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Confused, he gave her a long look. “Yeah, I was just lost in thought.”
“Well, do you mind paying enough attention so you can answer one of my questions? Like for instance, is it your goal to make everyone here hate us?”
“Didn’t you read the file,” Castian asked instead of answering her question.
“Yeah, it didn’t mention one thing about Torik being a jackass.”
Castian shrugged. “Read between the lines. The people down there treat.” He stopped talking when they heard a door down the hall open. “Look, let’s go to our room and finish this conversation.”
“Fine by me,” Oye said, leading the way. She hadn’t read anything in the file that implied that Torick had a bad relationship with his family. But maybe Castian had gotten ahold of information she didn’t have. Either way talking in the middle of a hallway where anyone could listen in on their conversation wasn’t a good thing.
CASTIAN
Watching his brother act like a sycophant to Robert had made Castian want to rip his head off. Tillon was acting like a contracted Vassal. His face had held both worship and a sickening desire to serve. It made Castian feel sick to his stomach. Between the Renson and Napier families, it had always been clear who was the most in control.
His father had left the family in the hands of a lapdog, Castian followed Oye to they’re room. Angry that he’d let his anger show but each word his brother had muttered had incited him to want to jump across the table and strangle him.
“I appreciate not being put into such a weak human vessel.”
He still couldn’t believe that his simpering brother was the one who’d put him in the dark for ten years. When did Tillon get the ability to pull off such a scheme? That question had haunted him since he’d learned that his brother was the one behind his imprisonment.
It also might explain why his brother’s aura was so weak. A warlock without its contract demon was nothing. And Castian was the one damned with said demon.
A small part of Castian was pleased that his brother had lost some of his power. And that along with his brother’s waning powers, the Napier influence had been reduced to rubble. They now served, rather than be served.
Entering the room behind Oye, Castian waved the door shut. Facing an irritable witch, he found himself smiling. Thinking back to when she’d put that idiot Jake in his place, he’d found her so entrancing then. He knew Jake, the man had always been eager to put others down. It was easier than looking at his own pathetic existence. The Renson family had made it clear long ago that they favored they’re eldest Robert, only leaving scraps for the youngest. So many years had passed and yet the people he’d left behind were still the same. Unfortunately for Jake, Oye wasn’t an easy target.
“Now, tell me why you decided to attack Napier like that,” she asked.
“I was just playing my role. Torick doesn’t get along with many of his male cousins. The only act civil in public, but the reality is his cousins look down on him.” He walked over to the bed and sat down.
“Why? Isn’t he one of them?”
Castian rolled his eyes. “Being born in the Beau monde doesn’t automatically mean you’re accepted by them. Out of the six men in that room. He has the weakest magic and the least talent when it comes to business. Being a popular actor doesn’t exactly impress people of their ilk.”
“You people and your classist views, it’s enough to make me break out in hives. I hate to be a negative person, but this kind of life is for the birds.”
“Well, you said as much when Jake decided to insult you.”
She laughed. “He’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’ve had my fair share of experience dealing with people who treat others like shit. It’s part of my job to deal with dick heads, remember?”
“Oh, am I one of those dicks you’re talking about,” Castian asked.
“The biggest one,” she said, giving him her back.
Oye walked over to her bag and with a wave of her hand it laid down and unzipped. Kneeling down beside it she added. “I’m going to shower first. Today’s been a really long day for me.” Grabbing her stuff, she stood up. “While I’m in there, I’ll be figuring out what our next step should be during the horse race. Especially if Asher shows his face.
Castian mock-saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Her lips twisted as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she kept her thoughts to herself and headed for the bathroom.
Castian watched her go, ensuring he heard the door click before he disappeared into the shadows. He had to start his own investigation, and now was the best time.
* * *
The halls of what had once been his home were so silent it was eerie. This place had once been filled with the warmth of his mother’s laughter. Now it was like a mausoleum. His boots clipped against the marble floor as he made his way past the foyer into the side parlor that led to a hidden hall that only the family knew of.
Castian remembered his father leading him down it when he was younger. His father had been grooming him for his eventual taking over of the Napier name. At the time he’d been intimidated by his father’s silence. When they’d reached the end of the hallway he’d found him staring at the family tree. The sigils of the main families shining bright along with the symbols of their vassals.
