Page 5 of Hero of Havoc

“Thank you.”

Not an inch of remorse is visible, and it makes my stomach twist in knots.

“It wasn’t a compliment,” I insist, and he presses his lips together in a thin line.

“Take a seat,” he commands, waving a hand at the chair beside him, the one nestled between him and the pile of dead bodies.

I scoff, tightening my arms around my middle. “No, thank you.”

His eyes narrow a fraction. “It wasn't a request, Ivy,” he snarls, making my heart tremble as I gingerly do as he commands and take the seat.

Locked dead center between two versions of Hell, I don’t know which way to lean. What’s the lesser of two evils? A pile of dead bodies, or the leader of the Second Kingdom?

I try to keep my spine as straight as I can, and the moment I get comfortable, Leonardo extends his hand, trying to reach for me, but I quickly pull away from his grasp before he gets a chance, lacing my fingers together in my lap.

He doesn't retract completely, though. Instead, he taps the tip of his index finger on the leather arm of his chair.

If it's an attempt to intimidate me, it has the potential to work.

“So, the truth is out,” he declares, and I press my lips together in a thin line.

“You knew that they knew,” I state, staring deep into his eyes, unfazed by the darkness that lingers.

“What, exactly?” he questions, and my eyebrows furrow.

“You just said the truth is out.”

The corner of his mouth tips up in a knowing smile. “Let me hear it from your lips.” He says it with an air of lust, and it makes my throat thicken, emotions clawing through me as I try to clear the lump that has settled there, but it's futile.

I haven't had time to decipher any of this for myself yet. Add this man's presence and his choice of words, and I'm already regretting my decision as defeat settles in my veins.

Clearing my throat, I try again, more urgent to leave than to uncover truths now.

“Everyone knew I was going to be a phoenix,” I acknowledge, and his grin grows wider as he leans closer, resting his elbow on my armchair, using his palm as a prop for his chin.

“Would you have felt differently if you had known sooner?” he muses, and I shrug, hating how intimate and intimidating it feels all at once.

“I don't know what I would have felt,” I admit, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell him.

Would I?

He tilts his head, leaning in an extra inch. “How do you feel about the fact that your mates knew?”

I try to lean away from him, but the smell of death already cuts through the air beside me.

I have a lot of racing thoughts when it comes to those four men, but I haven’t figured them out for myself yet, so I’m in no position to share. “There are a lot of unanswered questions,” I state, hoping to change the topic instead of divulging my pain to this man, of all people.

Letting my guard down in here would be foolish.

“I can help you with some of those answers, if you would like,” he offers, and I cock a brow at him.

“I can't see how.”

As if my words are a command, he jolts to his feet, crowding my space as he plants one hand on each side of my chair. He leans in closer than I'd like, but I refuse to look weak, keeping my eyes locked on his.

“I know how you work, Ivy. This evening has panned out exactly the way I wanted it to.”

I scoff, yet the way his eyes narrow tells me he believes his words to be true.