Wolf's-own: Weregild (15 page)

Umeia shut her eyes, clenching her teeth to keep from weeping. Perhaps she had underestimated him, perhaps she had been too worried about his heart and forgotten too easily that Wolf had chosen him for reasons that had been made all too clear to her in the past several terrible minutes. “Malick, please—"

"Ah-ah."

Still with that smile. She wanted to... she didn't know what she wanted to do—smack it off his face, throw herself at him and beg him to forgive her, warn him again that Asai had managed to bend someone as smart as Skel to his thinking, so what chance did Fen have against him? And what chance did Malick have against Fen when he refused to see what a danger Fen was to him?

"Kamen,” she corrected, though it stuck in her throat. “Please. I only wanted—"

"I know what you wanted,” Malick cut in. “And I know why. It's the only reason you're not already dead."

Umeia flinched again. Because she knew he meant it. Bloody hell, how could she have forgotten what a cold-hearted bastard he could be?

"Then you know I would never—"

"Two days,” Malick told her. “Don't test my generosity."

"Umeia-onna? Is that you?"

The voice, so soft and tentative, made her jump. Her gaze snapped to the left, landed on Madi, standing in the hallway in a silken robe, sleep-tousled and frowning, his eyes drifting back and forth between her and Malick.

"Madi.” Almost relief as Umeia reached up and ran shaking fingers through the wig. “Yes, it's me. What do you need, lad?"

Madi looked between them, diffident. Umeia wasn't surprised. The tension was likely so thick, he could probably feel it. “Aki-seyh says he was too drunk last night to remember anything, and now he wants another round for free. He won't leave."

An hour ago, it would have been a problem of the highest priority.

"Go get Bone,” Umeia told him wearily. Let Bone handle it in any way he wanted to. Maybe seeing someone else beat to shit would make Umeia feel less alone.

"Right,” said Madi, his gaze drifting to Malick, a soft, hesitant smile tilting at his mouth. “Hello, Malick. I've been looking for you."

Didn't they all? Damn Malick, why couldn't he see?

"I've been busy,” Malick said, but the way he said it.... Easy and charming and cavalier, like he hadn't just completely destroyed Umeia a minute ago, and that fucking
smile
that made her want to fall down on the floor and sob. “How've you been?” Genuinely interested—he bloody
gave
a shit about how
Madi
was, when she was standing here shattering.

"All right,” Madi answered, leaning hip-shot on one leg, unconsciously seductive. “Missing you a little."

Too late
, she wanted to tell the boy.
Start picking up the little bits of your heart now, because he's got what he's been wanting for too long, and he's not even going to notice he's broken you along the way to getting it
.

Malick grinned, stepping away from Umeia and toward Madi. “Only a little?” He laid a hand to Madi's shoulder then turned the grin on Umeia over his shoulder, a shark's grin, cold and hard, not a trace of the warmth directed at Madi only a second ago. “Two days, Umeia,” he said then turned back to Madi, gently prodding him down the hallway. “C'mon, let's go see if we can't charm Aki-seyh out of your room without bloodshed."

Umeia watched them go, numb. Disbelieving. Because this
couldn't
be happening. Two days, but he'd come to his senses before then, surely.
Not
betrayal, because she
couldn't
betray him, she loved him, she'd followed him into immortality, and immortality was fucking
hard
, but she'd done it, and continued to do it for
him
—he'd remember all that, she just had to give him a little while to cool down and think about it all calmly.

She wouldn't even make him apologize.

"Umeia?” Cautious and low, from the other side of the door. Umeia only just had the wits to pull herself away from it before Lex swung it open behind her and sent her tumbling. He peered at her closely, frowning, concerned. “All right, love?"

Umeia only stared, shook her head. “No,” she breathed, shaky and small.

No, she wasn't all right. She'd just joined the ranks of all the shattered hearts Malick left behind him, all the more cutting because she'd always thought she'd be exempt in the end.

"Come back to bed, love,” Lex said gently. He laid a hand on her arm and gave it a light tug. No demands for an explanation, no accusations, no hard stare that made her want to curl up in a ball. Just a soft gaze and real distress—for
her
—and the offer of whatever she wanted to take from him. Lex had always been so easy to be with.

She was going to miss him.

