Rabid For Her Revenge
FOURTEEN

The tang of citrus filled the air as my claw sliced into the thick skin of the orange I was peeling. The brightly colored peels littered the glass tabletop next to the wicker basket filled with fruits.

My eyes followed the whispers from the females that walked past the patio of the quaint little restaurant I was at. The large sunglasses I was wearing concealed my silver eyes but my snow white hair was blowing freely in the soft breeze.

Perhaps if I didn’t have my claws out to peel the orange and instead used the peeling tool provided for me, they wouldn’t have spared me a second glance. Afterall, normal females didn’t ever use their claws.

There was also the fact that my consort was sitting across from me at the small table. He too was wearing a pair of sunglasses, but I wasn’t sure what good they were doing sitting on the top of his head.

Sarakiel was leaning back casually in the chair that was pushed back from the table, his ankle propped up on his knee. He was occupied with his phone and whatever it was he was doing on it, not paying any of the pedestrians a second glance.

I, however, couldn’t resist turning to the glass window where the other customers sat inside the restaurant and kept sneaking glances at the One of their territory and his bloodthirsty feral consort only separated by a thin pane of glass.

It only took one nasty grin from me to keep them from making the same mistake.

I was not a zoo animal to be gawked at and I would not put up with the blatant stares and invasive gossip even if Sarakiel turned a blind eye.

My consort was hard not to look at though. Dressed down from his normal suit to a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of kakis, he looked much more relaxed and approachable. The male was handsome with that firmly set mouth, those dark brows pinched together in concentration and his striking electric blue eyes out on display instead of being shielded by the tinted lenses of the sunglasses resting on the top of his inky black hair.

He hadn’t styled his hair today either, leaving it product free so that it brushed his forehead just above his brows. It looked rather fluffy today instead of slick and shiny like it usually did.

“You’re going to burn a hole through me,” he murmured without looking up from his phone. My eyes remained fixed on those lips that slowly moved to form words.

Stabbing my finger into the naked fruit to pull it apart, I got a strong whiff of the citrus as the juice bubbled up around my claws. “I like looking at you,” I replied.

That comment got him to lift his eyes from the device he was so fixated on. “Well,” he said drably, “I’m flattered.”

The corner of my lip twisted up. He sounded insincere but I knew that he meant it. I popped an orange slice into my mouth as we lapsed into silence again.

Sarakiel didn’t return his attention to his phone but instead kept his eyes on me, examining me in return.

I pulled off my sunglasses, shaking out my hair, and rested my chin on the back of my hands, staring back intensely at the male.

“You’ve put on some more weight. You look healthier every day.”

“Are you my doctor or my consort, Prince? Come on, try to really reach deep and flirt back a little.” Offering a slice of the orange to the One, I placed the sticky wedge gently in his open hand, making sure to glide my fingertips over his as I pulled away.

The orange laid in his still palm. He looked from his open hand to me. “I figured Kiro filled that role sufficiently enough that I have no need to.”

He said it matter-of-factly, no accusation or anger present in any way. He was simply confirming the information with me.

I grabbed the fingers of his hand and bent them back slightly, presenting the orange slice on his perfectly flat hand. “He told you?”

Sarakiel raised a brow. “Are you surprised?”

I chuckled and lowered my mouth to his hand. “I’d be more surprised if he hadn’t.” My tongue glided across the rough skin of his fingers and then I placed an open mouth kiss on his palm, sucking up the orange slice. Licking my lips, I lapped up the sticky juice and then cleaned each of my fingers.

After allowing his eyes to linger on his now empty hand, Sarakiel drew in a breath and curled his fingers, withdrawing his hand and tucking it under his folded arms. He leaned forward, “let’s be serious now, Daylin. You told me you had something to tell me and dragged us all the way out here in order for me to hear it.”

I had been putting this conversation off for a while now. For Sarakiel’s benefit but mostly for my own. Because having this discussion meant I was going to have to go through with my suicidal plan and face the origin of my nightmares.

A large part of me wanted to forget it and come up with something else but I knew that this was really the only way to set the ball rolling for our scheme to succeed. Something big had to happen for the Wight Council to call a meeting requiring all of the Ones from all of the provinces to attend.

I needed to dangle a delectable bait in front of them. Something that would have them salivating for what I was offering, just out of their reach, leading them slowly to their deaths.

Something that I knew they couldn’t resist, something they were greedy enough to declare war for. Something that every single One would fight for; a superior weapon to boost them to the seat of Paramount.

And I knew exactly where such a weapon existed.

Biting the tip of the sunglasses arm, I dropped my eyes to the table and started to doodle with my finger on the glass. “Oh yes, that. Well, I suppose the suspense has been killing you.”

