“You had things to do?” the girl said slowly, punctuating each word carefully like he’d spoken in Russian and she didn’t quite understand him. “What the hell was more important than—?” Eyes as blue as laser beams locked on Riley and narrowed. “Oh, I see. You stood me up for a two bit tramp.”
“Hey!”
Gideon untangled himself from Riley and carefully stepped between her and the girl staring at her like she was filth. “Leave Riley out of this, Valkyrie.”
Valkyrie’s eyebrows migrated north, nearly touching her hairline in a gesture that dripped with manufactured amazement. “Riley, is it? Well, isn’t that sweet. You actually remembered one of your whore’s names.”
Outraged and mortified, Riley stiffened. Her muscles tensed as she stepped around Gideon to face the girl fully. “Do I know you?”
Valkyrie’s attention journeyed away from Gideon to fix on Riley with only a trifling interest. “I don’t associate with Underworld trash.”
“Surprising.” Riley cut her a vicious grin. “I would think you would fit right in.”
Gideon sucked air in through his teeth, doing a much better job of suppressing the laughter than Magnus, who all but nearly upended his chair as he pounded the table with his fist and howled.
Rage, sharp and potent burst behind Valkyrie’s electric-blue eyes. “What did you say to me?”
Riley didn’t budge, not even when everything in her wanted to dart behind Gideon and cower. Instead, she offered an indifferent shrug. “Sorry. I thought we were playing the assuming game.”
“What?” Valkyrie hissed. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with, bitch.”
“Sheath the claws, Val.” Gideon placed a gentle hand on Riley’s arm and gently maneuvered her back.
Valkyrie looked nowhere near ready to do any such thing. If anything, the mere suggestion had her nostrils flaring and her hands balling into dangerous fists at her sides. “You might let demon scum talk to you that way, but I’m Valkyrie Devereaux, daughter of Arild Devereaux, Ruler of Armies and Harvester of Souls. I will not be disrespected.”
“Respect is earned, not given,” Riley countered.
Gideon’s hand tightened on her arm, maybe in warning, but Riley wasn’t bowing down to this girl. She didn’t care who her father was, or how scary her boots were.
Valkyrie took a domineering stride forward. Her small, capable hand went up to the collar of her leather coat. She jerked it down her right arm to the elbow. On her beautifully toned bicep, six angry welts were burned lengthwise across her flesh. They glowed a near white. Riley had no idea what they stood for, but it must have been a big deal. Why else would one flash burn scars at a person?
“I have earned it,” Valkyrie growled. “Have you?”
“Stand down, Valkyrie.” Octavian stepped around the bar and moved with a graceful gait in their direction. “Gideon wasn’t with Riley last night.”
Valkyrie faced him. “And I’m supposed to believe you when the proof is standing before my eyes?”
Octavian stopped on Riley’s other side, his shrewd gaze never wavering from the Amazon glowering back at him. “Yes, because Riley is my mate so I would be very carefully about what you say next.” The warning was given in a quiet voice, but only a fool would mistake the calm for indifference. There was danger lacing each word, a serrated warning to take care.
Valkyrie’s face twisted into one of absolute disgust. “A demon?”
“I’m not a demon,” Riley burst out, getting fed up with the stupid assumptions.
Valkyrie’s eyes narrowed as she stared harder at her, seemingly trying to gauge her race. “You can’t lie to me.”
Riley threw up her hands. “No, evidently not. What was I thinking?”
Valkyrie was even less impressed by the mocking tone. “Either you’re a Caster or a demon and you.” She raked Riley with a disgusted sneer. “Are not a Caster.”
“I’m human,” Riley defended with a defiant tilt of her chin. “But that was your third guess, right?”
Valkyrie snorted, flipping a glossy strand of hair over her shoulder with a dainty flick of her wrist. “You expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t care what you believe,” Riley said with an unconcerned shrug.
Valkyrie glanced at Octavian, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
Octavian never so much as batted an eyelash. “It’s true.”
“That’s impossible.” Valkyrie glanced from Riley to Octavian. “How is she here?”
“Riley is my mate,” Octavian replied evenly. “The shield doesn’t work with her.”
Riley would have smirked in smug satisfaction at the absolute horror and confusion crinkling the other girl’s beautiful face, but it seemed like a bad time, when Valkyrie whirled on her heel and confronted Kyaerin.
“We are forbidden to mate with humans. We are forbidden to interact with them at all. The Summit will not be pleased when they hear about this.”
“Valkyrie—” Kyaerin’s soothing response was interrupted by Gideon, who marched forward to stand in Valkyrie’s face with a mask of blazing rage.
“Who’s going to tell them?”
Valkyrie may have only come to Gideon’s chest, but she had an aura of someone much larger, someone that didn’t back down from anyone, especially a threat.
