Page 73 of Shai

with him?”

Grayson’s arm tightened against my throat again, a bolt of alarm

shooting through me. There was no doubt in my mind where his vote lay. It was me versus four men. If they decided to dole out retribution on behalf of Shai, there was nothing I could do about it. The silence in the room was thick and cloying, the men looking to Taylor for guidance as the highest ranked man in the room.

Taylor ran a hand through his hair, his expression weary. “Take him to

Shai. He’ll decide what to do with him.” I let out a breath as he shook his head with a look of disgust on his face. “I warned Shai about this, warned him that you can’t mess with someone’s head without them becoming unpredictable and unstable. Maybe now he’ll actually believe me.” His gaze strayed back to the still form on the bed, her eyes still open. “Shame it’s too late.”

We were a strange procession as we made our way back down the stairs, Grayson’s unwillingness to loosen his grip making tackling stairs somewhat of an awkward affair, like we were a two-headed beast trying to overcome an impossible obstacle. I laughed at the mental image I’d conjured up, the steel band of Grayson’s forearm strangling the sound in my throat. “Shut up, you sick fuck.”

I shut up, more intent on clinging onto the tiny amount of oxygen he was allowing me, my head spinning, and the smell of Grayson’s sweat making it no easier to breathe.

Shai was in his bedroom, his back turned as he lowered a live rat into Nyoko’s tank, the cobra striking to swallow it down in one rapid move.

“Shai?” Taylor’s request for attention was low and urgent.

Shai took his time in placing the lid of the tank back into place before turning. There wasn’t a shred of emotion on his face as he ran his gaze over the assembled group in front of him. “What’s going on?”

Taylor stepped forward. “I’m afraid I have sad news. Your mother…” He paused to clear this throat. “There’s no easy way of saying it. She’s dead. We did our best to revive her, but it was no good.

Still no emotion. “How did she die?”

Taylor’s fingers curled into fists. “Elijah… he strangled her. Gustav raised the alarm when he took a knife from the kitchen. We were too late, though. I’m really sorry, Shai. We all are.”

Shai’s gaze skated over Taylor to settle on me. Despite my discomfort at the position I was being held in, I met it head-on. Shai’s look was long and considering before he finally spoke. “I see.”

Grayson’s voice rumbled against my ear as he spoke. “What do you want us to do with him?”

We were back to silence, everyone in the room, including Shai, absurdly still. What if I’d been wrong about what Shai wanted? What if deep down, he’d loved her and I’d just taken that away from him? I stared at him, my skin prickling, and my knees feeling like they could give way at any moment.

What had I done?

Elijah

“LET HIM GO.” Shai’s words were clear and distinct.

My attempt to sag in relief was curtailed by Grayson’s grip not

slackening in the slightest. Had he not heard Shai’s instruction?

It was Taylor, though, who voiced his objection. “Let him go? Did you

not hear what I said? He killed your mother. He wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed the life out of her. We saw it with our own eyes. She was in bed. She was absolutely defenseless and he didn’t give a fuck.”

Shai crossed his arms over his chest. “She wasn’t defenseless. She’s

never been defenseless.”

Taylor frowned. “Yeah, but…”

He fell silent as a particularly hard glare came winging his way from

Shai. Taylor lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, confusion hanging over him like a heavy cloud.

Shai’s gaze swung to Grayson. “I thought I told you to let him go.” He dropped me like a stone and I fell to my knees. “Now leave us alone.”

There was the slightest of hesitations, and then they all filed out of the