Those electric blue eyes bored into me earnestly. “Well then? Out with it.”

A twinge of guilt stabbed at me for using him this way, but I pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside. Why should I feel guilty? Sarakiel was just using me too. That was our deal, we had clearly defined the basis of our relationship and there was no need for me to feel bad about it.

Sarakiel wanted my help to become Ultimate and I wanted my revenge. Doing this would give us what we both wanted.

Yes, I had to lie to him now, but I would tell him the entire truth later. When it was safe for me to do so.

I started with my first request, the easier one to grant of the two. “I need you to give me a list of your most likely allies. People I shouldn’t offend or touch.”

It was a reasonable request. Sarakiel didn’t want me killing useful people either. However, worrying about politics was rather uncharacteristic of me so it piked my consort’s suspicion.

“Of course, I can have a list compiled for you. I am grateful for your consideration of my position but why do I feel the alarming notion that you are planning on stirring up trouble?”

“Because I will be stirring up trouble Sarakiel,” I told him honestly, “you just have to know that my meddling won’t cause you any trouble.”

“No.” Sarakiel shot me down immediately, already shaking his head. “We do not operate on vague answers and blind trust. Tell me what you are planning clearly and then we can go from there.”

I knew that he would not be keen on giving me what I wanted without knowing what I was going to do with it, but he would have to this time if I was to get my revenge. “My plan is not completed yet. I need all of the pieces before I can effectively map it out for execution.”

“But you have an idea,” he pushed, ignoring my excuses, “tell me what it is.”

Clenching my jaw, I did my best to stay calm so that I could convince him that he didn’t need to know all of the details. “It won’t work if you know about it, Sarakiel. All of your reactions have to be genuine, or we will be exposed. We have to lie low until the assassination. If we give ourselves away now it will be our heads rolling across the council room floor.”

“And that right there is all I need to know that whatever you are planning is a bad idea.”

“Nothing about war is safe!” I growled, feeling my claws prick uncomfortably against my palms. “You told me you wanted to use me to gain the Paramount position. I’m trying to do that, so let me do my damn job!”

“You, follow me.” Sarakiel said darkly, looking around to see if anyone had heard my outburst. The street was mostly empty considering it was still quite early and we were on the outskirts of the city. Plus, I hadn’t been yelling all that loudly to begin with. I knew better than to talk of treasonous things with someone in earshot.

Grabbing my wrist, he pulled me up from the table and started dragging me to the car. Opening the passenger door, he shoved me inside, before slamming the door shut. Storming around the front of the car he wrenched open the driver’s side and shut it firmly once he was inside. He turned to me with darkening eyes, the electric blue color now clouding with grey.

“Daylin–” he began but I didn’t let him finish.

“Give me the list or don’t.” I said, looking out of the window, my arm propped up on the ledge. I couldn’t look at him right now or I feared we might really get into it and then I would really have to come up with a different plan that could only be half as good as the one I currently had. “I was just asking it for your benefit anyway.”

“Daylin.” His tone was a bit softer but there was still an edge to it.

“And I need you to help me host a garden party.” I figured it was as good a time as any to spit out my second request. “I want to host them weekly. Any of those of rank and their consorts from any of the provinces. Even the western one.”

“Daylin, I don’t have time for frivolous garden parties.”

“They won’t be frivolous, Sarakiel,” I hissed in annoyance, getting irritated that he wasn’t yielding an inch. “You know better than that.” He knew me better than that. I didn’t do superfluous things. “Everything will slowly unravel.”

He seemed to know that he had been unfair because when he spoke again his tone was completely placid. “How are garden parties going to help me with a war?”

“I can’t say exactly because I will need time to see if this plan will really work.”

“What plan Daylin?” He was struggling to hide his exasperation from the circles we were going in.

“Making friends, Sarakiel.” I muttered sarcastically. Then realizing I was dangerously close to pouting, I took a breath and gathered myself. Turning my head ninety degrees, looking straight ahead rather than out of the window I tried to be reasonable. “I can’t be an effective weapon if I don’t know the enemy’s weak spot.”

“And I don’t need a weapon that stabs me in the back.” Sarakiel returned evenly.

My silver eyes collided with his blue ones. “I will not bite the hand that feeds me Sarakiel, but I will bite the hand that chains me up.”

There was a stretch of silence before he finally conceded. “Fine.” Putting his keys into the ignition, he started the car. “Fine.” He repeated once more before pulling out of the parking space and starting off back to the mansion. “I did ask for your help, but I also meant what I said about killing you if you don’t accept my offer. If you betray me Daylin, you can forget about all of the other enemies you have made because I will be the one to take your life.”

“I know,” I said in a whisper, “but you won’t have to.”

Because if my plan fell through, my life would be forfeit anyway.