Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (The Three #1)(59)

“You touch her, you’ll burn.” Lucien’s voice was just as disturbing, more so.

I didn’t know Katrina, her threat could be empty. I knew Lucien, his threat was not.

“Yes, but you don’t get it Lucien. I’ll be happy to burn because while I burn I’ll know you’ll be facing eternity without your precious life.”

Lucien’s body tensed the way it had done earlier, his muscles coming into sharp relief, menacing, sinister.

I held my breath. Then I heard the backdoor open.

“Yoo hoo!” Edwina called. “There’s a car in the drive! Do we have… oh!”

Edwina stopped speaking. The backdoor had a direct shot to the front door down a wide hall off of which four rooms led. Edwina couldn’t see me but she could likely see Lucien and Katrina. And you didn’t have to have extra sensory perception to feel the crackling animosity in the air not to mention Katrina’s face was a bloody mess.

“You backed a losing horse, Edwina,” Katrina called apropos of absolutely nothing. “Everyone knows about Leah. He kissed her at the bar at a f**king Feast for all the world to f**king see.”

This too confused me and I heard Edwina’s shocked gasp from not too far away so I knew it surprised her which confused me all the more.

“The Council will investigate,” Katrina went on and I saw Edwina come into my vision at the side of the stairs.

Her face was pale.

“Investigate?” Edwina asked the question on the tip of my tongue.

“You know they will,” Katrina stated, her eyes sliding to Lucien. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Lucien was standing with his arms crossed on his chest like he was watching a vaguely annoying street performer who had roped him into his routine.

“Another threat,” he drawled derisively.

“I’ll call them from your f**king driveway. You’re kissing her at Feasts. You’ve moved in with her. You intend to –” Katrina retorted and Lucien cut her off.

“Be my guest,” he invited and Katrina’s eyes went wide then they swung to me.

“You’ve lost your mind,” she breathed toward me even though she was talking to Lucien. Her gaze moving back, she studied him a moment and all of a sudden her lip curled. “Though I shouldn’t be surprised, You’ve always had a taste for sweet smelling pu**y.”

I gasped. Edwina gasped. Lucien moved.

He crowded her back into the door, his powerful frame cutting her off from view.

I looked nervously at Edwina. Edwina looked nervously at me. Then she gave me a shaky smile which I did not return and we both looked back at the scene.

“The Council will grant me this.” Lucien was saying.

“Never,” Katrina returned.

“I’m calling in my marker,” Lucien announced.

I heard Katrina’s sharp intake of breath. I looked to Edwina who was staring fixedly at Lucien’s back, her face the picture of shock and I knew at least she knew what this meant.

I had no idea what was going on. None of it.

“They’ll still not allow it.” Katrina didn’t sound so sure now.

“They owe me,” Lucien retorted.

“They do but a mortal?” Katrina shot back. “They won’t even consider it. Not even for you.”

“They’ve no choice,” Lucien stated.

There was a hesitation then softly, with some kind of weird understanding in her voice, Katrina said, “I’ve heard of this but didn’t expect it of you. Her scent has driven you insane.”

Lucien didn’t hesitate with his reply. “If that’s the case, I’m happy in my insanity.”

That was the third weirdest, yet most profound, compliment I had that day even though I had no idea what was going on. I also had the distinct feeling I wanted no more compliments from the Mighty Vampire Lucien who’d beat the crap out of his wife in his concubine’s foyer while insisting said concubine watch.

“You want war,” Katrina whispered.

“I want my life back,” Lucien replied. “If to get it that means war then I want war.”

Um…

War?

“I’ll not fight on your side,” she informed him, the bravado back in her voice, her words a challenge.

“I never expected you would,” Lucien returned.

I couldn’t see all of her but I saw parts of her body twitch as if she’d been struck.

“You don’t think much of me, do you?” she asked.

“I haven’t for the last thirty years,” he replied with frank cruelty.

She stepped out from in front of him and I could see her now. Her eyes looked to me then back to Lucien.

“I’m beginning to feel sorry for her,” Katrina commented.

“You shouldn’t. She’s everything you’re not,” Lucien responded.

That hurt. I could see it in her flinch and I felt her pain. Any woman would.

He was harsh and he was heartless and, honest to goodness, I never thought I could hate him anymore but I did at that moment. It was lunacy, his wife had tried to do me bodily harm but I felt for her, I couldn’t help it.

“What did I do to make you hate me so much?” she whispered.

“You, like all of them, tried to cage me. I can’t abide that, Rina, you knew it. You knew how I felt about it and you did it all the same.”