Cole followed Lexi for a few feet before stopping to watch as she disappeared into the hallway above. She’d purposely avoided him, and she needed some time alone. In truth, so did he as the echo of her words continued in his head.
When the click of her door closing sounded a few seconds later, his attention shifted to Sahira. She stood with her shoulders slumped forward and her eyes closed.
“How bad is it with him?” he asked her.
Sahira opened her eyes and met his gaze. “He won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
“And that’s Lexi.”
“Lexi, the manor, and the land. He intends to marry her.”
Cole felt like she’d kicked him in the nuts. Not only could he not stand the idea of Lexi as Malakai’s wife, but he couldn’t imagine her married to that asshole. Malakai would destroy her.
However, Malakai must want her and everything she offered badly if he was willing to marry her for it. Marriage was sacred to immortals, and it was rare when something other than death severed the bond.
“He’s been asking for her hand in marriage since she was fourteen,” Sahira continued. “Her father always refused him.”
“Fourteen? She was only a child.”
“She was beautiful, even then.”
“I’m sure she was, but immortals don’t marry for beauty or lust.”
“Malakai’s different. His property abuts ours, and not only does he want her, but he’s also after both lands.”
“And when Del refused to let them marry, she became an obsession to him.”
“When Del refused to let her be his concubine, she became an obsession,” Sahira corrected.
“He wanted to take her as a concubine at fourteen?”
“Yes. He later offered marriage, but my brother was not going to let that happen.”
Cole’s claws lengthened and retracted as he glanced over his shoulder at the closed door. He’d never liked Malakai, but now he despised the man even more.
“And now that Del is gone, he thinks it’s open season on her,” Sahira said. “And nothing is going to stop him.”
“I will.”
Sahira laughed mirthlessly and rolled her eyes. “And why would you do that?”
Why would he do that? He wanted and liked Lexi, but why involve himself in her life? He’d never given a single fuck about any of the other women he’d desired before.
However, Lexi wasn’t like those other women. For one thing, her father had been his friend and co-conspirator against the Lord. He was a man Cole respected, and he could not forget Del’s love for his daughter or the fact they were friends.
Cole kept his gaze focused on the front door as he recalled the red in Malakai’s eyes and the hatred on his face. Malakai coveted Lexi, but he also despised her.
Her father had turned him down—she’d turned him down and became the one thing he couldn’t have. If he ever got his hands on her, he would destroy her for that.
“Del was my friend, and I can’t forget that. We saved each other’s lives many times during the war, and I won’t leave his daughter unprotected,” Cole told Sahira.
There was more to it than that, but he wasn’t in the mood to figure it out. Cole stalked away from the door and started up the stairs. He’d only traversed a couple of them before Sahira spoke again.
“And who is going to protect her from you?”
He stopped walking, and his head turned toward her. When he met her steely gaze, Cole glowered at her, but the witch didn’t back down.
Turning away, he stalked up the stairs. When he arrived at the top, he spotted Brokk leaning against the doorway of his room. Cole’s step faltered at the sight of his brother’s sweat-streaked face.
“Who indeed, brother?” Brokk inquired.
Cole’s shock faded as he scowled at his brother. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“Who could sleep with all that pounding?”
Cole strode toward him, and clasping his arm, he swung it around his shoulders and supported Brokk’s weight as he steered him into the room. “You shouldn’t be up.”
“I had to make sure someone wasn’t coming to kill us,” Brokk muttered as he let Cole lead him back to the bed.
Cole lowered his arm from his shoulders and sat him on the edge of the mattress. Brokk fell back with a groan. Grasping his legs, Cole swung them into the bed.
“I’m not an invalid,” Brokk protested, but as he pushed himself up to rest his back against the bed, he winced and lifted his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“You’re barely any better,” Cole muttered as he jerked the blankets over his brother.
“I’m doing a lot better.”
“Yes, you managed to stand today. You’re doing fucking fantastic.”
Cole ignored the finger Brokk gave him.
“What game are you playing with the girl?” Brokk asked when Cole finished getting him settled.
Cole sat in the chair he’d become far too familiar with over the past few days. “I’m not playing any game with her.”
Brokk winced as he pushed himself further into a seated position. “I heard your conversation with Sahira. We’re not exactly known to do things out of the kindness of our hearts, but I’ve never known you to play with an innocent’s head.”
“I’m not playing with her head.”
“She’s young, and we both know she’s inexperienced. She’s led a sheltered life here.”
“How can you say that when you barely know her?”
“I know she’s an innocent, and so do you. I remember how Del talked about her and how he kept her protected from the worst of the realms. He was our friend, and she doesn’t know how to handle creatures like Malakai or us. You’ve never been one to take advantage of that, so what game are you playing, Cole?”
Cole gripped the ends of the chair. “I told you, I’m not playing any game. I owe it to Del and her to keep her safe, and I plan to do exactly that. They took us in here, and they kept you alive; I will repay that debt.”
Brokk’s head fell back and hit the headboard with a small thud. “It’s a debt I’ll repay too, and she is beautiful. They both are.”
“Stay away from Lexi,” Cole warned.
Brokk lifted his head and met his gaze, but his brother was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.