Page 48 of Soul Redeemed

For the night, he’d resigned himself to having Xander lock him in the catacombs, in one of the cells, chained to the wall with Diablis steel. Even though it might not do much good for him, as a Wrath, since they happened to be the only species that could break it if one really wanted to. Wasn’t easy, but wasn’t impossible.

Calix reached the gates of the mansion, and they opened up the moment Ben’s face popped up on camera. Farther along the drive, he noticed a familiar Mustang—Zayne’s. It’d been a while since he’d last seen his brother. Months, actually. Perhaps his presence would serve as a much needed source of distraction.

Once he’d parked behind the vehicle and climbed from his own wheels, Calix tossed Ben his keys, as he climbed the concrete stairs. “Zayne’s here?” he asked, passing by the troll.

“Master Zayne doesn’t intend to stay. He and Xander have brought a female back with them.”

“What kind of kinky shit …”

At that, the troll crinkled his nose and shook his head, continuing on toward Calix’s car. “I’ve no interest in the details of the female’s purpose.”

Calix laughed, and what a damn relief. After the night he’d had, he didn’t think it possible to laugh at anything.

Finding Zayne standing in the foyer, Calix approached from behind and wrapped his arms around the brother in a bear hug. He’d always been one of Calix’s favorites, one of few he could talk to about Ava, mostly because Zayne was one of few who understood the desire of monogamy, while his brothers chose to indulge in females. Though, perhaps Zayne’s beliefs had shifted in the time he’d been on the streets, if he was willing to share a female with Xander.

Breaking out of his grip, Zayne spun around, kicking Calix back a step. He’d always carried something of a somber expression after what’d happened to his mate, but the male had become downright gaunt in the last few months. A Wrath didn’t lose much bulk as a general rule, so he’d remained physically fit, but the shadows beneath his eyes and the prominence of bones in his cheeks told Calix he’d reached the bare minimum weight for a demon of his size.

Of course, judging by the pinch of his brows, he probably thought the same of Calix.

“How are you, Brother?” Calix asked.

“Could be better. You?”

“Could be better. Ava’s back, though, so it’s just a matter of time before I bounce back.”

“You look … starved.”

“As do you.”

His lips curved with a slight smile. “I can only imagine what I must look like right now. Not gotten much sleep.”

“Are you staying?”

He shook his head, resting his hands at his hips. “Just here to chat with the female we picked up tonight.”

Calix offered a sly grin and rubbed at his jaw. “Ben said you and Xander had a female. D’you decide to take a walk on the wild side?”

“Not even. I’m here to ask her some questions. I think she might know where to find Denya. She was roughed up pretty bad.” He jerked his head back toward the hallway. “Xander took her to shower and get settled.”

“Xander? Think that’s a good idea?”

“She’s his prisoner, by order of the Sentinels, so there’s not a whole lot I can do about that. He has no intentions of touching her, though, unless he suddenly has a hankering to burn in Stygius.”

“Think she’ll talk, if she knows you’re handing her over?”

“She doesn’t know. She thinks we’ve offered her sanctuary in exchange for some information.”

“Ouch.”

“I don’t want to be here when that shit goes down, so my plan is to get the information I need and get out. I have to find Denya. So don’t tell anyone you saw me here, got it?”

Calix patted his brother on the back. “Don’t be a stranger. Gavin’s been worried about you.”

“Gavin worries about everyone.”

“True. His intentions are good, though.”

Even with the momentary contentment of seeing his brother, one thought circled in Calix’s mind like a fucking turd in the toilet. Zayne had the ability to see inside someone’s soul, and if the brother didn’t happen to catch what Calix had done earlier in the night, it was only because he was too preoccupied to probe his thoughts. Because Zayne surely would’ve asked what the hell Calix had been thinking, going after those females.