Beastly Desires (23 page)
Before he could respond, before he could even process what it was she’d said or understand what it was she was about to do, her arm rose, her claws unsheathed, and she swiped downwards.
Rave stared on in astonishment as she quickly drew her hand back and came away with his jugular, leaving him to reach for his throat and feel nothing but torn flesh.
“I can see the equation forming just on the outer edges of your mind, Rave.”
Kamali gave him a cruel little smile.
“You’re questioning how you’ll manage to leave this room alive.” She flicked her claws and blood sprayed. “The answer to that is quite simple. You
won’t.”
As Rave bled out, he revisited a previous thought:
this
was why he’d always known he shouldn’t underestimate the bitch.
***
Naresh sighed. “So I guess Dublhainn really
won’t
get that lion-skin rug.”
Kaisal and Kamali looked away from the pride members who were carrying Rave’s wrapped body out of the cabin and then looked to each other. Both smiled and cast their stares to Naresh.
With a sigh, Kaisal put an arm around his brother’s shoulders and said, “After you hear exactly how vicious my mate is, your disappointment shall change, little brother.”
The pair walked off, leaving Kamali to stand and watch one of the security team guards dig a hole for Rave’s body to be burned in. As far as she was concerned, there would be many more ashes before the week was over—many,
many
more. And she’d kindly show
everyone
the reason why Nico should’ve passed up on committing unforgiveable offenses against herself, her son, and the Oriade name as a whole.
“Why do I have any of you around? You’re all fucking
useless
!” Nico spun with his arms out wide in the middle of the foyer. “I have half of my goddamned pride missing along with my second and no one can tell me where the fuck they are!”
Fury had a stronghold on him. Rave hadn’t answered any of the numbers Nico had listed for him. A pride that had once been forty strong with the addition of those who’d been willing to betray Enilo was now back to twenty members, and all of them were currently standing around with dumbfounded looks on their faces.
After his conversation with Rave three days ago, Nico finally understood what his second had been telling him. It was clear that the other male had every intention of killing Kamali along with Callum, which went completely against everything Nico wanted.
Without Kamali, his rule wouldn’t be solidified, and he’d
never
gain access to hidden Oriade finances and businesses. He’d attempted to look for any clues that would tell him where Rave was so he could either convince him what he was doing would ruin everything they’d worked so hard for or slit his throat for his blatant disobedience. He still hadn’t decided, and the inability to locate someone he’d once considered a brother only mounted his frustrations. Things were falling apart, and he needed to regain control before his leadership was questioned and everyone began to contemplate doing to him what they’d done to Enilo. Nico couldn’t have that happen. Not after they’d come so far.
“I want every single one of you searching,” he snarled, maintaining eye contact with those bold enough to stare back at him. “I want them found!
All of them
!”
Walking toward his office, he tossed over his shoulder, “Most of all and most importantly, I want Kamali kneeling at my feet by the end of the week!” Flinging open the double doors, he roared, “And who the fuck turned on classical music in
my
office? How many times do I have to tell you to keep your mangy asses out of my space?”
“Well, considering it doesn’t rightfully belong to you,” a velvety feminine voice replied from inside the room, “I would think none of them care about the boundaries you’ve set.”
Nico swung around and caught sight of his imported leather chair turning slowly. And in it sat the source of his exasperation. “Kamali…”
She gave a slight finger wave before propping her feet up on his desk. “Hello, friend.” Looking about the space, she said, “You’ve done some redecorating. All the leather and red brings to mind a super villain’s lair.”
He could only stand there. The fucking
audacity.
It was simply astonishing. The bitch looked
comfortable.
She looked like she was at home. Strolling toward the desk, he propped his hands on the edge and leaned forward. “I don’t know how you managed to slip past the security defenses or where you’ve gotten the actual
gall
to simply wander into my den but, sweetheart, I am going to
relish
marking up that pretty little face.”
Kamali only gave him a wide-eyed blink and stilled. Nico smirked and went to inhale the scent of fear he knew had to be underlining the bravado she’d just shown but he came away smelling
nothing.
The only aromas he could sense were his own and that of his pride.
His eyes narrowed. “Scent blockers, princess?”
She only smiled.
Nico slammed his hands down on the desk several times. “Don’t fucking
mock me
!” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “I should drag you by your hair from here, and yet I’ve been gracious enough to refrain.”
“I’m not mocking you, Nico,” the lioness replied in a mild voice. “I even brought you a gift.” One hand disappeared into her jacket pocket and came out with a lion-shaped paperweight before she tossed it at him.
He caught it mid-air and ran his fingers over the smooth glass. “The fuck is this?”
“Rave’s ashes,” she responded calmly, leaning backwards in a relaxed position. “I thought you’d want to know precisely where your second was before his absence drove you mad.”
Nico’s stare jerked down to the figure. “You’re lying.”
Kamali closed her eyes. “You wish I were, love. But deep down you
know
I’m not. I took away your favorite toy because he decided to play in
my yard
.”
A low rumble started in his gut and launched into a full-out bellow. Nico threw the paperweight just over her head and watched it shatter on impact against the wall, ashes floating about in a cloud.
She reopened her eyes and a pout graced her mouth. Lifting her legs and placing them to the floor, she said, “That was rude. We spent hours looking for the right one to put him in, and now you’ve gone and ruined it.”
He gripped just under the desk and flipped it to the side, ridding himself of the one thing blocking him from reaching her completely. “I’m going to hurt you, princess. I’m going to decimate
everything
you prize, and when you’ve been broken down to
nothing,
I’ll make sure you witness the death of your son with a front-row seat.”
She’d killed
Rave.
She’d killed his
anchor.
