GODS-DAMNED PRICK.โ
Envy crumpled the missive in his fist, seconds away from declaring war on his bastard of a brother Sloth. Said war was only narrowly avoided by the surprise visitation request from hisย otherย prick of a brother, the gold- eyed demon staring at him now.
Envy glared at Wrath, who was dressed impeccably from head to toe in his signature black.
Gold rings gleamed on his fingers. Only a fool would think they were a simple fashion ornamentation. Envy knew firsthand how they could sharpen a blow.
His brother had come prepared for a fight, and Envy was feeling vexed enough to oblige. Decades ago, Wrath had refused to get involved the first time the game master screwed Envy. A fact heโd never fully forgiven his brother for. If anyone had stood a chance at swaying Lennox back then, it had been Wrath. But heโd chosen diplomacy instead. It set into motion their underlying friction and Envyโs least favorite role he played: the conniving, heartless villain.
Animosity aside, Envy had recently pretended he wanted to steal something his brother coveted. What no one knew was that Envy had his spies secretly feed Prince Greed the location of the two missing goddesses. It wasย thatย precious information that set into motion the eventual destruction of a curse. Envy had done his best to push and prod everyone into action, using any foul means necessary, always thinking of his court
and their fate.
No one suspected Envyโs true motivation, they all only saw the game player. Which suited him fine.
The demon of war gave him a mocking grin.
โI missed you, too.โ Wrath tossed a bag his way, the scent of sugar and cream immediately filling the air. โNot as much as my wife, though.โ
Envy glanced inside the bag, a strange feeling thawing his irritation slightly.
Emilia had made cannoli for him. He stared at the bag a long moment, no discernible ulterior motive surfacing, nothing aside fromโฆ friendship. Emilia loved cooking, loved nourishing those she cared deeply for. Envy was admittedly a little touched that that now extended to him.
He fought the urge to try one when he realized how closely Wrath was inspecting him.
Envy folded the bag up again, tossed it carelessly onto his desk.
โGratitude.โ Wrathโs tone was amused. โThatโs the foreign emotion youโre experiencing. Iโll pass along your thanks. For some reason, Emilia thinks youโre friends now.โ
That pleasant feeling in his chest expanded painfully. Envy squashed it at once.
โShouldnโt you be home tending to your deviant wife? Iโve heard all about the manacles.โ
โSheโs visiting her sister.โ Wrathโs golden gaze pinned him, all humor draining away. โAnd if your spies watch my wife again, Iโll come for you.โ
Envy sighed.
โContrary to popular belief, no one cares about your s*x life. Donโt bend your wife over every hard surface you encounter outside the castle if you seek privacy like a mortal.โ
โYour spies shouldnโt be in my circle, those wardsโโ
โWhy are you here?โ Envy interrupted; best not to travel that path. Wrath stared at him, hard, proving he knew exactly what Envy was up
to.
โWhere is your court? The corridors were quiet.โ
Envyโs stomach tightened. Wrath had been escorted by Alexei, taken
directly from the front door to Envyโs study. It had been risky to allow Wrath access, but dismissing the request would also have raised his
brotherโs suspicions.
Heโd warded the corridor to divert any confused members of his court, keeping them far from the demon of warโs watchful gaze.
โA new Iron Age exhibition was recently installed on the upper terrace.โ It wasnโt a lie. Unlike a human, any demon prince would detect deception. Envy had worded it carefully to keep Wrath from sensing any
untruth.
Wrath scanned him, gaze sharp. He was clever enough to know something was off, but there was no direct lie to call out. Thankfully, House Wrath recently visited House Envy, and even if his brother was suspicious, Envyโs court had appeared mostly intact then. Wrath would never imagine how far theyโd all fallen and how fast.
Envy adopted that bored look his brothers associated him with.
โIf youโre looking to make Emilia jealous, Iโm sure youโll find someone to your liking here. Feed my sin while youโre at it.โ
Wrath leveled him with a look that indicated Envy was pushing him too
far.