"Yes,” Umeia said, half-dazed, abruptly bone-tired and going a little weak in the knees. “Yes,” she repeated, and she let him tug her through the door, kept repeating it as he gently rid her body of its disguise and then rid her mind of everything else.

Yori was loitering in the hall outside Fen's door, absently chatting with Caidi and pretending she wasn't waiting for Joori to emerge, when Malick plodded up the stairs. Head hanging, eyes bloodshot and rung with bruised half moons beneath, gaze inward, troubled, like Yori had never seen him. It gave her a nasty little turn. Malick didn't
get
troubled.

Maybe it was the business with Yakuli. They'd had themselves a good look last night, just like Malick had ordered, stayed out of sight of all of the guards and keepers—far too many for comfort, so Yori had been just as happy, what with them being on their own and no Malick—and had come back with all of the information he'd wanted. They hadn't gotten themselves a look inside the manor but for what they could see through windows from a distance, but Shig had confirmed Fen's mother's presence in a way that made Yori want to know exactly how she knew, but hadn't dared question.

It wasn't the only information they'd gathered, though. The knowledge that Yakuli had horses was what Malick had said led him to the Councilor—and again, Yori wanted to know how Malick had known but she hadn't asked—but saying the man had horses was like saying there was sand on the beach. Hundreds of them, running in loose herds in their fenced pastures that took up most of the swath of land on which the manor was sat. Secluded, ideal for a secret horse farm, farther outside the Gates than even Asai's lands, and too close to the camps for any “respectable” lord to want to venture there, though Yori hadn't really thought about why anyone would want to keep it a secret until she'd got a look at Samin's face.

"Warhorses,” he'd breathed, staring, then cursed vilely, hands clenched, like it was all he could do to look and not act. “This isn't a farm,” he'd said, eyes scanning the perimeter, calculating, “it's a training camp."

And Samin would know.

He'd walked into Fen's room without announcement or a request for permission as soon as they'd gotten back, and unceremoniously ousted Joori. It was all right with Yori. It meant Joori had to cool his heels with her in the common room, and they'd had a nice... chat.

All right, so they'd rutted like minks, and she was a little embarrassed, because they'd been right there in the common room, anyone could have walked in, and she'd only known him for a couple of days, which made her just as slutty as Malick, but.... Well, Joori was adorable, and sweet to her, with a hard edge beneath it that she'd only thus far seen directed at Malick and Shig, and it never failed to make Yori quiver. And anyway, anyone who loved as hard as Joori did had to be worth a little bit of sluttiness.

"Everything all right, Mal?” she asked as he fetched up in front of her. For some unfathomable reason, for just a slim fraction of a moment, the look he gave her made her want to pull him down and lay his head on her shoulder, stroke his hair, and... just... no. It was bloody
Malick
, for pity's sake. One good lay, and she was coming over all soppy. One bloody
good
lay, but still.

"Everything all right, Mal?” Caidi parroted, startling Yori a little, because she'd been more or less ignoring the chatter for quite a while, and she'd almost forgotten Caidi was even there, propped against the wall, mimicking Yori's own pose with her arms crossed over her chest.

Yori watched Malick's gaze drift down to Caidi, slide pensive, so unlike him, before he turned it back up to Yori again. For some reason, it made Yori think of the swath of power that had brushed past her the other night when Malick had barreled at the maijin. And then it all evaporated, between one breath and the next: Malick gave her a grin, tawny eyes dancing with mischief, just like always, and Yori wondered where all the strange, unfocused sympathy of a moment ago had come from.

"Everything's fine, love, no worries.” He reached over, tugged at Caidi's pigtail, and made her giggle. “Listen, I've been thinking....” He turned back to Yori, his stance lax and lazy. Casual, perhaps too casual, all easy charm, like she'd watched him turn on potential bedmates when he was on the make. “Umeia's going on a trip day after tomorrow, and... I'm thinking you might want to go with her."

Another time, it would thrill her. Now, she had to stop herself from slumping, though she couldn't keep her gaze from flicking toward the door of Fen's room. Malick caught her at it and gave her another grin.

"No worries. I wouldn't interfere with Young Love. I'm not taking you away from him. You'll understand when it's time."

Damn it, was that an actual
blush
creeping to her cheeks? “But what about Yakuli?” Yori couldn't help blurting, darting an uncomfortable glance down at Caidi, even as it came spewing out her mouth.

