Page 64 of King of Malice

The cottages appear ahead of me, the moonlight illuminating their outline.

I hear the door to the left most cabin open, the vague shape of a man appearing in the doorway.

“Zane.” I call out. “It’s Dimitri Ivanov.”

“What the fuck is going on?” he calls back, sounding anything but happy for the interruption.

I sigh, stopping. Zane is a fierce fighter, and a man intent upon protecting his woman. He should not be underestimated. “Betrayal and war,” I answer, tiredness creeping into my voice.

A light turns on in the cabin, backlighting him, a woman appearing in the window.

“Cadence,” he rumbles. “I told you not to?—”

“Cadence,” Ava cries from my arms. “Cadence!”

With a force I never imagined possible, Cadence shoves Zane to the side, sprints down the steps, and runs toward us. “Ava!”

Ava drops from my arms, landing on her feet before she surges forward, nearly falling. “Cadence.” It comes out as a half sob as she stumbles toward her friend.

Zane starts after Cadence, and I fall in step behind Ava until the two women meet each other, wrapping their arms in a tangled embrace that is punctuated with blubbering words I can’t understand.

Zane meets my eye, looking completely bewildered. “What the…”

Did he not understand what Ava actually meant to Cadence? I’ve been crystal clear on the depths Ava would go to help her friend. They are bonded in war, and while complicated, it’s a bond that is nearly impossible to break.

Knowing that Ava is capable of that kind of love is part of what makes her perfect for me.

“They’ve been in the trenches together,” I answer Zane’s partial question, before I touch Ava’s shoulder. “I want you inside, sweetheart. It’s safer.”

I see her nod, even as Cadence’s eyes jump up to mine, her gaze taking in every detail.

I’m watching her right back.

I know she and Ava are opposites in action, but they’re also opposites in appearance. Ava is petite but curvy, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Cadence is tall and lean, built like a model with long, red hair and deep brown eyes that pierce into mine.

While her features are very attractive, there is a hardness in every line that makes her look like a warrior.

Ava pulls back, her arms still around Cadence. “Dimitri’s right. Let’s go inside.”

Cadence is still assessing me. “This is the guy you’re dating?”

“That’s right.”

“Did he get you into this mess?” Cadence’s lip curls.

My own features harden. “Are you certain that wasn’t you?”

Her eyes narrow. “How dare?—”

“Enough,” Ava breaks in. While the word brokers no argument, the tone is soft, easy. “I chose to stay by Dimitri’s side, Cadence.”

Cadence’s gaze flicks to Ava and I watch her soften. “We’ve really got to talk about that, Ava. It’s not healthy, how you pick people who lead you into trouble.”

Cadence grimaces at her own words and I realize she isn’t talking about me, but herself. My shoulders unwind a bit, because I think we’ve understood each other.

But they stiffen again, when I realize she’s right. I have brought heaps of trouble to Ava’s door.