Page 38 of Created in Chaos
“You’re all free to go.” Rory waves his hand toward the exit before his men flank his back as he leaves the chambers through his personal egress beyond the door. I want to run after him and break the back of his head open, but I remain seated until many of the tables around us have emptied.
“Come on,” Nox encourages, helping Nova to her feet and leading us toward the lift.
NOX
Unsurprisingly, no one joins us when we get into the elevator. Lucian is silently fuming, but there’s no denying his fury. Once the doors slide shut, he practically pounces on Nova, who seems to be prepared for his rage when she meets him head-on and accuses, “You didn’t warn me that you were going to try to use me,” while he has her pinned to the wall.
“There is never a time when I don’t want to use you, lamb.” He nuzzles her affectionately through the cloak, though it’s at odds with his vicious words. “But we both know you were never in any danger of being outed. He wouldn’t risk anyone knowing that I know what you taste like on the inside.”
She gives him a half-hearted shove that doesn’t deter my brother. In fact, he just moves a little closer and lines his entire body up against hers. As soon as the elevator bounces with our arrival, he steps back and pretends he wasn’t just about to maul her. I know the façade will only last until we’re alone again, but we have shit to deal with, so he’ll need to wait. We need to find out if the Umbras really did let Alden escape, or if there’s more going on here than we know.
The short ride to our compound is tense, and none of us speak until the heavy gates close behind us. Even then, it’s only to deliver brief instructions to Lev to double the perimeter guards. It’s a sure sign my brother is not ignoring the threat Alden poses.
“Already done. I also hired a trusted team from the mainland to patrol the exterior fence line. Matvey is taking point on water patrols,” Lev responds.
“Good.” Lucian nods, then exits the car.
Nova scoots along the seat, following him after mumbling, “Thank you,” in response.
Lev meets my eyes in the rearview mirror. It’s hard to read his cool stare, but knowing him as well as I do, I’d guess he doesn’t fully trust Nova, if at all. It’s not a shocker. He doesn’t know her, and it’s his job to be suspicious. I’m sure the only reason he hasn’t voiced any concerns to me or Lucian is because he trusts us and our judgment. It’s either that, or he doesn’t want to deal with my twin’s wrath for expressing his thoughts about her. He’s a smart man.
As I walk into the house, the silence is broken by Nova’s terse question. “What would you like me to do then?”
“Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers to,” Lucian retorts. I don’t think he’s capable of going ten minutes without starting a fight at this point.
“Oh, look at you, pretty boy, being all cryptic and mysterious,” Nova coos, then deadpans, “I think I’ve had enough of the cult crap for the day.”
“The cult shit has nothing to do with it, lamb, but since you asked so sweetly, I’ll give you an answer that won’t have your pretty mind spinning. Forget they exist. Let me handle them.” He must be referring to the Umbras. I was worried that he said something to her about the “thank you” remark to Lev.
“You’re so full of yourself,” she scoffs, not backing down, even though I know she can sense the warning signs that Lucian is close to losing it. His calm demeanor is only a front. The fact that Alden got away, and we have no idea where he is or what his next move could be, has us both on edge.
“You’re going to be full of me too, in about thirty seconds.” His chin lowers as he pins her with a stare that promises follow through.
“If you ever touch me out of anger, I promise you won’t like what happens,” Nova vows, and the tension in the room amps up, making it hard to breathe. I don’t doubt her for a second. I don’t think Lucian would either if he were thinking clearly, but he’s not, so I do it for him.
I reach for Nova’s hand, lacing our fingers together. She doesn’t resist me, but she doesn’t look away from my brother either. “It’s not anger, Nova. It’s fear,” I tell her, and I hope she can understand.
She turns her inquisitive blue eyes toward me, looking for clarification.
“He’s not mad at you,” I explain, wanting her to acknowledge the truth. She doesn’t show any outward signs of agreement, but she doesn’t dismiss my claim either. “He’s afraid of losing you, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.”
Her fingers tighten around mine before she turns her attention back to Lucian. I watch him as well, unsure how he’s going to react to my disclosure.
“I would never let it happen.” He scowls in response to the idea of losing her. “The devil himself couldn’t take you from me.”
“And here I thought you were the devil himself, Morningstar.”
Nova’s comment makes Lucian bare his teeth in what I assume should be a smile, but it’s far too sinister for that. “Then hell must be empty, Miss Devlin.”
Nova’s inhale is audible, as if she’s never made the association between her own name and the ruler of the underworld. I doubt she realizes all the founding names have dark associations, including the Umbras, but she will never be one of them anyway. She will, however, be a Morningstar, one way or another.
I tug on her hand a little, pulling her closer, then whisper to the top of her head. “Don’t worry, Nova. You’d have to be at least half angel to put up with us.”
That causes her to let out a soft chuckle. “Or half crazy. Take your pick. I know which I think it is.”
“You were sweet and pure up until the other night. I know where I’d put my money. Let us corrupt you a little more, lamb. I need to know you’re safe between us, where nothing can touch you.” The confession is uncharacteristic for Lucian, but I’m beginning to understand he accepts that Nova lives outside of his usual boundaries, and he’s embraced how he feels about her with the same appetite he does everything—absolutely.
“Are you sore, Nova? Can you still feel how deep we were inside you?” I mutter the words softly near her ear, and she reacts by leaning into my touch.