He’d said it so casually one could almost miss the underlying threat.
“Duly noted, Lo. I have always believed that the mind is more fearsome than the sharpest blade. It alone can devise many ways to cut an enemy down.”
Camilla had not fallen into the trap of believing he was simply a harmless book aficionado, but she could understand how others would. Easily.
She wondered if that made him even more dangerous.
How many others had foolishly underestimated the Prince of Sloth? Had mistaken his penchant for reading all day for laziness instead of what it truly was—honing the best weapon in his arsenal: his mind.
If knowledge was power in this circle, then the prince standing before her, hands tucked carefully into his pockets, dripped with it.
He gazed back at her with the precision of a scientist, and Camilla knew there was no detail he missed, no subtlety or nuance overlooked or cast aside.
Lo was not a lazy, slothful male by any means.
He was infinitely patient. Calculating. Wickedly intelligent. Lo took his time, studying until he was satisfied with all potential outcomes.
If he was currently without a partner and sought one out, God help the person he fell for. Camilla knew he’d leave no stone unturned as he investigated them to the fullest degree, plotting and planning his seduction so well they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Not that anyone would want to. Underneath that unassuming appearance lurked a warrior just as deadly and ferocious as his brothers.
“Your guest suite is just down the next corridor.” His expression had returned to indifference as he continued at a leisurely pace. “Please make yourself at home. My brother will likely turn up within the next hour or two.”
Camilla bit her lip, stalling.
“Might I be permitted to look around more?”
Lo drew up short, eyeing her closely. “What subject are you interested in?”
She wondered if he knew about the game, how much she should reveal.
“Honestly, I’m looking for a clue. It’s for—”
“Envy’s newest game, of course.” Lo sighed. “I’m not sure how you’ve gotten involved with it, but you seem like a good person. Don’t let Envy’s obsession with winning just to boast about it destroy you. These games are seldom worth the price.”
That didn’t feel true, from what Camilla had seen. Envy was driven, focused, yes—but his intensity didn’t seem like something frivolous. He hadn’t told her otherwise, but she’d begun to suspect the game meant more than Envy was letting on. To anyone.
Instead of drawing suspicion to that, she asked the question that had become the most nagging and persistent. Which she immediately wished she could take back.
“Is your brother… attached?”
“Aside from what he calls his curiosities, my brother doesn’t form attachments.”
“Ever?”
Lo cocked his head to one side, considering.
“Envy hasn’t told you of his rule.”
It wasn’t a question, so Camilla didn’t answer.
Sympathy entered Lo’s expression.
“Envy spends only one night with a lover. No matter what you feel, or what you think he might feel, that will not change, Miss Antonius. My brother is incapable of change.”
Envy hadn’t told her that part outright, but thinking back on that night in Kitty’s house… he’d told her it was only that evening. Their secret. The fact that they hadn’t slept together meant their one night technically wasn’t over. Which made her mind spin with possibilities.
“Because his heart was broken before?”
“Because his sin will not allow him to be satisfied with what he has,” Lo said gently. “Envy will always desire something new. Until he gets it. Then he is envious of the next item he covets, the next person claimed by someone else. He’ll pursue you, become wildly territorial until he successfully captures you, then toss you aside. He isn’t cruel. He’s simply ruled by his sin like we all are.”
Camilla wanted to cast the warning aside but thought of Vexley. Of how quickly Envy had despised him. She’d thought it was about defending her. But if Lo was to be believed…
“You’re saying there was never any heartbreak?”
“I never said that.” Lo’s smile was a slow twist of his lips. “If you want my advice, guard your heart and forget my brother. He is content with his games and riddles and plots.”
It was a warning meant to dissuade her, but it had the opposite effect. Camilla liked those things too. Each day, lately, she liked them more and more.
A servant made his way toward them, a bookish demon wearing spectacles. His pace was unhurried.
He handed a note to the prince, then bowed.
Lo read it over, then tucked the paper into his waistcoat.
“Bathe. Eat. Rest. My brother is already requesting reentry.” Lo smiled again, although this smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll make him wait a bit more just to remind him who rules House Sloth.”
THIRTY-TWO
GODS-DAMNED PRICK.”
Envy crumpled the missive in his fist, seconds away from declaring war on his bastard of a brother Sloth. Said war was only narrowly avoided by the surprise visitation request from his other prick of a brother, the gold-eyed demon staring at him now.
Envy glared at Wrath, who was dressed impeccably from head to toe in his signature black.
Gold rings gleamed on his fingers. Only a fool would think they were a simple fashion ornamentation. Envy knew firsthand how they could sharpen a blow.
His brother had come prepared for a fight, and Envy was feeling vexed enough to oblige. Decades ago, Wrath had refused to get involved the first time the game master screwed Envy. A fact he’d never fully forgiven his brother for. If anyone had stood a chance at swaying Lennox back then, it had been Wrath. But he’d chosen diplomacy instead. It set into motion their underlying friction and Envy’s least favorite role he played: the conniving, heartless villain.
Animosity aside, Envy had recently pretended he wanted to steal something his brother coveted. What no one knew was that Envy had his spies secretly feed Prince Greed the location of the two missing goddesses. It was that precious information that set into motion the eventual destruction of a curse. Envy had done his best to push and prod everyone into action, using any foul means necessary, always thinking of his court and their fate.
No one suspected Envy’s true motivation, they all only saw the game player. Which suited him fine.
The demon of war gave him a mocking grin.
“I missed you, too.” Wrath tossed a bag his way, the scent of sugar and cream immediately filling the air. “Not as much as my wife, though.”
Envy glanced inside the bag, a strange feeling thawing his irritation slightly.
Emilia had made cannoli for him. He stared at the bag a long moment, no discernible ulterior motive surfacing, nothing aside from… friendship. Emilia loved cooking, loved nourishing those she cared deeply for. Envy was admittedly a little touched that that now extended to him.
He fought the urge to try one when he realized how closely Wrath was inspecting him.
Envy folded the bag up again, tossed it carelessly onto his desk.
“Gratitude.” Wrath’s tone was amused. “That’s the foreign emotion you’re experiencing. I’ll pass along your thanks. For some reason, Emilia thinks you’re friends now.”