30. Kairhyse

30

Kairhyse

T he past three days have been quite incredible, yet an unsettling sensation lingers within me. While Xeraphine appears to be her usual self, there's an underlying unease that I can't seem to shake.

It's just a feeling, because she still acts the way she normally does, but there is something I can't ignore. Ever since she confessed to me about my tattoo and her gate, she's avoided anything remotely close to her Amoro, or in general about what she is.

"Hey." She slips through the patio doors as the sun begins to set, catching me aimlessly staring at my phone. I've just received a call from Achille, and I need to report in for my next job. Truth be told, I'd rather drop my role altogether, but something tells me I need to be right where I am for Xeraphine.

"Hi, little demon. How was dinner?"

She hums and stands next to me. "It was okay, better than anything I can do, but you still need some practice." Her monotone reply tells me she's sincere, and I can't help but laugh. I love her honesty; at least she didn't lie... like I did .

"Do you mind taking me home?"

I'm not necessarily surprised by her request, but I had hoped she'd stay for a week, if not longer. Before I can open my mouth, she surprises me. "I just want to get some clothes and make sure that Mister hasn't gone insane. Staying under the radar for a while is probably smart; when I reemerge, I want the whole thing with Dominic and Dante to be a thing of the past."

I don't look at her, I just smirk. "Sure, not liking my shirts?"

She grumbles, "I'd like some panties... and a bra."

"Oh, then never mind, the answer is no." The back of her hand comes down on my arm with such force that I can't help but wince. "Ouch! Geez, I'm kidding!" I manage to say between fits of laughter.

Without permission, I step toward her, wrap my arm around her neck, and pull her to me. "Come on, I need to take care of some business, and then I'll swing by to pick you back up."

Her attempt at pushing me away as I lean in to kiss her is cute, because she absolutely can throw me over this balcony, but she won't. I press my lips against her cheek, brushing against the corner of hers.

"I liked you better stalking me," she murmurs, but turns her head to allow for a quick peck.

"Yeah, yeah," I release her and swat her butt as she turns back to the apartment. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll run away from me soon, and I'll be chasing that perfect ass of yours across state lines again."

I'm contemplating not asking, but I need to. It's going to piss me off, and it's not her fault, but my own.

She hasn't moved my hand, which is holding onto her thigh, but she's staring out the window as though she doesn't recognize it's there. I've purposefully slowed at every yellow and even made a wrong turn, just to give myself a little more time. Now that we are only a few lights away, I clear my throat.

"I meant to ask you something. "

"Mhmm?" she hums.

"You've mentioned before you can see when someone is lying," I can see from the corner of my eye that she's looking at me. "Do you always see it?"

"I usually have to concentrate or be seeking it. It's like an aura that I can smell, taste, and sometimes see. Depends on how big the lie is." I turn my head, seeing that she's looking down at my hand, and then back up to my gaze. "Why?"

I wonder if she saw when I lied to her about the fate comment, but I won't be asking directly. I saw how uncomfortable she was about the subject, and the last thing I want to do is make her mad at me before I have to go see Achille.

"You are nervous," she continues, and I stop us at a light that I could have gone through as it had just barely turned yellow. "I have to pull it to see it, which I now am. Why did you ask?" She's a bit more forceful with her question this time.

I chuckle, knowing that I cannot lie now, since she's aware of my feelings. "I lied to you, and I was curious if you had caught it."

She narrows her gaze, and I look forward as the light turns green, getting us moving. I focus on a meaningless lie, one that wouldn't show as a lie when I told her. "You asked me if I knew why you liked tomato juice, and I lied. Butterfly told me. I wanted to hear you tell me the story."

The loudest sigh comes from her, and she turns back to look out the window. "It really isn't even that big of a deal! You and Syd, I swear to the Gods you both are insufferable."

"I mean, it's kind of cute."

She grumbles.

The story of her thinking it was blood when she was younger and wanting to be a Vampire got her hooked on the beverage. Sydni says it reminds her of the innocence she once had, but of course, my little demon just says she enjoys the taste. How in the Beyond can anyone enjoy that?