โYou need to work off some anger. I sensed it from my House.โ
Envyย wasย wound tightly. But he didnโt need assistance. He needed to be
searching House Sloth for the next clue, and heโd grown tired of his meddling brothers. Eventually, one of them would figure out why he was so tense. He needed to get rid of Wrath before he became an issue.
While Envy had waited for his wound to heal, heโd ventured down into the kitchens. Smoke had drifted up, snaking through the corridors and stairwells. A demon was facedown in the fires, the cause of their death not immediately obvious.
Envy had found Franklin, his butler, wandering in circles before heโd snapped himself together and bowed. Heโd briefly forgotten who Envy was. A sign his memories were growing foggier by the day. Soon he wouldnโt remember who he was, what vital role he played at the House. Envy had sent him to his chambers with instructions to rest, then took care of the
kitchens himself.
Heโd just scrubbed the scent of burnt flesh from his body when Wrathโs request arrived.
โWell?โ Wrath pressed. โDo you feel like fighting, brother? Or do you think youโre going to attempt to take my throne?โ
โTrust me, Iโm in no danger of vying for your sin. Unlike you, I donโt need to fight in order to get myself under control.ย Non ducor, duco. I am not led, I lead.โ
Wrath didnโt move to strike, but Envy felt the charge build in the air all the same.
โHouse Vengeance is stirring up enough discord as it reestablishes itself.
Your game had better not incite a war within our ranks.โ
Envy didnโt let his intrigue about House Vengeance show. Aside from the slight gossip Lust had shared, whispers hadnโt reached his ears yet about Deathโs mysterious domain. In fact, Vittoria had been surprisingly quiet since sheโd taken her shifters and returned to her House.
โI mean it.โ Wrathโs menace shook the floor. โWeโve got enough to worry about with the witches, we donโt need problems with the Fae because you canโt handle your shit. When will you stop playing games?โ
Envyโs own annoyance grew. Wrath had no idea how fucked theyโd all be if Envy lost this game. It wasnโt his fault the rest of the realm had gone mad. That was not his mistake, and he refused to shoulder any more blame.
โThe witches were nearly annihilated in that last skirmish. You know as well as I do that it will take them decades to pose any true threat again. And when do we ever have peace? Sursea, the so-called First Witch, is immortal. We could wipe the realms of all witches, but sheโd just spawn more. Peace is a concept that is unattainable, and you well know it.โ
Wrathโs hands curled into fists, but Envy pressed on.
โPride might hate Sursea, but heโd never allow any true harm to come to the mother of his wife. Your quest for peace would incite the very war you claim to want to avoid. Pride would strike your circle without second thought; his entire focus is on finding Lucia. You, out of everyone, ought to know what that feels like. So, demon of war, should I truly believeย youย suddenly wish for harmony? When wrath fuels you?โ
Envyโs smile was all teeth.
He wasnโt done stoking his brotherโs sin. Not by a long shot.
โIf one foe falls, another will rise in their place. Such is the way of the Underworld. And youย likeย it that way. The monotony of peace was exactly why we all fell to begin with, if youโll recall. You schemed your way to that throne like the rest of us. No one remains defeated or down forever. No one remains at the top for eternity, either.โ
The floor in Envyโs private study rumbled with Wrathโs legendary anger. โIs that a threat?โ
Envy gave him the indolent look he knew infuriated his brother. Perhaps heย wasย looking to fight.
โHave you only come here to annoy me with bullshit talks of peace, or is there an actual reason for this visit?โ
Wrath looked like he was silently weighing the benefits against the disadvantages of striking Envy, but he eventually leashed himself. Ever the diplomat.
โLust said the woman youโve taken an interest in doesnโt succumb to his influence.โ
Lust was going to find himself with a dagger to the balls.
