Page 105 of Dukes Are Forever
"Because Balfour's play pieces know they mean nothing to him. They know they are disposable. And while he may offer the Rising Sons a vision of a future they crave, they'll turn on him without a second's notice if that vision goes up in flames.
"Balfour is not invincible. You see him as a threat because this time, you thinkyouare the one who has everything to lose.
"But Gemma would set the world on fire for you, because she loves you. Every single Rogue volunteered to travel to Russia—the most dangerous place in the world—to rescue you. No Rogue left behind. It means something to them. It means something to you. It... means something to me. Stop thinking of it as a weakness, and start thinking of it as a strength."
Malloryn reached for his shirt, as he sorted through his feelings. "He will kill them because of me."
It was the secret that haunted his nights.
"He can try. But we're ready for him, Your Grace. And if our dear leader would get some bloody sleep, it would be a weight off all our minds."
Malloryn blinked in surprise.
"You're not the only one who worries," Obsidian said dryly, as he opened the door. "If you need to hit someone—or be hit some more—then let me know. Otherwise, I'm fairly certain there's a pair of willing arms waiting to greet you upstairs if you were to seek your bed."
If only it were that easy.
"Not you too." Malloryn grimaced. "I think you've been spending too much time with Gemma. Your brain's starting to rot."
Obsidian shrugged and glanced at the practice automaton. "I spent years on my own, hitting things that couldn't hit back, just to silence the voices in my head. I've since discovered a welcoming embrace can be far more therapeutic in some instances. You should try it."
And then he was gone, leaving Malloryn alone with his thoughts.
And the frustrating desire to see if Obsidian was right.
Malloryn sighed, and turned back to the automaton. He wasn't quite ready to concede defeat. Far better if he stayed away from Adele.
Because a part of him couldn't forget the sight of that poor girl draped across a grave.
Catherine. Isabella. Millie Vane.And now this anonymous girl.
All dead because of him.
No. He was better off staying as far away from his wife as he could.
* * *
"How is he?"Gemma murmured sleepily, as Obsidian slid between the covers and curled around her.
"On edge," he replied, brushing a kiss to the back of her neck.
Gemma rolled to examine his expression. "What did he say?"
"He asked me not to repeat it."
Which was vexing, but if Malloryn had reached out to Obsidian, then at least he was talking to someone. She had to trust her lover.
"I don't know what to do," she whispered. Despite all the years she'd spent at Malloryn's side…. "I don't know how to reach him."
Not with this.
The duke despised weaknesses, but he would not tolerate them in himself. And despite the fact she could pinpoint the precise issue that afflicted him, she couldn't seem to help him.
Russia had left scars on Malloryn's soul that she couldn't heal. She knew he'd been tortured at Jelena's hands, but not the extent of it. He was learning to control his flinch every time he heard thedhampiragent's name, learning to lock down his physical responses through sheer force of will.
It didn't mean she couldn't see the ghost of it written all over him.
He wouldn't talk to her about it.