His friend had never been perfect but he was his second. There were some lines a person just didn’t cross. She had
danced
on them.
“Heh.” Kamali chuckled a bit. “That monologue
definitely
erred on the side of a super villain.”
With a snarl, he went to reach for her but she held a hand up. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Nico.” She then nodded just over his shoulder. “
They
may not appreciate it.”
The soft padding of claws clicking against the hardwood floors echoed out and he tensed. The lioness’s eyes danced with laughter. “In this aspect, you and Rave are very much alike. Your ego constantly clouds your better judgment, and it leaves you missing the smallest details. You really didn’t think I’d come here alone, did you?” Her head cocked.
Low growls sounded behind him and he rounded. Nico then went motionless.
Tigers.
Fucking. Tigers. They blocked the doorway. The largest one stood front and center, ears back, eyes like stark glaciers standing out against heavy black stripes and white fur.
“You asked how I managed to slip past security defenses,” Kamali practically purred. “My mate—the one glaring at you like you’ll be his next meal—is the reason for that. He, along with the rest of the Verochka pride—which is also mine now—have some truly gifted individuals among them. Watching them work is amazing. They, as a whole, are comprised of some of the brightest minds I’ve ever encountered.”
Verochka? She’d mated one of
them
? As long as he could remember, Nico had been hearing whispers of the pride’s name along with stories of Taras the killer. He’d never been one to believe rumors, had even blatantly challenged storytellers, but he’d been a witness to the things these tigers could do—had admired the cold precision of their choices.
The fact Kamali had found her way to one…
She laughed behind him. “It’s astonishing what a girl can stumble into when she’s looking for solace. It’s astonishing the connections she can make just when she thinks all hope is lost.”
Walking past him, she ran her hand over the white tiger’s head and between his ears. In return, it nuzzled her side.
“His love for me is so strong that he asked if I was positive I wanted to do this. He suggested that we hand you over to the elders because he wasn’t sure I wouldn’t lose my sanity if I faced you again,” Kamali murmured. She kissed the tiger’s forehead and stood straight once more, her eyes flicking back to Nico. “He suggested that we allow
them
to execute your punishment for your crimes.”
Nico clenched his jaw, stood tall. “And?”
She didn’t answer, only snapped her fingers.
His own pride members poured into the room and three grasped him and jerked him forward. Nico pulled away. “What…
let go of me
!”
They didn’t listen, only kept pushing, pulling, and dragging him until they managed to get him to the back door. Despite his snarls and snaps, they tossed him off the patio and let him roll as he hit the ground.
When he got to his feet, Kamali stood on the steps, tigers and lions alike behind her.
“I decided that handing you over to the elders would be graceful—
rational
.” She stepped down and the shifters followed. “But rationality and grace require something imperative, something I no longer have:
mercy
.” Another step. “You took my father, you took my home, and you massacred my family. Albeit dysfunctional, I still needed them,
loved
them.” Another step. “And you didn’t care. You showed me there are times that you just. Can’t. Be. Merciful.”
“So what are you going to do?” Nico roared. “Are you going to kill me, Kamali? Are you going to get your revenge?”
Her mouth curved. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You’d like to have a quick death.” She shook her head. “No, Nico. There will be no sudden end. There will be no easy way out of the misery you caused.” Kamali waved a hand behind herself. “Your precious pride, the ones you wanted to elevate, were willing to sell you out without a single thought when I made them an offer. I leave them alive and allow them a fair chance with the elders and they do me a favor.”
Disgusted, he stared at the shifters behind her. “You would do this to
me
?” Nico slapped his chest. “I made you! I brought you here! I gave you all this! And now you’re going to turn your backs while she murders me?” He pointed at the lions. “You’re weak! All of you!
Cowards
!”
“Who’s truly the coward, Nico?” she questioned. “The ones that stand with me in order to be rid of a psychopath with a superiority complex, or the one who stands before me ready to run because he senses his end is near?”
His hands fisted at his sides. “Why would I run? Why would I give you the satisfaction?”
“Because self-preservation will prevail,” Kamali answered.
To the large group behind her she growled, “I want him torn apart
.”
Nico took a step back as several pairs of gold, amber, and pale blue eyes turned on him.
“You wouldn’t,” he blurted. “What happens when you tell my nephew you had his uncle slaughtered?”
That didn’t even give her pause. “I’m sorry, is that sudden revelation supposed to endear me to you?” She searched his face. “Nico, Alfre died because he made the same decision you did. You were both so set on using Callum that you were willing to sacrifice an innocent child
.
The only difference is, I didn’t hate Alfre
nearly
as much as I hate you.”
She knew! She fucking
knew.
“How…?”
“I told you,” Kamali stated. “There are truly gifted individuals among my family.” Taking a seat on the steps, she waved a hand in Nico’s direction and commanded in a low chilling voice, “Treat him the way you would
prey
.”
They began to leap, one by one, charging at him. Nico turned to flee, hating himself for that one act of vulnerability but knowing if he didn’t try, if he didn’t at least
attempt
to escape, then everything he’d done—everything that had led to this moment—would mean
nothing.
He made it all of twenty yards before a paw swipe to his lower back snapped his spine. The last things he heard before he died were the violent sounds of lions and tigers fighting for the chance to rip him apart.
***
“How much of this stuff are we clearing out?”
Kamali unfolded her arms and let out a little sigh. Running her hand through her hair, she pushed away from the door of her father’s office and turned to Kaisal. “Anything that looks like a keepsake or something valuable to the original pride can be taken. Superficial things like furniture or any of the cars will be sold and put into funds for cubs who won’t have their parents around.”
He nodded inside of the room. “And Enilo’s property?”