“It’s my duty as it is your duty to uphold your oath.”
“Family always comes first,” he bit out through clenched teeth.
Valkyrie’s eyes narrowed. “You are not my family. I have no allegiance to you at all, Maxwell.”
“You’re wrong.” There was more than anger in Gideon’s face now, more than annoyance. He stared down at Valkyrie as though willing her to see something, but whatever it was, Valkyrie was either ignoring it or honestly had no idea what he was talking about. “You—”
Magnus was on his feet and at his twin’s side in the blink of an eye. He had Gideon’s arm in a vice like grip. “Stand down,” he hissed into his brother’s ear. His lips moved as he spoke rapidly in a whisper no one but Gideon could hear, but whatever was said had Gideon’s jaw muscles twitching.
He looked away from Valkyrie. “I’m fine,” he muttered, shaking Magnus off.
Magnus seemed less inclined to believe him, but relinquished his hold.
Gideon faced the stunning Amazon one final time, face carved from granite. “If you bring harm to Octavian or Riley, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Valkyrie’s eyes narrowed, her teeth flashed between curled lips as she closed the single foot separating them. Her head fell back as she peered up at Gideon with a look that screamed for blood.
“You don’t scare me, Maxwell. I have faced bigger things then you.”
Gideon’s eyes narrowed, becoming thin, gray slits. “Don’t be so sure.”
With a snort, Valkyrie stormed from the restaurant, letting the doors slam behind her in farewell. It resounded through the silence.
“That did not go well,” Magnus said at last.
“I will contact her father,” Kyaerin said at once, wringing her hands. “We’ll make him understand.”
“Arild is not the understanding sort,” Magnus reminded her. “He’s the one who killed his own mother because he had a feeling she was cheating on his father.”
“Well, we have to do something.” Kyaerin expelled a lungful of air. “If Valkyrie tells anyone…”
“She’s the one we need to talk to,” Octavian chimed in. “If we can just convince her to wait a few days… Gideon?”
Everyone turned as the blond started for the door.
“Where are you going?” his mother called after him.
With one hand on the doorknob, Gideon glanced back. “I’m going to convince her, one way or another.”
Then he was out the door.
Magnus cursed, running after him.
Riley turned to Octavian. “Who is she?”
“Valkyrie Devereaux,” Octavian replied. “She’s a Caster, but different level. W
e hunt together sometimes.”
Riley’s eyes widened. “There are other Casters?”
He nodded. “Yes, but for different parts of the country. We’re the Casters for the north district. Valkyrie’s father is the leader of the west.”
She took all this in with building fascination and a boat load of questions. “So, she’s a Selkie?”
“No.” Octavian scrunched his face thoughtfully. “Not all Casters are Selkies. Actually, we’re the only ones. But like us, Valkyrie’s family joined the Angels in the fight against demons.”
“So they’re Veil Creatures, too?”
He nodded. “It’s the only way one becomes a Caster. They gave their oath to serve the heavens.”
“And you guys hunt together? What does that mean?”
A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. “So many questions.”
Riley blushed. “It’s not every day a girl learns about the supernatural world and all the characters in it.”
The smile faded from his eyes. “This isn’t a book, Green-eyes. This is real and dangerous.”
“I know, but I still want to know everything about it, and you.”
He seemed to consider this a moment before speaking. “Yes, we hunt together sometimes. There’s safety in numbers and it’s near impossible for a single Caster to take down an inanimis. Their inhuman strength and speed make them the ultimate predators. There’s very little that kills them.”
A chill crept through her even as she fought to hold it off. “And these things just wander the streets?”
“They can only face the night. Without a soul, they’re forbidden to see daylight.”
Riley visibly shuddered. Her arms rose to repel the second blast of fear, but no amount of hugging herself helped.
“Hey.” He went to her, stopping when he was close enough to blanket her in his heat. “You’re safe here. They wouldn’t dare enter Final Judgment.” His lips curled in a teasing grin. “We’re not lucky enough to have them come to us to die.”
She knew it was meant as a joke, but all she could think was how close he stood and how badly she wanted to rest her head against his chest and let his arms enfold her. She had a feeling that everything being pushed on her wouldn’t seem so dire if she could just lose herself in him.
“This won’t be forever,” he murmured, doing that thing where he could read her as though they shared a single line of thought, a single cord attaching their emotions.
Riley sighed shakily. Her head dropped forward, her forehead centimeters from his chest. “I don’t think I could stand it if it was, Octavian.” She raised her head, bottom lip caught between her teeth. “I…”
He raised a hand to her face. It never made contact, but hovered mere inches from her cheek, so close that the skin beneath tingled. “I know, baby.” He dropped his arm back to his side. His mint-scented exhalation washed over her face. Then he smiled charmingly. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Chapter 20
She had nothing to wear. That wasn’t because she was staring at an overflowing closet full of beautiful gowns and designer jeans and she just couldn’t make up her mind. No. She really had nothing to wear.
