Page 154 of Terror at the Gates

Fucking demon blobs.

Chapter Nineteen

I opened my eyes, instantly awake.

It was like I’d been startled, but the only sounds were Coco’s and Cherub’s quiet breathing.

At first, I thought I had just closed my eyes, but when I rolled over to check the time, I found it was midnight. I’d been asleep for a few hours.

Given my haphazard schedule, I wasn’t surprised my body seemed to think it was daybreak.

I rose quietly, wondering if Zahariev had returned, though it was also possible he was asleep. I wanted answers badly enough, I’d probably wake him if he was.

I checked his office first, which was on the other side of the house. The door was slightly ajar, a blade of light cutting through the dark hallway. As I neared, I heard the low exchange of voices and soon recognized both: Zahariev and Cassius.

“So what are you going to do?” Cassius asked.

“Ask her what she wants,” Zahariev said.

“You’re going toaskher?” he repeated. “Zahariev, this isa decision you should make. You are the head of this fucking family.”

“I have decided. You just don’t like it.”

“Because I know what she will choose, and then we’ll be at war over a fucking woman who decided she was too good for her own family.”

I heard a thud. That was when I pushed open the door and saw Cassius holding his nose. His gaze was angry and his eyes watered.

“You want to ask me something?” I said, looking at Zahariev.

“Just in time, little love,” he said, talking around the cigarette in his mouth while he shook his hand out, like he was trying to get rid of the sting. “Have a seat. Cassius.”

It was clear Zahariev was dismissing his brother, who stormed out and slammed the door behind him. The sound made me tense. I gripped the back of the chair, not really eager to sit like Zahariev had directed.

“Well?” I prompted.

He wasn’t looking at me. I didn’t think he was looking at anything, maybe a speck of dust on his desk as he held his cigarette poised between his thumb and forefinger. The silence worried me. Finally, he spoke.

“Your fiancé went to the commission to petition for Hiram,” he said.

“Don’t call him that,” I said, bristling at the word.

“It turns out Macarius thought you were dead. Now that he knows otherwise, he has asked for your return and for Archbishop Lisk to grant a quick wedding.”

“Couldn’t he have waited until my parents were in the fucking ground before staking his claim to my father’s district?”

“It’s not every day an entire district is up for grabs,” said Zahariev. “A lot of men are going to come out of the woodwork to claim ownership, but that all disappears if there’s proof Lucius chose an heir.”

“Isthere proof?” I asked.

“Macarius says your father died before any contract could be finalized and signed, but Lisk confirmed he knew of the arrangement.”

“And you’ve accepted his word?”

Zahariev’s mouth tightened. “They believe Lucius told Lisk of his plan for the engagement, but the commission was not informed, which is unusual when selecting nonblood heirs. They have decided to delay their decision until after your father’s funeral.”

I curled my fingers into fists. “You mean myparents’funeral? I know the commission only acknowledges women when they want to eat and fuck and use their magic, but my mother died in that explosion too.”

And she might have been terrible to me, but she was dedicated to their shitty system and deserved their respect.