“I doubt it. She doesn't trust a soul right now, and after I was done talking to her, she practically reeked of fear. She won’t tell Malachi anything.”
Now it was Malachi’s turn to tense behind me.
Okay. If I wasn’t dead earlier, I was definitely dead now.
The footsteps approached us, and I was prepared for them to walk into the same dark room as us. But they passed us by, echoing into the distance until they eventually grew silent.
My husband released the death grip he held on me and I let out a long breath.
“What was that?” I breathed, whirling to face him. “Why are you hiding from them?”
He grabbed my shoulders and shoved my back against the wall, pinning me there. “What did he tell you?” He asked, his dark eyes piercing into me. I hesitated. Malachi saw it, too. “I can smell lies, princess, so think wisely about what you’re about to say.”
I debated my options. Telling Malachi what Adonis said would ensure that I couldn’t sneak away to meet with him. But Malachi clearly had reasons not to trust his brothers. Did that mean that I shouldn’t, either?
After what I had just heard, I wasn’t so sure meeting with Adonis was going to help me at all.
Malachi’s body was inches from mine, and he pressed a hand on the wall on either side of my head. The room was too dark to see anything, but I could feel his breath on my cheek.
I knew he could see me, though. I knew he was tracking every emotion that flickered across my face. And he was furious.
The truth might be my only way out of this situation alive.
“Fine,” I admitted. “Adonis told me I couldn’t trust you. He said he would meet me out here at midnight, and that he could help me.”
“Help you?”
“That’s what he said.” Malachi backed away and ran a hand through his hair. “Were those the rest of your brothers with him?” I asked.
He took a long breath before mumbling, “Yeah. Yeah, it was.”
“What do you think they were doing? Why would all of them try to meet with me alone in an empty room?”
“I don’t know, dammit!” Malachi said, temper clearly unraveling. He clenched his fists as he paced back and forth in the dark room. “If you would have just stayed by my side like I ordered you to do, we wouldn’t be in this situation. You knowingly put yourself in danger, Jade!”
“Excuse me? Like you ordered me?”
“You are my wife, Jade Farrow. If I tell you to do something, it’s an order.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I pushed myself off the wall, heart pounding in my chest. “If you think I’m just another one of your stupid human wives who will let you boss them around, you’re wrong. And I’m sorry your family is messed up and your brothers are clearly not very supportive, but grow up. It’s not my fault someone wants me dead. You seem to care enough about me to not kill me yourself, which somehow doesn’t make me feel any better. We’ve all got issues, Malachi. Don’t think for a second you can boss me around and treat me like trash just because I’m not fae.”
My voice had grown to a yell, but I didn’t back away.
Malachi took a step closer. “Then let me get one thing straight, wife. You think I care about you? That’s cute. I don’t care about you. I don’t care about your past, and I certainly don’t care about your future.” He spoke in a way that shook my bones. It was pure power. Pure anger. “But someone wants you dead. That creates a few problems for me, and the main problem is that someone close to me has been betraying me. I’m going to find out who that is, which will be impossible if you walk away from me and get yourself killed before I find out who it is! So, when I order you to stay by my side, you stay by my side next time. Got it?”
I clenched my jaw. How stupid was I to think Malachi was actually an honorable man who wanted to keep his wife safe? Who wanted to uphold his vows. Dammit, Jade. Of course he didn’t care about me. I was human.
I was nothing but a temporary toy to the fae.
In this case, I was nothing but a tool for Malachi’s master plan.
I had to remember what my goal was. Tessa would starve if I died. I was here for a reason, and I had to survive. If that meant going along with whatever plan Malachi had, then so be it.
Even if it absolutely killed me to admit it.
“Fine,” I said after a few seconds. “I’m sorry I left you. It won’t happen again.”
He considered my words for a moment, and I could feel him examining my face in the darkness. I shivered.