Page 162 of Serpent In White

The moment I set foot in the lounge, I’m pacing.

Back and forth and back and forth. Abdiel comes in after me and doesn’t say a word. He stands off in the corner, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Peering over my shoulder at him, I find my emotions torn.

On the one hand, I love him so much, and I’m so very sorry for what happened last night. But on the other, this is all his fault.

This girl he decided to bring here. This girl he has feelings for…

Even if they’re different from his feelings for Drake and me, they’re still there. And I just don’t understand them. The girl is a nuisance, and she needs to be dealt with.

Drake comes stomping into the room and goes straight for the decanter of scotch on the desk. He pours himself a glass, then pours another, handing it to me fast. I take it, and he clanks his against mine aggressively before tossing it back.

Watching him carefully, I know something is up. There are so many things he isn’t telling me, and somehow this girl seems to know about them.

Lastly, the girl steps into the room. I hear her fright immediately, and it only serves to annoy me further. She sure wasn’t lacking in confidence five minutes ago when she was trying to rally my people against me.

She leaves the door open as she stands there like a small, trembling statue. I catch Jeremy out in the hall and nod for him to close the door, which he does, posting up just outside as I’ve directed him.

I take a small sip of my scotch, all the while observing the girl over the rim of the glass. Her eyes dart briefly to Abdiel, who won’t look away from his shoes, and then to Drake, who is radiating an anger unlike any I’ve felt from him in quite some time.

Sucking in a breath, I’m unable to hide my vexation. “So, what seems to be the problem here?” My question is directed at everyone in the room, though I’m looking primarily to the girl right now. Clearly, she has grievances.

Time to air them.

“I know about everything,” she speaks, keeping her wide eyes on me. And for as much as she is driving me insane, I have to give it to her. She’s a ballsy little thing. “You two, the drugs, the trespassers, your affair with Abdiel’s father… All of it.”

I glare at her. “It wasn’t anaffair.” My gaze flings to Abdiel, and he rubs his eyes.

Huffing out a rough exhale, my fingers sift through my hair as I address Abdiel and Drake.How does she know all of these things??

I can hear you, Rhiannon’s thought breaks through, and I turn my eyes back on her. She’s smirking. My blood fucking boils.

But my brother gets there first, stepping forward with his fists clenched. “Lock her up.”

I ignore him, looking to Rhiannon. “How did you get it?”

She doesn’t speak, but I hear her recalling stealing the Empyrean from Drake’s office. My eyes dart to his, and honestly, I’ve rarely seen him this enraged.

“Sticky fingers, tiny stray.” He moves in closer, towering over her, intimidating her with his height. “I should cut them off.”

Abdiel finally speaks. “Don’t threaten her.”

Drake squints at him briefly before falling back. “Lock them both up. As far as I’m concerned, they can both rot.”

Hurt flashes over Abdiel’s face, while fear covers Rhiannon’s. She knows he’s not kidding.

“No one’s locking Abdiel up,” I intervene with a hand held up to my brother.

“What about me?” Rhiannon squeaks.

I shrug. “I don’t care about you.”

“Darian!” Abdiel scolds.

“He’s killed someone!” Rhiannon points an accusatory finger at Drake. “I saw it! Witnessed it with my own eyes!”

“Ease up there, toots. I’ve killed lots of people.” Drake folds his arms over his chest, and I rub my eyes.

Mother, these kids are testing me.