Chapter 24

THE FAE

My sweet mate.

Loss compounded upon her shoulders but worst of all, the light dimmed behind her beautiful brown eyes.

Our first meeting flashed through my mind. Bright eyes verging on playful as she’d sassed me. A hint of that unencumbered version of her had flared to life these last few days.

Killing Weber had been a contributing factor.

I could understand where that had come from, since I too had struggled with the inability to do anything for so long. The difference was the four of us had become used to it because it was the environment we’d grown up in. Maya hadn’t, and her personality bade her to speak out for others.

To Maya, killing Osmodus would mean the end of torment, and just for that, I would do anything to get her information on his whereabouts.

“Did they give you any answers?”

Beckett had walked up beside me at some point. It wasn’t like me to be so unobservant. I cleared my throat and slipped my cell phone into my pocket. I didn’t trust the UB, not after seeing their underhanded dealings with Richard Volkov. Dealings I was sure had been between all those involved with Cyrus. The private investigator I hired had recently emailed me some files I hadn’t had the chance to review.

“They’re coming to collect Maya’s unfortunate blood relative.” The poor excuse of a sibling continued rocking near the wall while Elliot guarded her.

“So easily?” Beckett was aware of the Unnatural Bureau’s tendencies.

“I told them who I was.”

“The Volkov name holds sway.” Beckett scratched his neck, leaving welts behind. He’d done it a few times already. An unconscious, anxious movement.

“It should, since most of their funding comes from my lineage.”

And now that I was head of the estate, it would make sense they kissed my fucking ass. I’d expected this, but I hadn’t wanted to test it without confirmation from the private investigator getting me all of the information on the male that had dealings with Richard, but time was of the essence. The pies my father had fingers in were excessive. I’d rifled through many of them and had begun severing ties with anything not profitable, or anything I didn’t want to be linked to. Having sway in the UB . . . that I would keep to ensure the safety of those under my protection.

“Where did she go?” I asked.

“She climbed onto the roof.”

I’d never seen the dragon so gentle as he collected the body of Maya’s pseudo-father. Beckett shot fruitive glances to the door. “Give her space,” I warned. I could tell he itched to gather her in his arms.

“I know,” Beckett responded bitterly, his gaze focusing on Rita. “Especially me.” His expression shuttered. “Couldn’t you leave her alone?” he sneered at the girl, clenching his fists. The skin over his knuckles stretched and turned white.

Rita didn’t react; she just continued rocking.

A feral snarl ripped from Beckett’s chest. He lunged, talons extending from his nail beds.

I slammed my shoulder into his side, stopping him midway. “You have to respect Maya’s decision,” I hissed.

He shoved me, and I stumbled back a step. Keeping stiff, I waited between them in case he pounced again.

Beckett paced, scratching his throat. Red lines formed under the harsh motions. Fury and hate swirled in his unfocused gaze.

“You fucking disgust me! Everything you took from me . . .” The wolf vibrated with fury, but there also seemed to be a weakness in him. A shake rippled over his hands.

“Take a walk outside,” I ordered. Beckett watched me from the corner of his eye, the behavior canine in nature.

Finally, he stilled, and his nostrils flared. The mental warfare lasted a few seconds, but then he retreated with a stiff spine.

“He’s lost his mind,” Enzo commented as he finished rolling Lucian’s body into the sheet.

No. Beckett neared losing it. The feral reaction held no thought; he’d been pure emotion.

I’d caught the way he stared at Maya while she slept—spacing out while a myriad of expressions flittered over his expression. He would reach out to touch her, then retreat to scratch at his skin. On a few instances, he’d left the room and retched.

Whatever was going on with him couldn’t be fixed by anyone but Maya. Hopefully, she would figure out a way to calm him before he self-destructed.