"Yeah, what about Yakuli?” Caidi chimed, and strangely, it didn't seem like she was just repeating it this time—it looked like she was fully aware of why the Councilor was a concern, and wanted to know what they planned to do about him just as much as Yori did. What was that the laundress next door always said?
Little pitchers, big ears
. Yori thought perhaps they should be a little more circumspect in what they let fly when Caidi was about, and stop assuming she didn't know what they were talking about when she too obviously did.

"Let me worry about Yakuli for now.” Malick gave Caidi's nose a tweak this time, to which she proved just as susceptible: she giggled again. Malick's gaze came back up to Yori, more intent this time. “You'll go with Umeia, yeah?"

Yori didn't even have to think about it. This was Malick, asking her to do something for Umeia. Of course she'd do it. “Yeah,” she said, then gave him a smirk, because for some reason, it looked like he needed... something. “But you'd better make it worth my while."

"Yeah, yeah,” Malick muttered, rolled his eyes, and then he turned for Fen's room. “Your reward will be out shortly. Preferably on his ear."

He dropped Caidi a wink then opened the door and stepped through, shutting it behind him.

"Why is Malick-seyh sad?” Caidi asked, her voice low in what she probably thought was a whisper.

Yori frowned first at Caidi then at the door. “Sad?"

Caidi didn't get a chance to answer; Joori abruptly threw the door open, slamming out into the hallway, though he stopped short of actually slamming the door. He pulled up short when he saw Yori, the dark scowl flushing his face going wobbly for a moment, like he was trying not to aim it at her, before he pointedly turned it to a smile.

"Um... h'llo.” Joori grimaced over his shoulder, mouth tight again. “Your
boss
said you wanted me.” Spoken with heavy sarcasm and a healthy dose of rancor, but Yori could tell neither was for her.

"Uh-huh.” Yori let the side of her mouth curl up in a bit of a smirk. “Are you complaining?"

Joori turned back to her, frowning, querulous, before his eyes widened and his cheeks pinked a little.
Gah
, he was adorable. And he wouldn't stand for someone bleeding another for their magic. And he was polite to Shig—well, acidly polite, but still polite, and Yori knew he didn't much care for her, nor could she really blame him, considering. And he was
really
good in bed. Well, it had actually been on the couch, but still—
really
good. He was fairly close to perfect.

"Oh!” Joori said—
finally
. Close to perfect, maybe, but a little on the slow side, apparently. “No, of course not, I....” He waved at the door behind him, paused for a moment, the silence awkward and uncomfortable, then he dropped his arm and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You look pretty today,” he offered.

Yori rolled her eyes—like she'd washed and twisted up her hair just for
him
, or something—though she couldn't stop the grin, and bloody hell, was she blushing
again
? Shig would laugh for days. And as long as Yori got a whole lot more of what she'd had last night, she really didn't care.

Caidi was looking between them, eyebrow lifted in an expression entirely too knowing and cheeky. “Samin-seyh was right,” she groaned. “Too bloody precious."

Yori watched her flounce away, still smirking, and peered up at Joori through her lashes. Joori was still staring down the hallway after his sister, shaking his head. “Somebody needs to put a bell on her,” he muttered then turned to Yori again. “You wanted me?"

Oh, yeah
. But first: “How's your brother?"

Joori shrugged with a tired sigh. “Better, I think. Quieter. Malick says he's healing a lot faster than he thought was possible, and the wounds have just about closed over, so....” Another shrug. “He'll make it."

"Of course he will,” Yori agreed. “He's too stubborn not to.” Joori didn't look quite convinced, and Yori knew he'd brood and stew unless he was... distracted. Not that she had any selfish motives, of course. “I, um....” She hesitated, waved her hand toward the door of the room she shared with her sister. “Shig's down in the baths. She usually takes all morning."

Hint, hint.

Joori's eyebrow lifted, gaze going down the hall where Caidi had disappeared into the common room. “My sister...."

That had been halfhearted enough to make Yori grin. “Your sister's got Samin wrapped around her tiny little finger, and Morin's not too far behind. Samin's down in the common room, showing Morin how to properly wrap a sword hilt in wire in between bites of sugar dumplings."