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EDEN AND MALACHI WERE sitting in the cozy living room of her mansion, drinking wine and soda and catching up. Their partners were meeting with some of the vampire masters who were members of the rebellion. Non-vamps weren’t to be trusted, so the pair had stayed home to chat.
“I can’t believe Sorcha finally hooked up with a guy,” the incubus said incredulously. His half-sister had just finished filling him in on what Kade had told her. “With a warlock, no less,” he added. He slung his leg over the armrest and slurped some soda down.
“I’m glad she finally found someone, but I wish Kade hadn’t hurt her,” Eden said with a glower. The warlock had been trying to apologize to the assassin, but Sorcha was avoiding him.
“Maybe we should visit her and tell her to let Kade break her link to the Immortal Triumvirate,” Malachi suggested.
Eden shook her head. “It’s too dangerous for us to go to our old house. Can you imagine what would happen if the Immortal Triumvirate showed up when we were there?”
Malachi shuddered dramatically. “I still have the teleporting potions Sorcha made for me,” he told her. “We could pop in to see her, then get her to teleport us back here.”
The succubus thought about it, but shook her head again. “We can’t risk it,” she said.
“There’s something you’re not telling me, big sis,” he said astutely.
Eden avoided his eyes and took a sip of wine. “Sebastian has secrets,” she said at last. “Secrets that could get us both killed if anyone found out about them.”
Malachi frowned at the idea that his sibling was caught up in something that sounded dire. “I know Sebastian, Kade and Raum are all a part of the rebellion,” he said. “So is Jardine. It’s dangerous for anyone to speak out about the Immortal Triumvirate. We know that better than anyone.” They shared a glum silence for a few moments before he spoke again. “Fine. We’ll let Kade blunder along on his own when it comes to Sorcha. When he finally gets to apologize to her and convinces her to let him break her link to the Immortal Triumvirate, how do you think they’ll react?”
Eden had already put a lot of thought into what would happen if they were able to free Sorcha. “I think they’ll be pissed that they’ve lost their final assassin,” she said. “They don’t care about us at all, of course. We’re just tools to them, but we’re useful tools. Without us, they won’t have anyone to do their dirty work for them. They can send Xiara Evora out to kill lawbreakers, but they won’t have anyone to eliminate the rebels who are stirring up trouble behind the scenes.”
“I bet they’ll definitely get Wort to start training more assassins the moment they feel their link to Sorcha break,” Malachi predicted sourly.
“If they haven’t already,” the succubus said.
His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t seem particularly surprised. “You’re probably right,” he said. “Losing both of us would have been enough to get them to begin the training process.”
“Sorcha must be run off her feet killing all of the targets by herself,” Eden said. She felt bad for leaving their friend to bear the brunt of the workload.
“How is life with Sebastian?” Malachi asked, changing the topic to a less depressing one.
“It’s pretty good,” Eden said coyly. “It’s tough to live in a disgusting hovel like this, but I’m getting used to it,” she joked.
Malachi looked around at the opulent house and shook his head. “This place is too big for just the two of you. When is your bloodsucker going to form a kiss?”
“When the Immortal Triumvirate has been overthrown and things in Nox return to normal.”
“Nox was never normal, sis,” he said in mock admonishment.
“When it’s back to the way it was before the Drain, then,” she amended.
“Do you think the Night Cursed beings will get their energy back if someone manages to take down our leaders?” the incubus asked.
“I hope so,” Eden replied. “The magic of Nox has to be returned to them so the balance will be restored.” Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure if that was going to be possible. She had the distinct feeling that Sebastian was hiding something from her when it came to taking down their leaders. She hadn’t pressed him about the matter because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he was hiding. The master vampire who had captured her heart would do his best to right the wrongs in the City of Night, but it would take a miracle to restore Nox to how it had once been. Sebastian, Kade and Raum had formed a powerful triad, but she wasn’t sure they would be able to fix everything that was wrong with the city. “How is life with Jardine?” she asked with a smirk. “I don’t see bite marks all over you, so I guess her kiss haven’t gone into a feeding frenzy yet.”
“Very funny,” he said with an eye roll. “Jardine gets a boost of energy when she drinks from me. It’s enough to keep her kiss well fed. They pamper me like I’m an exotic pet. I keep expecting to be given a jeweled collar to wear.”
Eden snickered, then looked at him speculatively. “Would you wear it?” she asked.
Malachi cocked his head to the side as he considered her question. “I’d wear it for Jardine when we’re in bed if she asked me to,” he confessed which made his sister laugh. “I’d do anything for her,” he added with a smile.
“You love her?” the succubus asked in surprise. Malachi was still mischievous and carefree, but he seemed more mature than she remembered. Her little brother had grown up since she’d left the Assassin Guild. Believing she’d died had probably been partly to blame.
“Yeah, I do,” he admitted. “I think she loves me, too,” he added.
“I thought leeches were too evil to be able to feel love,” Eden said. “But I was wrong. I know Sebastian loves me just as much as I love him.”
The siblings shared understanding glances, glad they’d both found someone who made them happy. They’d been rescued from their misery, but Sorcha was still trapped in her nightmare of a life. “I hope Kade can get his act together soon,” Malachi said. “Sorcha needs to get free from our leaders before she gets killed on a mission. She was wrecked when we thought you’d died. I can only imagine how distraught and angry she is now that I’m no longer there.”
“She’s too smart to make a stupid mistake,” Eden said, hoping she wasn’t wrong. “Wort was an utter bastard, but he trained us well.”
They shared another glance, but it was grim this time. The satyr had taught them to stalk their foes and to kill in countless ways. Sorcha had the advantage of being a sorceress, so she could call on magic to get her out of any scrapes she got into. As long as she kept her cool, she would be fine. Or so they hoped.
