Page 52 of Malicent (Seven Devils #1)

Millicent

“ALMOST! THERE!” OLLIE GRUNTS, PRESSING his feet to my shoulder, using his entire body weight to pry the collar off.

“Oliver, the bloody thing won’t come off unless the one who placed it removes it!” I snap.

“Me Misses, we just need oil! Ollie was stuck in a slide once, oiled myself right up I did! Slipped right out!”

When the hell did this happen?

Oliver hops off the bed, his solid form turning to gas as he zips away on his mission for oil. Wonderful. I’m going to be a greased-up pig. I shift my glare to the window where Nora’s owl perches like a smug sentinel.

“You can’t do anything to get me out of this? Seriously?”

Why the hell can’t Nora get this thing off me?

Elders are the oldest witches in a coven. Their magic’s strength grows with age. Nora is an incredibly strong witch and a big reason our coven is so respected by others.

The owl clicks its beak and then plays a recording of Nora’s voice: “Millicent, your own stupidity got you into this. You can get yourself out. I told you to behave, and, per usual, you can’t control yourself.”

Shame floods through me, which seems to always accompany a speech from her. A small flicker of anger pushes against it. “Thanks for nothing,” I mutter under my breath, too low for the owl to hear.

Iris is my best chance at getting this thing off, but I have avoided her—and anyone else—for the past four days since waking up. I lost control. I tried to kill Kalix. Whatever’s going on between him and Iris, she cares for him. Talking to her now seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Ollie crashes around the bathroom, his bottles of oil clinking like a cacophony of chaos. That’s my cue. I slip out in search of Iris.

Her lab door creaks as I open it. Inside, she’s hunched over a corpse, peering through a large magnifying glass while prodding around its intestines. I make sure my steps are loud, and I close the door with purpose—no surprises.

“Back already? You better not have eaten any of my mangos on the way here, Kalix. I swear, if you did, I’ll send you right back to cut some more up.”

“It’s Millicent,” I say softly, crossing the room at an even pace.

She pauses, stripping off her gloves to reach for her journal. “You’re awake; how do you feel?” She still hasn’t looked at me. That’s not like her.

“I’ve been better. First time I’ve ever woken up with a collar on,” I reply, tapping at the cold steel.

“It’s unfortunately necessary.”

“So…you agreed to it?”

“Don’t accuse me of being a part of that decision,” she says, sighing as she flips open her journal. Then her gaze finally meets mine, sharper and heavier than I’ve seen before. “You tried to kill Kalix.”

Her voice darkens. There’s a new chill to her that prickles across my skin.

“Iris, Cage attacked me. My magic reacted.”

“You attacked him first. Take responsibility.” She closes the journal. “I’m sorry it’s like this. I wanted to trust you.”

“I’m…I'm sorry, Iris.” I force the words out, pride scraping my throat on the way up. She reminds me of Arcadia—of a version of home that still means something to me. My chest tightens over the thought of Iris shutting me out.

She studies me like some complex puzzle, uncertain on whether she wants to solve it. I suppose I am in some ways. “I’m sorry you had to be collared. I know how awful it must feel being cut off from your magic. You will be allowed in certain situations; Tyran will explain the details.”

The tension between us continues to make me feel uneasy. I spin my ring on my thumb in an attempt to ease my discomfort.

“Kalix is important to me,” she says. “He didn’t go out there expecting to die.

He is smarter than that. He planned. Even with all the preparation, I still hated the threat to his life.

” Her voice sharpens to a lethal blade. “If you ever hurt him again—if you kill him—I will tear you apart and reshape you into beasts to serve me forever.”

Damn. Touchy . “But you’re not dating, right?” I tease, forcing a small smile in an attempt to ease the tension between us. Some people flinch at a person’s darkness, but that’s not my style. I live there too.

Iris's features soften, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. “Right.”

She closes the space between us, pulling me into a tight hug with the heavy sigh a parent makes when their child inevitably hurts themselves again.

Whatever walls I’m trying to keep up collapse.

I return her embrace, just as tightly. I feel her forgiveness and relief untying the knot in my chest. When she pulls away, she gives me a firm nudge toward the door and tells me to seek out Felix.

She’s swamped, apparently, with a backlog of specimens piling up. I catch a few glimpses of Kalix haunting her halls like a shadow hoping for an opening.

I guess the mangos were just a delivery after all.

My search for Felix lands me outside his bedroom. I knock, and when he calls out for me to enter, I step inside.

“Felix,” I say, slipping into his room and closing the door behind me.

He’s out on the balcony, his legs stretched lazily across a lounge chair to bathe in the warm midday sun.

“Princess! Ah, you’re up! Come join me!” He’s all sunshine and mischief, as usual. I half expected my outburst to earn at least a sharp word or two, but apparently not. Ever the stormproof lighthouse, Felix just beams at me like he always does.

I cross the room and settle into the chair beside him, letting the sun soak into my skin. When I meet his gaze, I raise a brow.

“You don’t sound mad at all.”

“I’ve had days to cool off and move past the idea of beheading you,” he says, flashing a mischievous grin.

“Fantasizing about killing me?”

“Naturally. It’s great stress relief.”

I laugh. I’ve come to enjoy our banter. Felix is fire and laughter—a constant positive spark.

I thought him foolish and na?ve when I first arrived.

Now, I find myself seeking out his company more and more.

It unsettles me, forming this bond with a mortal, but Iris’s words echo in my head.

She cares for Kalix, and I don’t think her weak for it.

“So, instead I got collared?”

“Correct. Cage placed it under my command. It’ll come off when you’re deployed in the field and need full access. Once you have adjusted, if you and Cage can tolerate each other, and the team deems it safe, then we’ll remove it.”