I suppose I have no room to talk; I drink blood after all .

When she lets out a soft laugh, we both fall into a small bout of it together. Her hand moves on top of mine, pats it, and then tucks her fingers under my palm. "Weirdo."

After parking in front of her apartment, I unlock the door and watch as she opens it.

"Just text me when you are heading back, I won't take long and will be ready."

I nod, and as she's turning her legs out, she pauses, "Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." My eyes widen in shock that she thanks me. "For not rushing to open my door, I'd have killed you… trying to treat me like some fucking lady."

There she is.

I bark out a laugh, and place both my hands onto the steering wheel, "Not really the—" she cuts me off by giving me a kiss, it's brief, and when she leans away she winks. "—prince charming type."

"See you soon." The door closes moments after, and I watch her stroll straight into the building.

What have you done to me, Xera…

In the lobby, Marcos, Achille's one and only son, greets me. His bright blue eyes locking on me as I enter the building.He will inherit everything from his father when he dies. I must admit, I like Marcos. He is young and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He's a social media snob, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. His father is stuck in the mindset of the two-thousands, even if he didn't grow up in them.

"Sirion Monroe, it's good to see you," Marcos says, extending his hand to me, and I take it without hesitation.

"Likewise," I reply with a gracious smile .

"My father is so dramatic," he says, hitting the button for the elevator. "I'll just prep you on our ride up."

I nod, "Thanks, but I am busy so I hope this doesn't take too long."

He shakes his head, "Nah, we will just give you the file and you can be on your way. First, what cologne are you wearing?" As the elevator doors open, I step in with him, and he hits the number eighty-seven, the top floor.

"I'm not, it tends to mess with my senses."

"Something smells nice," he says, taking a long intake of air through his nose. "Maybe it was whoever used the elevator last," he hums, and I don't comment. I don't smell anything, but that isn't surprising. All I've been able to smell is my little demon, which I am so pleased about.

"Anyway, it looks like a high-profile member of Ansford has gone missing, Clay Horus. I believe you had a run-in with him at a club."

I don't react, but the fact that he knows that does make me nervous, "I did, he was messing with someone I was seeing." I'm thankful for Sydni, she's kept everything in such perfect order. ‘Stephanie', as she told Clay and the twins, was the mate that I stopped seeing just before she was ‘killed' by their disgruntled driver. I'm not meant to know she died; that keeps everything separated from me and my little demon. At some point, it's inevitable that someone will see me with Xeraphine, and there mustn't be any doubt that she and Stephanie are not one and the same. It'll just look like I have a thing for black-haired women.

"Ah, that explains the reports we got, but no matter. They shouldn't be messing with what is yours, am I right?"

I chuckle, "Exactly. So, Clay is missing?" I stay neutral because that mother fucker isn't missing; he is dead.

"Yeah, we thought maybe it had to do with that girl." I give him a look of agitation, and he quickly puts his hands up. "Listen, listen, it's my father. You know he is untrusting, but I urged him to hear reason. She isn't known to kidnap."

A low growl thrums in my throat, " I brought her fucking head, what more proof does he want?" I can't speak like that about him to his son, so I take a deep breath and relax. "Apologies, I don't like being questioned on my work."

"All good—I get it. Between you and me, I think Clay just pissed the wrong person off. He was an ass. You didn't do it right? I mean, the reports say you stormed out of the nightclub with your mated."

"She broke it off with me, something about being too rough. While I was pissed, she went there knowing damn well she was mine. If anything, I should have killed her." The anger that was lacing between my words aren't directed toward my little demon, but those three that had their hands on her. I know they are all dead, but that is a fucking mercy. At least Clay suffered, that is what will sedate my rising fury.

The elevator dings, "She's gone somewhere now—maybe those two ran off together."

"I love that you are angry, Sirion, I know we will get answers quickly with that." He runs his hands through his short brown hair and walks in tandem with me to Achille, who is once again at his cart of booze.

