“Mel, sit down,” the husband shouted.
Mel glared at Master; Blade was sure he was planning Master’s death. One that would never come true no matter how hard he wished. They would never let any harm come to Master. Blade would see to it personally. The husband’s pleading seemed to have worked as Mel sat down, his hands still balled in a fist.
“Your husband is very smart. One step toward me and you would have died instantly. I would no longer need anyone here, which would result in your family’s deaths,” Master said.
“You’re a fucking monster; I have kids who are only five and eight,” Mel said angrily.
Master shrugged. “You would have been the cause of it.”
Mel opened his mouth, but his husband’s hand landed on his leg, visibly trembling. Good, they were learning their place—they were only alive because Master allowed it. He planned to use them, but it didn’t mean he needed them. Their lives held no such value.
“What do you want from us?” the husband asked.
“Simple. I want Mel’s backing as an elder and your family’s support.”
“Look here—Mr. Whyte, was it? I don’t know who you think you are, but you aren’t established enough for that,” Mel said. “The Blakes have run this territory for generations. A coven that strong is impossible to beat.”
“That’s not for you to worry about. I will achieve my goals at any cost,” Master said.
“I don’t doubt that, but you have to understand our skepticism. No one has ever achieved what you’re setting out to do. Not to mention they have a monster of their own,” the husband said.
“You mean Hilde G. Newton-Blake?”
The husband nodded.
“She has gotten rid of every obstacle in her pursuit for power. You will be nothing but a pebble in her path,” Mel said. “I’ve seen what that woman is capable of.”
Master removed his mask, setting it to the side. Both Mel and his husband gasped at the sight of Master’s face.
“I have seen it firsthand as well,” Master said. He leaned back in the couch, exuding confidence. “And I plan to get my revenge in flesh.”
“You’re supposed to be dead,” Mel said.
Gunner growled, and Blade had to agree. Everyone kept saying that, and it pissed them all off each time they heard it.
“That’s true—I am, but I’m not, so what does that tell you? My stepmother tried to kill me, and yet I’m sitting in your living room having a lovely chat.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s lovely—why didn’t you come out and let the world know you were alive?” Mel asked.
Master crossed his arms, an unwavering force to be reckoned with.
“Because she would have tried again. He was safer hidden. If I were in his shoes, I’d do the same,” the husband said.
Mel shook his head. “Even if that’s true, you already said no to being the head of the Blake coven and enterprise. Why change your mind now?”
“I’m not—I don’t want that.” Master leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and intertwining his fingers. A mischievous smirk appeared on his face, and in that moment, he could easily be mistaken for a demon. “I want to destroy the entire Blake coven and everything it stands for,” Master said.
Mel sat there, with a shocked look on his face.
“Are you insane? Generations—”
“I have no need for any of that. Because of the Blake coven and my father, my mother died, and I suffered all because of what? Money? Power? It doesn’t matter. I am going to be their destruction,” Master declared.
“You sound confident,” the husband said.
“If I don’t believe in my cause, why should anyone else?”
“Even if I were to say yes, you would still need other elders and families, along with their respective covens,” Mel said.
“That’s not a problem. You’re the last one,” Master said.
“What?” Mel asked. He fell back down to his seat. “Who has sided with you?”
“Will my answer change your decision?” Master asked.
“No, because we will side with you, Snoe Whyte,” the husband declared.
Mel stared at his husband and then to the man at Blade’s feet. “He killed our son,” Mel stressed.
“Yes, and I would prefer to live and have the chance to bury him,” the husband said.
“You should listen to him. You married a smart man,” Master complimented.
Mel visibly shook in his seat. “Okay, but what if you fail?”
“Then you will all die along with me,” Master said.
He stood and walked over to the door. Blade glared at the couple, daring them to make a move. They wisely didn’t, and he followed Master and the others to the door. He stepped over the dead body at his feet as if it was a piece of paper on the floor.
“I will leave the key to your cuffs in the other room. Oh, and it goes without saying to keep my identity hidden. I’d hate to come back and finish what was started.”
With that, they left the mansion, walking over multiple dead bodies. Master didn’t relax until he was in the security of the car, between Nyght and Blade. Dox started up the car and headed toward the hotel.
Master leaned into Nyght, cuddled up close as they rode back to the hotel.
“They will need to die once everything goes through,” Master said.
“They agreed to back you,” Joker pointed out.
“Yes, but we killed their son. I don’t care how afraid they are now. They will want to pay me back one day.” Master shrugged. “We will use them and then dispose of them. I have others who will take Mel’s place anyway.”
“You did good in there,” Blade said.
Master lifted his head. A smile that lit up his brown eyes graced his face, and it was solely aimed at Blade. He sat up and brought his lips a breath away from Blade’s.
“Be careful there, Blade. I might think you’re going soft on me,” Master teased.
“Blade, soft? Ha, that’s like saying a rock makes a good pillow,” Wolly joked.
Blade ignored him in favor of closing the distance between him and Master. His lips were sweet and soft, everything Blade should hate and yet craved only from Master. Blade pulled him closer. There was something there, just out of Blade’s reach. He’d noticed it before but couldn’t grasp the feeling that threatened to consume him. His chest felt warm, and everywhere Master touched him was on fire. It went beyond sexual desire or need. It was an unrecognizable feeling, one Blade had never felt before.
“Don’t start anything in the car,” Smooth said.
Blade slowly pulled back and met Smooth’s gaze. The look in his grey eyes reflected the same way that Blade felt. What is it?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Snoe
Snoe sat across from a woman with dark brown hair much like his own. She had grey eyes and a light dusting of freckles across her nose.
“So you’re Mr. Whyte,” she said in the softest voice.
“And you are someone important if Parkins set up a meeting with me,” Snoe said.