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Chapter 13
Alexi
Iwatch with relief as Malik gets the hell out of here with Harmonia right by his side, away from the danger that surrounds us. Of all fucking days for Noose to make an appearance, it had to be the one I was already stressed out about.
Showing Harmonia the office is like offering her a peek inside my soul, and I was not ready to let her see everything. Not when she can so casually turn her back on us.
With a sigh, I straighten the lapels of my blazer before I snap my fingers, making the room light up as it was moments ago. The only way the motherfucker can get in here is by forcing the magic wards and electricity to shut down. We could have put the force fields back up immediately, but that would only escalate the situation. I would prefer to have whatever conversation this asshole is here for somewhere private, rather than in the middle of the street.
I glance at Talon, who puffs out his cheeks and stretches his neck from side to side before dropping into the seat he had occupied before the power went out. No sooner does his ass hit the chair than Noose himself appears in the room.
Not a word passes my lips at his arrival. My face is neutral, although I can’t stop my lips from tightening into a flat line, giving away a small hint of the distaste I have at his presence. He should know his visit is unwelcome, and likely unnecessary, but we have to play it cool and calm. Two words I wouldn’t normally use to describe myself or any circumstance I find myself in.
Unbuttoning the middle button on my blazer, I take my time dropping down into my seat, crossing my ankle over my knee before I settle my eyes on him. “I thought we agreed on appointments only, Noose.”
My words are flat but he chuckles like I’ve told a joke.
He claps his hands, rubbing them together as he pulls out the seat Harmonia had taken before his arrival. In his suit pants, black shirt, and leather jacket, he looks like any other guy living in Hollow Pier. The only difference being he’s a massive cunt who just so happens to run the largest rebellion group that’s ever lived.
“Hey, I tried, but your receptionist told me I had to wait two weeks instead of the two minutes I insisted on.” He shrugs his shoulders like it was completely out of his hands and I have to bite back the sneer that threatens to break out on my lips.
He expects to snap his fingers and get whatever it is he wants. It’s laughable, but not funny. Not even a little bit. Not with all the lives he’s taken, the orders he’s given, or the blackness of his fucking soul.
But we don’t have proof, not enough to justify his execution, and it’s driving me insane. He might be a cunt, but he’s a conniving and smart one.
I hate him.
“What was so urgent that you couldn’t wait two weeks, Noose?” It’s Talon’s turn to ask the question, bracing his arms on the table as he eyes the man across from us.
“Don’t play me like that, Tally boy.” Noose’s demeanor completely shifts, the smirk falling from his face and the lightness in his tone melting away as his eyes turn black.
I keep my heart rate steady, my eyes fixed on his, and my body still. A reaction is what this man is looking for, and today he’s looking in the wrong direction.
“Noose, you’re going to have to catch me up to speed because I have no idea what you’re referring to.” I lace my fingers together in my lap, fighting the urge to reach across the table and put an end to all of this bullshit right now. I’m willing to accept his blood on my hands at this point, but I refrain.
“My brother was found dead this morning. Dead. There is only one group of people I know who could bring him down, and you know it leads back to you.” Rage is thick in his tone as he slams his fist down on the table.
I let my facial expression change naturally, showing my surprise at his words before I turn to Talon. “Noose, you and I both know that if it was me or one of my brothers, there would be no physical body remaining,” I state calmly, turning back to look at him as he bares his teeth, rocking slightly in his seat.
He’s mad. Furious. And I get it, I do. If anyone so much as attempted to cause any harm to my brothers, I would attack, no questions asked, consequences be damned. But he’s wrong. This wasn’t at our hands.
The way he blinks, shaking his head slightly, tells us he knows that too, but something brought him here despite that.
“That might be true, but he bore the mark on his wrist.” Noose rolls up his sleeve and points to the spot, just above his wrist.
“Do you have proof of this?” I ask, leaning forward slightly as I try to wrap my head around the details. I know the mark he’s talking about. The one we bestow on those who are set to meet the soul-eaters themselves, but we haven’t been involved with anyone from the Redvellions in almost two months.
Shaking his head in frustration, Noose digs his hand into his pocket and retrieves an item a moment later, placing it on the table between us. It takes a second for me to realize this crazy motherfucker has actually cut the damn skin off his brother’s arm to bring it here as proof.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
Talon doesn’t bat an eyelash, reaching out for the skin like it’s a sheet of paper and holding it up to the light. “It’s not authentic,” he finally announces, declaring what we both already know as he places the flesh back down on the table.
“Then where the fuck did it come from and who did it?” Noose’s tone sharpens, but I simply quirk a brow at him. This man is a hothead, always taking action before using his damn mind. It’s the one major flaw in an otherwise-smart man.
Before I can piece together a civilized response, Talon beats me to it as he stands from his chair. “Unfortunately, Noose, that’s not our problem to deal with.”
Noose scoffs, rising quickly from his seat as he plants his palms down on the table in frustration and glares up at my brother. “I think you’ll find it is. I want this act of murder avenged, and I believe that’s your role.” The smirk that peeks out at the corner of his lips is enough to piss me off, never mind my own hotheaded brother.
