Page 26 of King of Malice

I know why I’m here, what I want to accomplish. But is it wrong that part of me is really enjoying being in Dimitri’s house, next to his strength?

It’s like exhaling after holding my breath for a long time. I almost tell him that I love his voice on the other end of the line too.

That it makes me warm, but I hold my tongue as I bring the little cup to Anna’s lips. She drinks down the medicine and then curls back into me.

I coo, rubbing her back as I snuggle her to my chest, giving a soft bounce of comfort. Dropping my cheek to the top of her head, I start for her bedroom.

Dimitri makes this back of the throat rumble. “I wish I was there with both of you.”

The words are so…intimate. I let them wash over me. I wish he was here too. I am in so much trouble. “Does the fever change bedtime?”

“Most likely, yes. Especially with the earache. It helps to keep her upright.”

“All right,” I nod along with Dimitri’s words.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“Home,” I repeat, looking around. This place, for all its grandeur still feels way more like a home than my place ever did.

Maybe it’s the way I can feel Dimitri’s strength in the furniture, or the fact that he clearly loves his daughter so much. Or how the kitchen is stocked with healthy and delicious meals.

I hug Anna tighter.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” he asks into the line.

How can this be the man Steve talked about? He’s full of contradictions that just don’t make sense. “I’ll be fine. I’ll see you soon?”

“Soon,” he murmurs.

I hang up, hating to let him go.

Taking Anna into her room, I get her settled into her pajamas, grab a blanket and return to the living room, where I snuggle us into a recliner.

With her body molded to mine, I wrap her in the blanket, rubbing her back.

She’s restless at first, shifting as she tries to get comfortable.

After a bit of fussing, she falls asleep. Kissing her head, my own eyes get heavy. We’re warm and cozy, her weight on my chest a comfort. It’s been the craziest day.

I haven’t learned much about Cadence, but it’s only one of the many mysteries I can’t tease out.

What I really need to do is learn more about the man I live with. He holds all the answers I need. Not just about Cadence.

Or even what kind of man he is.

I’m beginning to realize, I have a lot to learn about myself too.

CHAPTER NINE

Dimitri

I pullup to the giant gate outside Triston’s house. It’s so risky to be here alone. Not only will there be several men here who consider me their enemy, but I’ve come to Triston’s home where he could have set up any number of traps for me to fall into.

These men believe that I bombed one of their clubs, shot up Killian Smith’s apartment.

I blow out a breath. My first job will be to tell them the truth. Then the negotiations can begin.

The gates swing open, my driver rolling the car through opening and driving up the long drive to the mansion that sits set well back from the road. A wall encases the entire property, all of it meticulously landscaped.