Alongside the three dresses she owned were the four pairs of jeans and three sweaters. The rest of the closet lay bare, except for the stack of boxes filled with old school books she’d shoved into one corner.
Riley huffed, slumping uselessly against the doorframe. If only she still had that green dress she’d bought, but the thing had been so badly ruined from her fall and stained with her blood that it wasn’t even fit to be used as a rag. After dropping her off at home, Kyaerin had cleaned her up and tossed the dress into the trash, which explained why Riley had awakened almost naked in bed. It was discouraging, knowing the only outfit she’d bought in ages was somewhere in a landfill. Worse still, she had only worn the thing once.
Well, there was no point thinking about that now. She had an hour before Octavian picked her up and she still needed to shower.
Dejected, she settled on a pair of jeans and a soft, wool sweater in flint gray. The color reminded her of Octavian’s eyes. She carried both into the bathroom and showered. She dressed and left her hair down, a red curtain down her back. She was in the process of applying her makeup when a soft knock interrupted the silence.
Heart leaping, Riley set down her tube of lip gloss, gave herself a final once over in the mirror before hurrying to answer. Her father was nowhere in sight, but the TV from the living room was missing and there was a faint hum of conversation coming from his room. She didn’t bother telling him she was leaving.
She swung the door open and smiled at the beautiful sight he made. “Hey.”
Octavian grinned at her, looking devastatingly gorgeous in his black jeans and leather jacket. His hair was combed and slicked to the side. His face was cleanly shaven and he smelled amazing, like sandalwood and spices. He raked a gaze over her once, taking her in thoroughly before meeting her eyes.
“Hey.”
She stepped back, holding the door. “Would you like to come in?”
Carefully, he stepped over the threshold and joined her in the narrow hallway. Riley closed the door behind him.
“I just need to get my coat,” she said, starting towards the cramped little closet in the corner, just before the kitchen. “Am I dressed okay? I wasn’t sure where we were going.”
Again, he took a long, slow survey of her. “You look beautiful.”
It wasn’t the answer she expected, but it did warm, gooey things to her inside. The flush spread across her body, filling her face. “Thank you.”
Biting her lip, she turned away. The closet door gave a soft squeak as she pried it open. She reached inside for her coat and slung it on. Octavian was glancing around at the very little between where he stood and the opening that led into the sitting area. Riley wondered if she should give him a tour, but opted against it. She really didn’t want him to see how empty or how un-homey the place was.
“Shall we?”
He inclined his head, reaching behind him for the knob. The door opened silently in his grasp and he held it while she passed through.
Curious, she followed him downstairs. “Are we taking my car?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Nope. I brought mine this time.”
The sleek, black car gleamed in the bright sunlight, a harsh contrast to the blinding snow surrounding it. She’d been in the thing once before, but it had been dark and raining and she hadn’t taken the time to appreciate it’s beauty, not that Riley knew much about cars, nevertheless it looked expensive and when Octavian opened her door for her and helped her in, it even smelled expensive. The soft-as-butter leather had her body melding into it, cuddling her into its supple folds. All around her were buttons and a TV screen mounted into the dashboard. Just sitting there she felt out of place and clumsy. She drew her knees together tightly and squished her hands between her thighs to keep from accidently scratching anything or leaving a smear. She couldn’t imagine what it would cost to upholster the thing.
Next to her, Octavian slipped into the driver’s seat. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a set of keys. Riley watched as he filled the chilly October with the low, but powerful hum of machine.
“Nice car,” she said for lack of anything better.
“Thank you,” he said, easing away from her apartment.
“What is it?” she asked, watching the little blip on the TV screen as it maneuvered through a maze of winding colors.
“A Lexus,” he replied.
That meant nothing to her and the way he said it, like he was telling her the color of his jeans, he didn’t sound like he cared overly much either, to which she was glad. The last thing she wanted was a guy who got all obsessive and showy about his cars.
“It’s nice,” she said again, turning to peer out her window. “So, where are we going?”
“North-east,” he said, making a smooth turn.
Riley b
raced herself to feel the wheel rattle and the tires slide, but the transition was so beautiful, she didn’t even feel it.
“What’s north-east?” she asked, mentally calculating how long she’d have to save in order to buy a car like this. Although not entirely impossible, she’d only have to stop ever spending a penny, which meant living in a cardboard box, eating out of dumpsters and stealing clothes from other homeless people. Totally doable.
“A place,” came his cryptic response.
Riley turned her head and eyed him. “Should I be worried?”
Octavian's Undoing (Sons of Judgment) Page 23