Victor glanced over Malachai’s shoulder toward Riley. He raised his eyebrows at his brother. “Everything okay?”
“Yep. Perfect. How did the meeting go?”
“It went fine.” Victor knit his brows at Riley. “What’s wrong with her?”
“How should I know?” Malachai didn’t turn around. “She’s bent about something. I didn’t ask what.”
Victor trained his full attention on his wife. “Huh.”
He strode away without another word to Malachai. Malachai knew it would play out like this. Victor and Riley shared an unspoken line of communication that never failed to alert one when anything disturbed the other.
Malachai turned around as Victor approached her. A ray of sunshine lit up the pair in the middle of the lobby. It surrounded them in a halo of blessed isolation that protected them from everyone around them. They were alone. They couldn’t be more alone if they were in their private bedroom at home in the Griffin family apartment.
Victor confronted Riley. She shuffled her feet and brushed her hair aside. When she finally looked him in the eye, her features wrenched and her eyebrows flew up in the middle. She flinched as though she was in pain.
She was telling him all about Isabelle. Of course she was. She and Victor never hid anything from each other before and she wasn’t about to start now.
For the millionth time since Victor brought her home, Malachai experienced a pang of jealousy for his brother. Would Malachai ever find a counterpart like that? Would he ever find a woman he connected with at such a deep level? Would he ever trust anybody the way Victor trusted Riley?
Malachai understood exactly how his brother felt about Riley because Malachai loved and trusted her with the same unwavering certainty. Malachai knew with unflinching certainty he could rely on her integrity to do the right thing. She cared as much about Anarock as anyone born New Breed. She threw her destiny in with Anarock and she never looked back.
Sure enough, a tear streaked down her cheek. Victor put his arms around her and she hugged his sturdy torso. Whether Victor gave her permission to see Isabelle again didn’t matter. They were on the same page either way. Riley would abide by Victor’s decision. They would do the right thing for Anarock and they would do it together.
Victor turned around and signaled Malachai to join them. When Malachai got near his brother, Victor’s features hardened. “Let’s go. We’re getting out of here.”
Malachai fell in at Victor’s side on the way out of the building. Riley held Victor’s other hand and the trio walked shoulder to shoulder onto Canal Street. Malachai knew better than to ask what transpired between the couple. That was none of his business. “So what did they say about the negotiation?”
“What did they say?” Victor snorted. “They didn’t say jack shit. They’re masters of saying something without saying anything.”
“So…are they going to accept our proposal?” Malachai asked.
Victor grimaced. “How the fuck should I know?”
Malachai cocked his head at his brother. “So are they friends or enemies?”
“Neither.” Victor laughed. “They’re neutral.”
“How can they be?” Riley interjected. “They’re New Breed like us. No one can stay neutral in this war.”
“Well, they are,” Victor replied. “They aren’t our allies and they aren’t hostile toward us. They’re just excruciatingly polite.”
Malachai snarled under his breath. “That’s a pain in the ass. I’d almost rather they were hostile than to sit on the sidelines and watch us give our lives to protect them.”
“Never mind. Just drop it.” Victor stopped on the curb. He cast a glance up and down the street before he confronted Malachai. “We’ve got bigger problems right now. If they want to dream away in their ivory tower, let ‘em. They don’t concern us. Both of you get back to Ogru-Kuche. We have business to attend to.”
At that moment, a sleek black sedan nosed into the sidewalk. The back door popped. Malachai caught a brief glimpse of Colonel Horace Weeks in the back seat before Victor slotted in and shut the door. The car glided away and disappeared.
Malachai turned around to find Riley staring up at him. She looked on the verge of tears. Malachai fought back the urge to squeeze her arm. “Are you okay?”
She nodded down at the ground and her voice cracked. “Thanks. You were right. I shouldn’t have even considered keeping it from him.”
He didn’t bother to ask what Victor said about Isabelle. It didn’t matter. He gave in to the urge and eased toward her. He put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “You did the right thing. I’m proud of you. Come on. Let’s go home.”
Click here to keep reading Malachai…
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Finn. I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it.
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About the Author
Romi writes steamy contemporary and paranormal romance with hot alpha rugged bad boys and their strong heroines. You'll love her if you like reading books with passion, love and HEAs.
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