Music washed over the room, and the sparkling outfits on the stage glittered in the thousands of candles that hung from the ceiling. I watched in astonishment as the gorgeous woman in the short glittering dress bowed after finishing her dance, and then made way for an equally stunning and equally half-naked man who strode onto the stage. The music shifted, and then he began to dance.
“Why does he always want to meet at…” I waved a hand to indicate the glittering cabaret around us while we made our way across the luxuriously furnished room, “places like this?”
Callan let out a half disgruntled, half amused huff. “I’m pretty sure he does it to mess with me. To create some kind of strain between you and me.”
“Asshole.”
“Agreed.”
After we had returned to the inn late last night, or early this morning, depending on how you looked at it, Callan and I had crashed into bed and slept half of the day. When we had finally recovered enough, we had sent word to Levi Arden that we needed to meet. The asshole had agreed and set up a time and place. Which was in a private room at this cabaret. Again, to make sure that no one saw us together. And apparently also to create a rift between me and Callan.
Though, I wasn’t sure what he thought he could accomplish at this point. Callan had literally stabbed me through the chest, cut me with his force magic, beaten me up, put a boot to my neck and shoved my face into the ground while telling me to grovel, humiliated me, insulted me, bound my magic, kept me prisoner in his dungeon, and just generally tried to kill me in more ways than I could count, over a span of five years. And I still loved the bastard. So I really had no idea how Levi Arden could possibly think that these pathetic attempts to create a strain would actually work on our already highly toxic and insane relationship.
The crowd cheered as the man performed a particularly impressive move with a chair. I studied the position and made a mental note to suggest it to Callan the next time opportunity presented itself.
As if Callan could read those thoughts on my face, he laughed softly and drew his hand down my spine to rest at the small of my back. His touch made sparkles dance over my skin. I brushed my hands down the beautiful black and green dress I was wearing as we at last reached the private rooms on the other side of the building. Callan paused right outside the smooth wooden door and raised his eyebrows at me, as if asking if I was ready. I nodded.
Without bothering to knock, he simply shoved down the handle and pulled the door open.
The room inside had the same dark wooden floor as the rest of the establishment, and the same polished wood panels on the walls as well. A set of couches, armchairs, and divans in a rich dark blue color were positioned in clusters throughout the room, and there was a small stage in one corner. It was barely higher than a single step up from the ground, and it looked like it was only wide enough to fit one person. Light from the decorated oil lamps in the ceiling cast the whole room in a silver glow.
After the quick assessment of the room, my eyes immediately darted to the man lounging in one of the expensive-looking armchairs. A menacing smile curled his lips.
“I don’t think I heard you knock,” Levi Arden said in a dangerous tone, his gray eyes locked on Callan.
“It would’ve looked odd,” Callan replied with an impressive show of a carefree shrug. “Since we’re not supposed to be meeting anyone in here.”
Silence fell across the room while Levi no doubt tried to pick through the truths and lies and insults. Callan and I stopped in the middle of the floor and simply stared back at him. Levi’s eyes remained as cold as the metal he controlled.
“You attacked Gale’s fortress,” he said at last, and the lethal edge to his voice sent alarm flickering through my body.
“We didn’t attack,” Callan replied. “We tried to break in.”
Levi shot up from his seat. Before I could finish blinking in surprise, he was standing in front of Callan with his fist buried in the collar of Callan’s shirt. He hadn’t summoned any magic, but fury flashed in his eyes and he was gripping the shirt so hard that his knuckles were white.
“Don’t mince words with me, you fucking traitor,” Levi growled in Callan’s face. “You’re lucky I’ve let you live this long.”
My palms were hovering an inch apart, ready to poison the whole room at a moment’s notice. But Callan’s hands remained at his sides as he calmly looked back at the King of Metal.
“We have a deal,” Callan said, his voice as steady as his gaze.
“Yes, but that deal is only active as long as you’re competent enough to carry it out. You attacked his fortress, and now he thinks that I did it. And do you know what that will do?”
“I know that it will complicate—”
“It will endanger my wife!”
Callan didn’t reply. Only kept looking back at the furious metal mage while keeping his hands resting at his sides.
“When did you become this fucking incompetent, Callan?” Levi tightened his grip on Callan’s shirt and pulled him even closer. “You used to be my right-hand man. Did you lose every shred of intelligence after you betrayed me or what?”
“We arrived six days ago,” I sniped before Callan could reply. “And you’ve been trying to kill this Trevor Gale for how many months? If you’re so competent yourself, then why haven’t you killed him yet?”
I swore I could feel the temperature in the room plummet. Tension crackled through the air as Levi tore his gaze from Callan and slowly turned towards me. It took all of my self-control not to flinch at the look in his eyes as he locked them on me.