"Father, always a pleasure." Marcos's tone doesn't quite convey his conviction about feeling that way. "I've briefed Sirion Monroe."

After pouring a glass of whisky, Achille turns toward me with a half-smile, "Kairhyse, good to see you boy. Marcos." He raises his glass, and I nod in his direction. There aren't any guards in the room with us, which does surprise me, but it's just his son and myself, who are to be his most loyal.

"Not sure what my son told you." He takes a sip, and sits down into his large brown leather chair, and kicks his feet up. "Ansford is pissed, and because it happened in our territory, they are requesting our help."

My phone buzzes in my pants, but I ignore it. Likely Sydni, sending me another calendar invite because she knows that Xeraphine will ignore it. That butterfly, I swear .

"They need to come off their high horse a bit," Marcos comments dryly. "Chatting here with Sirion Monroe, he says the girl that caused the scene was his but she walked out on him. He thinks maybe her and Clay ran off together."

"She seemed fond of him," the low groan in my throat isn't necessarily forced. "As I said to Marcos, if I were to have killed either of them, it would have been her."

"I understand, whores will always be whores." I force myself to drop the fury that builds in me. He isn't talking about MY little demon. "Plus, I know you wouldn't do anything so stupid as to kill the fiancé of Desiray Ansford—"

Fucking Beyond itself… Suppose I let my anger slip and didn't check into exactly who that shit stain was.

"It's why they are so up in arms, and why we at least need to find a body if he is dead." Achille continues, finishing off his whisky with a hiss.

Marcos groans, "It's hard to find it all coincidental. I know that Mathas was employed to us, but for him to have been Desiray's guard and end up dead here, and now her fiancé, it seems like someone is trying to send a message to the Ansford Hause."

My phone buzzes again, and I put my hand into my pocket to silence the vibration.

"I'll make it a top priority, Achille," I say, looking at the very small file sitting on the table. "First, I'll track down my ex to see if she's—"

"No need." Achille pulls out a newspaper. "She's dead." The front shows a picture of the twins, the headline ‘Bastilla twins dead, murdered by disgruntled driver'. "She was the girl with Clay." He slips a photo of her, dead, over the newspaper. "Eerily similar to the one you brought to us, I must say."

I'm so thankful I didn't see her in that state in person. Seeing the haze over her eyes, blood, and fresh bullet wounds in her chest and head, it actually stops my heart.

She's fine. She's alive. She's not glass .

"I've heard more than fifty percent of the population has black hair. We can dwindle it down to thirty percent for beautiful. She got what she deserved for fucking with me."

"Told you, father." Marcos's condescending tone makes me more thankful he has a clear head. "When has Sirion Monroe ever not delivered? You are being a twat. Now, come on. Get to the end of it."

My phone goes off again, and I pull it out of my pocket. It's Sydni calling, and I need this conversation to hurry along so I can call her back. Instead of hanging up, I answer it but turn the volume all the way down so she can hear the conversation and know why I can't talk.

"Please, continue, Achille. As I told Marcos, I was in the middle of something when summoned."

"Right," Achille sighs, "my apologies for being untrusting. You have to understand, Ansford being on my ass is not pleasant. They are a larger Hause than Sidence in sheer number." He pauses to groan. "Anyway. They are following a lead but won't share the details with us. I just recommend us finding Clay, his body, or who did it, before they do."

"Why?" I press, my nerves shot. I'm unsure why, but I'm getting anxious.

"Call it a hunch, but we want to be ahead of this. Do what you must, Kairhyse, and report back daily, please. I just want to put this behind all of us."

I nod and look to Marcos, who is giving me an appreciative smile. "You've got my number if you need anything. My resources are yours. Father, do you mind if I take another moment of your time?"

"Sure."

As I enter the elevator, I wait three floors before pulling out my phone. Sydni never hung up, and I turn the volume up to hear sirens and her crying. "Sydni, what is it?!"

She's barely able to get through her sentence, and I hear someone in the background calling her name. "They took her!" My entire body trembles. "Kai… I'm at her apartment… please hurry…"