Page 115 of The Devil's Trials

“What exactly has Xander told you about Marrick and everything going on? because I know pretty much nothing.”

“Maybe you should talk to Xander about that.”

I blow out a breath, rolling onto my side and tucking a pillow under my head. “I’d really rather not.”

She sighs. “The short version is that Marrick was Lucia’s lover and wants to be king. You already know he made threats against me in an attempt to manipulate Xander into passing the crown to him, but when he didn’t immediately agree, Marrick attacked his council. He killed one member and severely injured another—his own daughter—to send a message to Xander.”

My eyes go wide, my chest tightening, and I have to sit up to take my next breath. “All of this to rule the underworld?”

There’s a small stretch of silence before she says, “There’s more.”

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and plant them on the floor, suddenly needing to feel grounded. “I’m still trying to catch up on what you just told me.”

“I know it’s a lot. We don’t need to talk about it right now.”

Sighing, I say, “I’m sorry. Are you sure?”

“Of course. I have to run but I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay. Harper?”

“Yeah?”

“You know how much I love you, right? You are the most amazing friend I could ever have, and I just need you to know how much you mean to me.”

There’s a brief silence, and then Harper says in a thick voice, “Right back at you, babe.”

Just as we’re ending the call, a soft knock sounds at the door. I turn as Xander steps into the room and closes the door behind him, approaching at an easy pace.

“I talked to Harper,” I say.

“And your parents?” he asks.

“Not yet. I’m going to call my dad and Harper is going to tell Noah that I went back to Seattle with her to explain my absence from training.”

He pauses at the end of the bed, his expression darkening at the mention of Noah before he nods. “Did she say when she’ll be traveling here?”

“As soon as she can without raising suspicions of where she’s going. Her superiors wouldn’t be too thrilled with a family reunion, and the last thing she needs right now is to be considered a traitor by the organization she’s worked to be part of for years.”

His lips twitch briefly, and he moves closer, dropping down next to me on the side of the bed. “Fair point.”

I sit straighter, his nearness putting my senses on high alert. “Are you going to tell me what you’ve been holding back?”

He angles himself toward me, his palms flat against his thighs. “I can if that’s what you want. I also understand if you’d rather not know. If you’re able to accept that you’re safe here, then you don’t need to be burdened with anything else.”

I arch a brow at him, as if to say yeah, right.

“Of course not,” he murmurs, exhaling a soft but humorless laugh.

“Harper told me about the demon that killed someone from your council.” I meet his gaze, frowning at the hardness there. “I’m sorry.”

He inclines his head. “Marrick will pay for what he’s done. And threatened. And planned. He’ll never see his dream of taking my throne.”

My throne.

The air of power around Xander has grown stronger in the time since he killed Lucia, but it’s moments like this, when he says things like that, he truly seems like the royalty he is.

I catch my bottom lip between my teeth, glancing at my lap as I fumble with how to respond. I understand the sense of territoriality but not to the degree of ending someone’s life.

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