Page 31 of All Your Deadly Truths (The Filthy Duet #2)

Kairhyse

Four days later

R ubbing my temples, I watch as Sydni, Niyla, and Brice converse with the ticket counter attendee here in Ashfer.

This bus and train station is the only transportation service in the city.

Its aquatic theme is just like the rest of the city’s aesthetics; the wide-open ceiling allowing the breeze to flow in straight from the sea itself.

I’m honestly beginning to miss the inner city.

This is our final shot before we move on. A few ports down the coast have reported strange ‘sea’ activity. I have no idea what that entails, but anything out of the ordinary right now is worth chasing down.

“I feel like we got off on the wrong foot, Kairhyse.” Alaric steps up just enough to come into my line of sight.

“I don’t think so,” I remark. “You are up to something, and while this little alliance of ours holds steady right now…” Dragging my gaze to his, he simply stares at me with a light smile on his lips. “It won’t last.”

He sighs, but doesn’t shift from his casual demeanor. “We want the same thing.”

“What is that?”

I’m surprised I didn’t take his head immediately when he says, “Xeraphine.”

If he thinks this is going to be some kind of ‘let her choose’ nonsense, he’s delusional. She doesn’t get a choice—it’s me or no one. I’ll end anyone she even so much as considers wanting. This isn’t some love triangle, and there’s no room for him in this equation. Ever.

My teeth grind as I prepare to tell him to fuck right off, when Sydni is by my side. Her heavy, long-winded sigh comes with a simple, “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

With flared nostrils, I turn to look at her. My poor butterfly—her skin is nearly transparent, veins faintly visible beneath, and her eyes are fading to a soft pink. She needs to feed, or I’m not sure she’ll be of any use to us. As for me, I feel… fine, ironically. Physically, at least.

I feel irrational about everything. Alaric could have simply meant getting Xeraphine back, but my mind immediately went to him trying to win her over. He doesn’t understand her, Gods themselves , she eats men like him for breakfast and shits them out by dinnertime.

Maybe entertaining it would have my little demon doing that… Destroying him… maybe…

Shaking my head, I look up at Niyla who comes to stand right behind her. She has her eyes trained on Alaric when she says, “Bay authorities said that a little over a month ago, cameras went out around the marina. They offered all the video footage they have for the past ninety days.”

“I can’t find it a coincidence, the timing of that,” Syd says.

“Doesn’t matter. It just means we won’t get anything on the video footage— Godsdamn it !” I shout.

Running my hand across my face, I look up through the open ceiling. What am I going to do?

“We can’t leave now with this—” A soft oof catches me, bringing me to find Sydni falling against Brice. There’s a girl on the floor, shaking her head, and snarling as she looks up at my butterfly.

“Watch it!”

Niyla bites out, “You ran into us !”

The girl scrambles, her black hair that’s soaking wet, falling over her shoulders. “Yeah, well, get out of the walkway.” She shoves past us and moves straight to the ticket counter.

Brice has his hands on Sydni’s shoulders. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She shrugs him off and turns to look at the girl. “That was rude.”

“Hi, I need you to help me find someone.” That girl is basically screaming at the attendee. I grab Sydni’s wrist, and begin directing us away from them. “What do you mean you can’t help me? Who the fuck can up here?!”

“Why would she come to a transportation department for help?” Niyla comments, also checking on Sydni as we make our way toward the door.

“I need you to send me to him…” Her words trail off as we make it to the exit. The moment we break through the door, Sydni stops.

“What now?” My irritation isn’t directed at her; it’s just the frustration with everything else, and it seeps into every word I speak these days.

“She seems like she needs help.”

I love this girl and her big heart, but I don’t give a fuck about anyone else right now. Especially some strange girl that seems lost .

“They’ll direct her to the authorities.” I try again to pull her along, but she halts me. The growl that rumbles in my throat makes her tense.

“Let me just… I’ll help her. Maybe some good karma will come our way because of it.” She jerks her wrist away from my grasp, and I throw my head back. I would say we don’t have time for this, but fuck Belial himself, it’s like we have all the time in the world!

I charge after her, not to stop her, but to make sure nothing goes wrong. She’s hungry, and if this girl with her arms flailing around decides to hit Sydni, she might lose control and feed on her.

“Hey.” Syd speaks just loud enough to rise above the screams the crazed, black-haired woman is producing. The closer we get, the stronger the scent of saltwater becomes—potent, overwhelming. Dear Gods, it’s as if she’s been living in the sea for years.

“What?!” She turns around and bites out, her teeth are… sharp. That’s different. All of her features are Mundane but that—they are jagged and fit together in perfect symmetry.

“I can help you.”

The girl narrows her eyes. “This dipshit says I should go to the authorities. Where and what even is that?”

Yeah, I’m pretty sure she’s lost her mind.

“They can help, come on, I can take you there.” I really want to protest, truly I do, because I fear helping her will only make her cling to Sydni. And we can’t help her—not beyond what we’ve already done.

“Do you have a phone?” I ask. Maybe we can just put it into her navigation and get her there that way.

“A phone?” She narrows her eyes, looking between the two of us.

Oh boy. I look at Sydni, and I think she is regretting this decision too. “Never mind.”

“No, don’t ‘never mind’ me. Will it help me find someone? Don’t keep secrets, asshole, just tell me what it is!”

This girl is something else.

“Okay, first, what is your name?” My own irritated tone now overshadowing the casual one I was trying to maintain.

“Sinnix. How can I find someone? Names waste time!”

Sydni steps between us while I throw my head back in frustration and turn from them. Fuck this , she can take that brat to the authorities. Niyla can watch her. My patience for this is none and I will snap that girl’s neck just for breathing on me.

“My name is Sydni. Are you from around here?”

“What did you say?” Sinnix responds, her voice higher in pitch.

I’m moving further away, continuing my rush for the exit, when Sydni repeats herself. “My name, it’s Sydni. Are you from around here? Ashfer?”

“What is his name?”

I groan and shout over my shoulder back at her. “Syd, enough, she doesn’t need to know our fucking names.”

“Rhyse. Don’t mind him, he’s trying to?—”

“Is that short for something?”

My foot halts mid-step, and I swear my pulse spikes. I’m not sure if it’s from fear, or anticipation. Why is she pressing?

Peering over my shoulder, I catch Sydni’s gaze. Her eyes are questioning, unsure whether to speak up. And truthfully, I don’t know if she should. People are looking for us. It’s dangerous to just give our names out so casually.

“Is it Kairhyse?”

I take a single step forward, sprinting to them and placing myself between Sydni and the girl. The sudden movement causes my butterfly to gasp in surprise.

“How the fuck do you know that?” I grind through my teeth. “Don’t be coy either, I want to?—”

“Holy Thaldris himself.” She shakes her head and laughs through her words. “Here I thought I’d have to be one of you land-fuckers for longer than a day… Belial must be looking out for her.”

Chills ripple through me, coursing up and down my body more than twice, from head to toe.

“I know where Xeraphine is.”

I release a shaky breath.

“And before you ask, yes, I’ll take you to her.”