi through the eye not swollen shut, though it was well on the way. The other hung useless in his shackles, his breathing labored, on the brink of death. Levi dismissed that one and focused on the warlock in front of him.
“Who hired you?” He didn’t care about any other information the males might have.
The male’s body shuddered and he shook his head. “Don’t know.”
Levi sighed.
The hard way then.
Staring into the warlock’s eyes, Levi delved into his mind, not bothering to be gentle about it. He chuckled as the male’s every memory opened up to him. Before Amaya, Levi would have had to take blood to get this type of access, but with their combined power, he easily took over the warlock’s mind. Shuffling through his memories, he saw that the male had been telling the truth. They’d been hired via a website. Levi filed away the address for their safehouse and the others in the crew that had eluded his men.
The male released a relieved breath when Levi retreated from his mind. “See? I’m not lying.”
Levi smiled. “I know you don’t think that matters. You came after my queen and death is my only response to that.” He gripped the warlock’s chin, grunting in pleasure when his jaw cracked. “You’ll be lucky if I allow you to die with your sanity intact.”
The male whimpered and Levi released him, stepping back. “Let them rest a while, Bas. Can’t let ‘em die before we really have fun.”
With those parting words, he left the basement. Lucas met him at the top, waving an envelope at him. Levi lifted an eyebrow, waiting on his friend to speak.
“Your invitation to the governor’s ball came in,” Lucas said with a smile.
Levi nodded, no closer to the reason for his friend’s smugness. They received the invitation every year. Some years he attended, most he did not. His attendance had always been contingent on his needs that year. While the whole thing was held under the guise of charity, most treated it as the opportunity to make deals while the city officials were inebriated and feeling generous. Levi was no different.
Lucas waved the envelope again. “I persuaded your favorite governor to hire the same staff the Collective uses for their events.”
This time Levi understood the underlying words. Lucas had had a hard time finding the woman who had served him the drink at the Collective’s meeting.
“They could’ve killed her by now,” Levi said.
“Maybe.” Lucas shrugged. “Or maybe they’re arrogant enough to think it wouldn’t be needed. It’s not like we can prove you were poisoned by them.”
Levi hummed. “It would be the perfect opportunity to pop out with my mate.”
Lucas bowed. “You’re welcome.”
He could only laugh at his friend. “I applaud your genius,” he said dryly.
Lucas laughed and left Levi. With nothing further to do, he wandered towards the dining room. Ms. Anita and Richard were sitting at the table, whispering to each other. Amaya’s mother had taken a turn for the better as soon as Richard showed up on the scene. As they spent more time together, Anita spent less time in the fugue state her magic had devolved her into. There were still times when she would space out, but they were becoming less frequent.
“Ma,” he greeted, bending down to kiss her forehead.
She cupped his cheek. “You’re older than me,” she chided.
He chuckled at that truth. “Are you doing okay?”
She nodded. “I want you to talk to Amaya.”
Levi held up his hand and sighed. “Ma. You know how your daughter is.”
Richard spoke up. “My home is a fortress, much like yours. I’ll be able to keep her safe.”
“Your boss at the Archive is worried that any of the matings between a Bayi and Chawi will be targeted. You would be safer here.”
“With all due respect, Levi…” Richard started.
Levi shook his head. He wasn’t about to go back and forth with grown ass people. “Amaya was attacked on her way home from work this evening. She’ll be resistant to you leaving.”
Anita gasped and stood. “Is she alright?”
