Raziel pulls out a seat for me in the middle of the table. He takes the seat beside me.
“Thanks for joining me, Count.”
Razzy told me that Khalid didn’t like humans. He said not to take offense if the man never speaks to me. I’ve only met him twice, and so far, he barely acknowledges my existence.
“Glad to be here,” Raziel says.
The door to the conference room opens, and a woman walks in. She has long brown hair that hangs to mid-back. She holds her head high. Her narrow blue eyes sweep across the room in disgust.
She stands in the middle of the floor with her arms across her chest.
“What is the meaning of this meeting, Amir?” she says the name as if the letters leave an unpleasant taste in her mouth.
Khalid’s jaw tenses as he stares at her. The entire room is silent. I hold my breath.
Finally, Khalid speaks. “Have a seat, Uriah.”
“No thank you,” she spits out. “Besides, I don’t plan to be here long. Don’t want the filth of these creatures to rub off on me.”
I wait to see if that black smoke will rise from anyone, but everyone looks unbothered by the female’s words.
“Very well,” Khalid says. “You sought a human and coerced them to order a death mark on my count’s mate.”
Uriah scoffs, rolling her eyes. “He wasn’t a count at the time. And what a depressed, angry human did has nothing to do with me.” Her grin is so evil.
I fault my mother for her own actions. But this woman manipulated a broken and mentally weak woman. She’s just as much to blame.
“But bribing a lower caste forsaken to do your bidding has everything to do with you.”
Uriah turns away from Khalid and glares at Raziel. “Oh, I see. The little worthless orphan boy ran to his daddy to tell on me, is that right?”
She turns back to Khalid. “Did he tell you how all this started? How he was going to kill you.”
“I was never going to kill him, and you know it,” Raziel snarls, leaning up in his seat.
Khalid, however, doesn’t even flinch. “I knew of the mate-bond with Abrigia and her plans before I offered him the job.”
Raziel swings his head toward Khalid. I don’t think he knew that part.
“Nothing happens in my realm or the underworld that I don’t know about,” Khalid says to Raziel before turning back to Uriah.
“You used your power and status to trap him into a contract, and once the contract was served, you tried to force him back into it. Your crimes can not go unpunished.”
She’s silent for a moment, her chin up and her gaze narrowed at Khalid. She glares for a long moment before she tosses her head back and laughs.
“This is cute, Amir. Bringing me in front of your little followers to scold me. But let’s be real. Even if I am guilty, you have no authority over me. You are the king of the fallen. Never forget your place. You are beneath me. You have no power over me.”
“But I do,” a male voice says from the door. I turn to look at the newcomer.
He has curly dark blonde hair that falls to his neck and the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen. Although just as attractive as all the other men in the room, he has a much softer look to his face.
“Hello, Uri,” Khalid greets the newcomer with a dip of his chin. I notice that the others in the room hold up their hands as if they are shielding their eyes from a bright light.
“Amir, I see you have the gang here.” Uri walks further into the room and takes a seat at the other end of the table. “I’m sorry I’m late. Michael wanted to be here, but he wasn’t sure he’d be welcome.”
“He’s not,” Khalid says dismissively, rolling his eyes.
Uri chuckles before turning his attention back to Uriah. “You’ve been a naughty angel, Uriah.”