“A team vote?” I scoff. The idea feels absurd.

“Yes, Millicent. This isn’t a one-witch show. We work as a team. That means, no stabbing people.”

Ah. So, Cage told him. I wonder how much he revealed . Did he gloss over the details, or did he share everything? His eyes give nothing away. If he knows, then he’s playing it close to the chest. Or maybe it’s nothing new for Felix to hear.

“No stabbing, and a team vote. Got it.”

“Don’t pout, princess. You’re no harmless flower. It’s like watching an alligator pout; it’s honestly unsettling.”

I kick out, nearly knocking him off his chair. His laughter bursts out of him, filling me with warmth and joy. It’s the kind of joy Arcadia and I once shared on the riverbanks in high summer. It settles in my chest like sunlight.

“My pout is cute,” I protest.

“You’re fishing for compliments, and I’m not biting.”

This time, I kick much harder. He tumbles from the chair with a dramatic yelp. Before I can gloat, his hand shoots out and grabs my ankle, and he yanks me down to the ground beside him.

I land with a laugh, breathless and smiling as the stone warms my back. The anxiety I carried earlier slips away, exhaled in laughter as I stare up at the passing clouds.

“What if I broke my ass from that fall?” I ask, playing it up dramatically. The fall didn’t hurt at all.

“You slid onto the ground. ‘Fall’ is a strong word.” Felix says, rolling his eyes. He lifts an arm, pointing upward to a cloud. “That one looks like a bunny.”

“I see a duck.”

He turns his head, angling it slightly to the left.

“Look at something one way, get one result. Look at it another way, get something entirely different. Perspective, Millicent.” He pauses, finger tracing the shape of the cloud. “It’s all just perspective. And our views don’t make either of us wrong. We’re both right.”

His words land too directly to be random. I stare up at the sky, chewing them over. Does perspective really matter in situations where risk and reward are such high costs? At least someone has to be wrong in those situations.

“You know I talked to Cage?” I whisper.

“No,” he replies gently. “I had hope that you’re strong enough to do it.”

He takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. The touch is simple but grounding. After everything I’ve endured the last few days, I don’t want to leave this moment.

“Can we lay here a while?”

“For as long as you need, princess.”

That nickname pulls at something deep in me; Arcadia’s voice echoes:

As you wish, Your Highness.

I squeeze his hand in return. I don’t ask for comfort, but he gives it anyway. Arcadia would be proud of me. I’m letting a mortal touch me, and I'm enjoying his company.

I glance over at Felix. The sun catches the gold in his clothes and lights his curls like a halo. Even his eyes shine brighter in daylight; they’re alive with boyish wonder as he points out new clouds and guesses their shapes.

The warmth of the sun bakes into my skin. I welcome it. I don’t know when I drift off.

I wake, still curled beside him, the stone warm beneath us. Felix hasn’t moved, apparently joining me for a nap in the sun.

“Felix,” I whisper, gently shaking him. “Come. You should sleep in your bed.”

He stirs, mumbling as he struggles to keep his eyes open in the haze. He nods with a sleepy yawn, sitting up with bleary eyes.

I help him inside, guide him to his bed, and then slip away in silence.

On my way back to my room, I spot Kalix drifting down the hall that leads to Iris’s lab. Just like before.

I pass Kalix in the hall, unsure what I’m supposed to say. His brow arches as I pass without a word. His hand darts out, catching my arm. “Whoa, whoa, whoa…slow it down, little witch.”

I keep my eyes lowered, “Kalix, I’m sorry. I—"

He cuts me off. “Millie, we all have bad shit in us. Sometimes our demons break loose. That’s all that happened.” His hand drops from my arm. “Honestly, even Cage can set me off.”

His acceptance disarms me. I don’t know how to respond. I’m not used to being met with understanding instead of judgement in light of my mistakes.

What kind of demons must he carry to say that so easily?

“I’m not good, Kalix,” I murmur. “You all seem good, and I’m not.”

“Good and bad are just labels,” he shrugs. “Sometimes, to do great things, we must become the worst versions of ourselves. Stop punishing yourself.”

Iris's door creaks open. Her face is streaked with sweat and dried blood, and her braid is undone in a wild halo of frizz. Her overalls are splattered with bloodstains—some fresh, some darkened. She looks worn to the bone. Yet, despite that, the moment he sees her, Kalix lights up. He doesn’t look away from her once. I’m not even sure he blinks.

“Ready for bed, Rainbow?” he asks, offering her his arm.

“Goodnight, Millie,” Iris yawns with a tired smile, slipping her arm into his.

Kalix guides her down the hall, moving slow and steadily. His free hand hovers beside her in case she falters. She makes it to the end before her knees buckle, and Kalix scoops her up in one motion. I hear the soft murmur of praise against her hair, whispered comforts meant only for her.

Necromancers push themselves too far. Iris is a true testament to that. Kalix is often the one catching her when she falls.

Little star.

The Nightmother’s voice slides through my mind like a silken noose.

I hurry to my room, and my heart hammers against my chest. The moment I step inside, I drop to my knees, bowing my head and focusing in on her presence.

“Mother, I have been collared, my powers restricted. Will you free me from this restraint?”

You asked, you shall receive. Feed…that is all I request of thee.

My gums throb. The hunger rises instantly in response. She would unbind me if I obey.

Feeding means risk. Losing control. A real massacre. This past week, they only glimpsed the stain of my magic—tainting me, not taking over.

I push the idea aside. Not yet. I can’t risk hurting Iris, Felix, or Kalix. Not yet.

Not even as my gums ache and saliva pools in my mouth.

Not even as she shows me images of something that will make me hurt them all.

Their blood.