โThat sounds like Lustโs problem. I havenโt taken an interest in anyone.โ Wrathโs attention sharpened. Envy silently cursed himself. Heโd lied.
Demons were proficient with omissions and word play, butย neverย outright lying.
Envy would never reveal the lengths heโd gone to to overcome that curse. The pain. The cost. He hadnโt been certain lying would be necessary for the game, but he had planned and searched until heโd found one ancient legend that could make it come true.
Heโd die a True Death before he revealed that secret to anyone. โLie.โ Wrath prowled closer, his sin igniting once more. โHow?โ
โYou donโt honestly expect me to share my secrets. Why bother asking?โ
โDo you care for the woman?โ
โI am intrigued with her talent,โ Envy said truthfully. โYou know I covet unique things.โ
โAllow me to rephrase, do you care if harm comes to the woman?โ
Envyโs pulse raced. Wrath would hear it, ever attuned to the hunt. The area between his shoulder blades burned with the sudden need to release his wings. Wings that he couldnโt summon. Wings heโd lost with the fall of his court.
โYou bore me with your drivel. But yes. I would care if harm came to her. The game wants her in play. Therefore, she holds value for me.โ
Wrath narrowed his eyes, silent as he assessed Envy.
โChoosing not to answer the question directly is as good as answering it,
Aethan.โ His brother was exceptionally cunning when he wished to be. โPerhaps itโs time to stop playing, then. She could get hurt.โ
Envy couldnโt have stopped the game even if heโd wished to. And Wrath standing there, acting superior, as if Envy had no clue how much danger Camilla was in, made him want to lash out.
โDo not use my true name in that perverse shorthand again. And do not come to my circle and lecture me. My patience only stretches so far.โ
Wrathโs expression didnโt shift. He still wore the cold, mocking smile Envy wished to punch off his face, his gold eyes glittering.
โSpoken like a demon in love.โ
He turned then, his muscular frame taking up the entire doorway.
โPride wagered invitations will be sent out by yearโs end,โ Wrath said. โAfter today, Iโm calling three months.โ
Envy knew he was being goaded. โInvitations for what?โ
โYour wedding.โ
Something ancient and restless reared itself inside his chest. Envy would sooner drink from the Fatal Chalice before he married anyone, even Camilla. True, he might enjoy her company, might desire her physically, but it would never go beyond that.
He wouldnโt allow it.
โI look forward to collecting my fortune, then.โ Wrath chuckled darkly, broad shoulders shaking.
โDonโt bet against yourself. Or Greedโs coffers will finally be larger than yours.โ
Before Envyโs sin could snap out, someone knocked on the door. Fear had his breath lodged in his throat before Alexei stepped in.
Envyโs attention shot to his secondโs hand, to the note heโd been waiting for from House Sloth.
He tore the wax seal open and read. Fucking finally. Heโd been granted permission to enter Slothโs domain.
He glanced up, annoyed that Wrath was still standing there. โDonโt you have a wife to tie up? Why are you still here?โ
Envy sensed it a moment before it happened.
Wrathโs dagger flashed, striking into an invisible foe. An Umbra demon formed, slumped and dying at the demon of warโs feet.
โKeep your spies away from Emilia.โ
He crouched to wipe his blade on the dead spyโs tunic, then stepped over its body. Before Wrath could leave on his own and stumble across anything he shouldnโt, Alexei escorted him back to the front doors.
Envy folded his arms across his chest. โReport.โ The second Umbra demon materialized, partially.
โThe humanโVexleyโdisappeared shortly after you left that realm. No one has been able to scent a trail.โ
Envy gritted his teeth. โAnd? What about the artistโs mother?โ โNo family in Waverly Green. No blood or hair in the house.โ Which meant there was no way to know if she was a shifter.
He supposed he could cut a lock of Camillaโs hair, have it tested by spell. Find out one way or another what she was, if anything. But if that jeopardized the game, counted as interferenceโฆ
Envy sighed. โKeep searching.โ