Page 53 of Ruby Red Sky

“I’ll escort Cassia,” Kiam said.

“Very well. See you both soon.” Annalise walked off, leaving us alone.

We were silent until we left. Kiam stopped once we were halfway down the hallway that forked with my own. “She’s going to try and kill me, isn’t she?”

“Maybe,” he answered honestly.

“I’m sorry about Lukas, when he stuck you on the ceiling. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”

He scoffed. “I made my choice, there’s nothing to apologize for. I shouldn’t have touched you.”

My hands went to my hips. “You know he’s being ridiculous.”

“No, I know you are. Get over yourself and get your shit together. This life is no joke. You can be as independent as you want, but there’s a steep price to pay. Do you have any idea what Lukas would do for you? He’s told you, and you just don’t get it through your thick skull.”

I was stunned speechless. Kiam had never opened up to me quite like this before. “Um, okay. I just don’t... yeah. I don’t know.” I stared at the floor. He had a point.

“Figure it out and quickly.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m leaving, I need to get out of here.”

My gaze flicked up to his. “You’re pissed at him too, aren’t you. That’s why you’re leaving.”

His face clouded, and his back stiffened. I was right. “I’ll be returning with the boy. Try not to die in the meantime.”

One moment he was there, and the next he was gone.

I was all alone.

CHAPTER 17

Lukas

“Kiam’s gone,” Kalix stated, striding into my office.

“Gone?” I glanced at him as he pushed his hood back.

He swiped his hand around his neckline, freeing his long hair. “Yes, he went to the Third. He’s fetching Annalise’s son.”

My hand smoothed down the scroll I’d been examining. I was looking at vampire family lines, attempting to discern who her son’s father would be. It wasn’t going to be Wyvon, I knew that without a doubt. Nor would it be any of us in positions of power in her palace.

Annalise would have chosen someone unique, someone bearing some sort of advantage in another kingdom. Most likely, a man with exceptional magic or sorcery.

A mix of irritation and unfamiliar sadness wrestled together in my chest. Against my own will, I’d grown very fond of Kiam and truly considered him a friend.

He knew better than to lay a hand on Cassia. He knew how I would react. I couldn’t help the suspicion that he’d taken his leave without notifying me due to his mistaken belief he held a higher moral ground.

I’d felt it the moment Cassia recoiled from his touch. The sensation of wrongness that had hollowed her stomach and made her hair stand on end sent me flying from this very office.

Kiam was lucky I hadn’t disemboweled him and feasted on his remains.

“Do you have news of where his focus will lie? What do we know of her child?” The outrageous thought to drag his bag of bones back here was hard to resist.

Kalix paced back and forth, the skirt of his cape swishing against his legs and the chairs. “The boy’s name is Zaynan,” he glanced at me. “She believes he is just a few hundred years old. He is working with the demon, Alexander, selling drugs.”

“Drugs?” The child was lucky he was still alive.

“Alexander is no street thug. He’s a higher-level demon and was a close companion of the heir of the Satanic Throne. It is highly likely Zaynan has been extraordinarily comfortable.”

I made a mental note to investigate Alexander and his associates. “Very well. Europe?”