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Chapter 11
Malik
Every nerve ending in my body feels alive right now with her this damn close. My hand keeps moving to her lower back, guiding her where we need to go, and it takes far too much strength to pull away when it’s no longer needed.
In her hot-as-hell outfit, with her long white hair begging for me to touch it, she looks sinful in the best way possible. I can’t deny that I love the way she always pushes back at Alexi. He fucking deserves it. It’s a shit move choosing her clothes for her instead of taking her to the entire freaking room he has set up with multiple outfits, but that’s Alexi. That’s why, when she showed me what was laid out for her, I was more than happy to encourage her to rebel.
Now she stands beside me, the little girl who gave me a positive outlook on life long gone. Instead I find a woman who captivates me, breaking down my walls one brick at a time while I stand by and happily let it happen.
She has the ability to settle my soul in a way no one else can, and I know exactly why. We all do. With her this close to me after so many years, it feels like my heart is easing too.
I rake my eyes over Harmonia one last time before I quickly rap my knuckles on the door before stepping into the room. It’s not often we use this conference room, but it’s a nice space with an amazing view of the city. When Talon recommended bringing Harmonia here, I knew he had that in mind for her.
Lowering my hand from Harmonia’s back, I let her step into the room slightly in front of me, but I keep my gaze fixed over her shoulder, desperate to see Alexi’s response to her outfit. It doesn’t disappoint. When he glances up from the large tablet in front of him, I watch as his eyes squint, noting that she’s not wearing everything he chose.
Harmonia must be ready for whatever comment he may have, arms folding over her chest as she tilts her head at him. However, to both of our surprise, he runs his eyes over the length of her one more time before clearing his throat and glancing back at the tablet.
Well then.
Turning my attention to Talon, he leans back in his seat, fingers laced together behind his head as he drags his teeth over his bottom lip. He clearly likes what he sees and he’s more than happy to make it known.
Harmonia tucks a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, shuffling her feet nervously before I guide her toward the nearest seat. I take the spot to her right, across from Talon, who leans forward and folds his arms on the table when she gets closer.
Alexi ignores us, tapping away as I take a second to look at the four of us together. Finally. If anyone looked at Alexi, Talon, and me—like, really looked—they would wonder how the fuck we walked in and out of the same building every day, dressed completely different but working for the same ‘business’.
With his ever-growing collection of ties, Alexi is always dressed to perfection in a tailored suit, polished shoes, and sporting a glare capable of bringing any man to their knees. Talon opts for jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and either a pair of sneakers or suede boots, depending on how he’s feeling. I wear my classic black ensemble from head to toe. Fitted t-shirts, tac pants, combat boots, and either a leather jacket or parka coat.
All so different, yet built the same underneath. From our morals and priorities, all the way down to the woman who completes us, both individually and as a whole. Now that she’s here, despite the pretenses, I hope only positive strides are taken between us.
I’m desperate for it. Desperate for her. She’s been worth the wait, but I don’t think I can survive another six years without her, never mind the rest of my life.
Light tapping on my thigh gains my attention and I whip my head around to look at Mona, who offers me a soft smile as she retracts her hand. I want to reach out, grab her wrist and pull her back to me, feel her fingers splayed out over my thigh. My cock twitches at the idea, but I manage to refrain as she speaks to me.
“Can I ask my question again now?” She quirks her brow at me like she knows I was happily lost in my own thoughts.
Clearing my throat, I nod, shuffling in my seat so I can brace my arms on the table like Talon, needing to discreetly cover my arousal and focus on the here and now.
“What is it you all actually do?” She glances at each of us, curiosity flashing in her eyes as she waits for our response. I notice Alexi’s fingers pause, hovering over the tablet as he slowly peers up through his lashes at her.
I can tell the question hasn’t so much caught him off-guard as much as it has left him contemplating whether he wants to answer or not. His thoughts on the matter become irrelevant though when Talon begins to give Harmonia the low-down.
“Okay, are you ready?” he asks, sitting a little taller in his seat as she nods eagerly in response. “Good, because there’s quite a bit to it, but I’ll slow it down and explain in depth if you need me to, Harm.” He tosses a wink in her direction, and it’s my turn to roll my eyes in the exact same way I’ve seen Mona do so many times.
Asshole.
I sense Alexi leaning back in his seat, rocking his chair slowly back and forth as he assesses the two of them, as intrigued as I am with how Talon is going to attempt to explain everything. Shit, it took us forever to wrap our heads around it all. That visit from Hades when we first touched Pandora’s Box and were chosen as the next Furies was barely anything at all in comparison to the entire picture. Some days I don’t know how to process it in my own mind, let alone out loud.
“The Furies we replaced were named Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera. Sisters.” Harmonia’s eyes widen at the fact that women stood in our place before us, but she doesn’t utter a word as Talon continues. “The Redvellions brought them to an unfortunate end, their strength depleted the moment Pandora’s Box cast us as their replacements.” A shiver runs down my spine at the thought of it. The fact that they were weakened and left exposed to their enemy because their magic was reselected for others doesn't sit well with me.
“Oh, gods,” Harmonia whispers, clearly surprised by the details like we were, and I watch as she seemingly shifts closer to me while edging forward at the same time. It’s like her soul needs to be closer to us, wanting to console us just as mine wants to search her out every second of every day.
“Get to the point, Talon. She didn’t ask for story time,” Alexi grumbles, making Harmonia glare at him, but Talon waves his hand dismissively, continuing with the information she asked for and ignoring the grumpy asshole in the room.
“Alexi is unceasing in anger, I’m the avenger of murder, and Malik is jealousy.” It sounds so simple, even to my ears, but I know it’s far from it. “Our job is to keep order in the supernatural world with absolute fairness. Not an inch more or less. We are the balancers of life for the entire world, from Phoenix Valley, where the vampires attempt to feast on the unsuspecting humans, and Saints Academy, all the way down to Hell itself.”
He takes a breath, offering Harmonia a moment to wrap her head around it all, and I notice the second she does because she’s inching even closer with intrigue ripe in her eyes as her lips move lightning fast, asking as many questions as she can think of.
“What does that mean then? Unceasing in anger? Avenger of murder? Jealousy? What does that entail for you guys? What does that give you the ability to do? How do you differentiate your strengths and weaknesses? What does that do to you as individuals?”