Refusing to back down, I simply raised my eyebrows expectantly. However, in my chest, my heart was beating furiously against my ribs.
Just when I thought he was going to kill me where I stood, he dragged his cold gray eyes back to Callan.
“Do you want this deal with me?” Levi asked, his voice low and dangerous. “Do you want me to lend you manpower? Do you want me to destroy the blade for you?”
For a few seconds, Callan only stared back at him. Then he dropped his eyes. “Yes.”
Levi released his shirt and turned towards me. I stood my ground as he prowled up to me until he was standing just a single step away. He was about the same height as Callan, so he towered over me and I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes.
“And you?” he asked in that same lethal voice. “Do you want to keep this deal with me? Because we can dissolve it right now, if you want.”
Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel Callan’s gaze on me. Pleading with me not to spit out the disrespectful comment that was already waiting on my tongue. It took incredible willpower to draw in a breath instead.
“Yes,” I said, keeping my eyes on the arrogant metal mage. “Yes, I want to keep this deal.”
“Then stop being so fucking incompetent.” His gray eyes flashed as he flicked his gaze up and down my body. “And show some damn respect.”
“Look, I’m sorry that our break-in went to shit,” Callan said, saving me from the very rude answer that I had been about to give Levi. “But we called this meeting because we have a new plan. A much better one.”
Levi didn’t turn to face him. Instead, he kept his hard eyes on me as if waiting for me to bow my head. I kept my chin raised and my gaze on his.
“We go in as spies,” Callan said.
That at last drew Levi’s attention away from me. With one final glance up and down my body, he stepped back and positioned himself so that he faced both of us. I resisted the urge to heave a deep breath. Or poison him. Or both.
“Spies?” Levi asked. “Explain.”
“Look, our… history is well known on this side of the river.”
“You mean people know that you’re a worthless traitor.”
“People know that I betrayed you, yes. And they know that you hate my guts and that you used to have a kill-on-sight order out on me.”
A vicious smile slid across his lips. “I could always reinstate that.”
“I cleared that debt.”
He snorted. “Barely.”
“My point is that everyone knows how much bad blood there is between us, which is why no one would bat an eye if I joined Gale’s side to try and take you down.”
Silence fell across the room. The silvery light from the oil lamps flickered over the cluster of dark blue couches behind Levi’s shoulder while he considered Callan’s words. Reaching up, he dragged a hand through his black hair and cocked his head while he watched us.
“What did you have in mind?” Levi asked at last.
I studied the expression on his face while Callan explained the full plan that we had come up with. At first, there was an annoyed scowl on Levi’s face. But by the time Callan reached the end stage of the plan, a slight smirk had replaced the irritation.
“Well,” Levi said, drawing out the word, once Callan was done explaining. Raking his gaze over Callan’s body, he clicked his tongue and then let out a short knowing laugh. “They call you Coldblooded Callan for a reason, after all.”
“So you approve?” Callan asked, his jaw tight.
Another lethal smile stretched Levi’s mouth. “Of course. I approve of anything that involves me beating you up and humiliating you. When are we staging that part?”
“Tomorrow evening. We need to find a good place and make sure that the right people are there to see it.”
“I can take care of that.”
“Good. And…” Callan’s gaze darted towards me before he met Levi’s eyes again. “I’ll take all of it.”
“What?” I interrupted. “Not a chance.”
“I agree,” Levi said, a predatory smile on his lips. “It needs to be believable.”
“And it will be,” Callan protested. “Because I’m the one you hate. Not her.”
“She still needs to have a reason to be pissed off enough to want to take me down.”
“Then just do a little bit, and then I’ll take the worst of it.”
“It’s so strange to see you care about someone else like this, Callan. I still—”
“Please.”
The word seemed to surprise Levi enough that he fell silent for a few seconds. I knew that Callan was doing this for my sake, to protect me, and I loved him for that. But I also wanted to hit him in the head with a hammer because I wasn’t a fucking damsel who needed protecting.
“Do whatever you need to do to make it look believable,” I said before Levi could reply. I shot Callan a sharp glare when he was about to interrupt. “I can take it.”
An approving smile played over Levi’s lips. “I’m sure you could.”
“I—” Callan began.
“But you will still get the worst of it,” Levi interrupted as he slid his gaze to Callan. “Because you’re right. I do hate you the most.”
Relief washed across Callan’s features.
I was just about to protest when Levi suddenly flicked his wrist towards the door.
“Now, get out,” he said.
For a moment, Callan and I just blinked back at him in surprise at the sudden dismissal. His answering smile was pure villain.
“I need to choreograph this for maximum humiliation.”
