CHAPTER 40
Cole followed Lexi for a few feet before stopping towatch as she disappeared into the hallway above. She’d purposelyavoided him, and she needed some time alone. In truth, so did he asthe echo of her words continued in his head.
When the click of her door closing sounded afew seconds later, his attention shifted to Sahira. She stood withher shoulders slumped forward and her eyes closed.
“How bad is it with him?” he asked her.
Sahira opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Hewon’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
“And that’s Lexi.”
“Lexi, the manor, and the land. He intends tomarry her.”
Cole felt like she’d kicked him in the nuts.Not only could he not stand the idea of Lexi as Malakai’s wife, buthe couldn’t imagine her married to that asshole. Malakai woulddestroy her.
However, Malakai must want her and everythingshe offered badly if he was willing to marry her for it. Marriagewas sacred to immortals, and it was rare when something other thandeath severed the bond.
“He’s been asking for her hand in marriagesince she was fourteen,” Sahira continued. “Her father alwaysrefused him.”
“Fourteen? She was only a child.”
“She was beautiful, even then.”
“I’m sure she was, but immortals don’t marryfor beauty or lust.”
“Malakai’s different. His property abutsours, and not only does he want her, but he’s also after bothlands.”
“And when Del refused to let them marry, shebecame an obsession to him.”
“When Del refused to let her be hisconcubine, she became an obsession,” Sahira corrected.
“He wanted to take her as a concubine atfourteen?”
“Yes. He later offered marriage, but mybrother wasnotgoing to let that happen.”
Cole’s claws lengthened and retracted as heglanced over his shoulder at the closed door. He’d never likedMalakai, but now he despised the man even more.
“And now that Del is gone, he thinks it’sopen season on her,” Sahira said. “And nothing is going to stophim.”
“I will.”
Sahira laughed mirthlessly and rolled hereyes. “Andwhywould you do that?”
Whywouldhe do that? He wanted andliked Lexi, but why involve himself in her life? He’d never given asingle fuck about any of the other women he’d desired before.
However, Lexi wasn’t like those other women.For one thing, her father had been his friend and co-conspiratoragainst the Lord. He was a man Cole respected, and he could notforget Del’s love for his daughter or the fact they werefriends.
Cole kept his gaze focused on the front dooras he recalled the red in Malakai’s eyes and the hatred on hisface. Malakai coveted Lexi, but he also despised her.
Her father had turned him down—she’dturned him down and became the one thing he couldn’t have. If heever got his hands on her, he would destroy her for that.
“Del was my friend, and I can’t forget that.We saved each other’s lives many times during the war, and I won’tleave his daughter unprotected,” Cole told Sahira.
There was more to it than that, but he wasn’tin the mood to figure it out. Cole stalked away from the door andstarted up the stairs. He’d only traversed a couple of them beforeSahira spoke again.
“And who is going to protect her fromyou?”
He stopped walking, and his head turnedtoward her. When he met her steely gaze, Cole glowered at her, butthe witch didn’t back down.
