Page 8 of Villains and Vengeance
‘Dante Espenova,’ he greets.
‘Never thought I’d see your kind here,’ Dante sneers. ‘You must have pissed off the fae real good.’
‘Probably,’ Maddox shrugs. ‘But that’s not difficult these days as I’m sure you know.’
Dante lets out a dark chuckle that echoes through the chamber.
‘So you came directly here to see me to, what, get special treatment because we’re all demons?’ His tone is low and dangerous. ‘Doesn’t work like that here, rich boy. You and your clan are nobodies in the Mountain and you better watch your steps unless you want to end up on the wall.’
I glance at the half-dead pixie shackled to the stone and get ready to lower my glamor in case the demon king’s people, who are no doubt lurking close by, get the order to attack, but Maddox just walks closer, ignoring the taunts.
‘My clan and I can help you.’
Now Dante guffaws, standing up and stepping off the platform where his chair is.
‘Think that’s the first time I’ve heard that? How could a silver-spoon kid like you help me with anything?’
I grimace at Dante’s jibe. That’s the second time he’s called Maddox a spoiled rich kid. The King in the Mountain might be top dog, but Maddox is going to gut him if he ever gets the chance after those comments. Dante doesn’t know it, but Julian NEVER forgets a slight like that and he holds onto his grudges.
But Maddox keeps his poker face on tight as he goes closer to Dante.
‘Smelled your female as soon as we got here,’ Maddox says low.
‘Not mine,’ Dante replies, his knuckles cracking at how hard he clenches his fists.
Ooh, he wants that pretty thief badly. He’s half-crazy with it.
‘Notyet.’ Maddox grins and steps even closer.
He’s right in front of him now, only a step away. He lowers his voice so it doesn’t carry.
‘Want to know her name?’ he whispers.
That gets the Mountain King’s attention. ‘No way you know her,’ he growls, but there’s a yearning in his eyes.
‘On the lives of my clan, wedoknow her. Don’t we, gentlemen?’ Maddox answers, still whispering.
We all nod our heads and I glance up. I’ll bet her human ears can’t hear us talking about her now. That ceiling is pretty high.
‘Doyou want to know her name? I’ll utter it for free. One time offer.’
‘I could torture you for it, kill you one by one until I have it … find out if you really do know her at the same time.’
Maddox shrugs. ‘You could, but then we wouldn’t be able to catch her for you.’
Dante regards us in stony silence for a moment. ‘What makes you think you could succeed where so many have failed?’
Maddox doesn’t smile like the cat that got the cream, but I know he wants to. Dante is already on the hook and the dumb demon doesn’t even know it yet.
‘Victoria Styles,’ Maddox whispers with so little sound that he practically mouths the name and I see Dante’s lips move as he tests it out for himself.
‘Victoria,’ Dante murmurs again, more loudly.
His eyes narrow. ‘Say you catch her and you bring her to me. Then what?’
‘You keep her. Do whatever you want with her. That’s your right, my liege,’ Maddox says with a flourish of his hand.
‘And what do you want in return?’ Dante grinds out.
