Ezra’s tone was dark, disappointed. Aniyah swallowed.
“Sorry,” she peeped, eyes flicking nervously. Her body jerked. Something was happening.
Before I could signal for her to stop, Calix groaned. “Please, dear god almighty,” he whined, rubbing his face like he could erase the moment from existence. “Tell me one of your mates isn’t under your desk giving you a… a happy ending! Please. Please tell me I’m losing my mind!”
Aniyah’s face flamed as black wavy hair and red horns peeked out from beneath the desk. Red eyes, sharp and furious, glared at us like we were the source of all evil—Rasmus. Should’ve known. Aniyah's demon mate almost never left her side.
“I haven’t even started, my star,” he said, his voice teasing, “But I agree with you, Calix. Youdefinitelyneed to get your head checked.”
Calix nearly lost it. “Why, you little?—”
“Enough!” Ezra’s voice cut through, firm and final. Rubbing at her temples, she sighed. “Aniyah, I told you. These are closed meetings. Even to mates.”
Aniyah’s guilty gaze flicked to us, then she whispered to the mate still kneeling before her. “See what you did? You got me in trouble! I told you this wouldn’t work.”
Rasmus took her hand, kissed it, and flipped it over, pressing a slow, sensual kiss to her palm. His tongue traced her finger before drawing it into his mouth. Her eyes stayed locked on him, lips parted in a soft gasp.
“Ido notwant to see your personal porno, Niyah! Meeting!” Calix barked, shattering the spell.
I looked away, heat rising to my cheeks. I was happy for Aniyah—truly—but seeing them reminded me of what I didn’t have. What I couldn't have.
A gnawing pit twisted in my gut, but I shoved it down. I was fine. I didn’t need a mate. I had the clan. Laughing inwardly, I reminded myself that being the Rossey boss came with its own trials. I couldn’t afford to look weak. Couldn’t afford weak knees for anyone, not even for a mate.
Red eyes full of demon fire squinted at Calix. “If I wanted to give you a porno, I would’ve. Keep your nose out of my business with my mate.”
“Rasmus!” Aniyah gasped, trying to rein in her wild mate, but it was too late.
“Rasmus Nefter, do you have a death wish?” Ezra’s words were cold, precise, lethal. Shoulders relaxed, one leg crossed over the other, her posture gave off a sense of ease, but her eyes bored into him like twin bullseyes. Swift and exacting.
Rasmus bowed instantly. Smart boy. Aniyah’s eyes darted between him and Ezra, trying to navigate impossible waters. I felt for her. Having to balance us and time with her mates was probably hectic.
“I apologize for my rudeness, Boss Winstale,” Rasmus said, bowing again but more theatrically.
With a scoff, Calix waved it off. “Yeah, yeah. Just… keep it PG. Too early for my corneas to burn.”
Being the one who’d hired the tech genius to work at our little sister's sex club, the Winged Palace, I could tell Calix had a soft spot for the demon.
Aniyah quickly shoved him out of the room, her whispered promise far less discreet than she probably thought. “Wait for me right here, my sexy stalker, and we’ll finish what we started.” A hungry moan rumbled through the space just before the door clicked shut, then she reappeared as if nothing had happened.
“So…” She shuffled a few documents around her desk, giving herself the illusion of composure before lifting her gaze. “What are we talking about?”
A sharp laugh slipped out of me, somewhere between amusement and disbelief. Across the table, Calix slumped into his chair with a dramatic sigh, clearly done with the theatrics before things even started. Riot sat straight-backed and unblinking, looking like a soldier carved from stone, not a ripple of reaction disturbing her mask. Ezra, though—she closed her eyes for a slow, measured breath, and when they opened again, a storm was building behind them. She didn’t need to speak for us to feel the weight of her restraint.
“I’ll keep this short,” she began, her voice clipped but steady. “You all sent over your finances earlier, and they look good. Everyone’s on track. The legitimate side of our businesses is expanding steadily, which is fueling the illegitimate side with even greater returns.”
“Nova,” she called out, and I straightened up. “Do you need any last-minute help with the launch of your fight channel? Advertising? Tech issues? Need bodies in seats?”
I shook my head. “No. I have everything lined up. Testing happened yesterday with all the networks, and it all passed. The fighters are lined up and ready. I think we’ve had a lot of online buzz about the event. A lot of humans have already pre-ordered the channel for opening fight night, and I’ve already had the spells for the crowd's safety put in place with mages at the ready. It just needs to launch.”
For the past year, I’d worked my ass off trying to get this channel up and running. A fight channel for supe fights that took bets through an app. These fights were a lot less stringent with the rules than the supe league. They’d be more of an all-out cage fight between two supes, going as far over the line as the networks would let me.
“Your connection with the heads of the networks helped to get them all on board for something like this.” I nodded at Ezra, knowing that she was the real reason I was able to get this televised.
“That’s what I’m here for.” She threw the words out like it didn't matter, but her smug smile said she knew how much her help meant and she loved that she was the one to get it done. Older sibling reaction at its finest.
“Let us know if you need anything else.” She flipped open a file, the edge of the paper snapping with more force than necessary, and faced Aniyah. “Now, about the group that went after you, Niyah. I won’t lie, I’ve been hitting walls. Every lead I chase either ends up dead, disappears, or the trail runs cold before I can grab anything.” She exhaled, the harsh breath laced withfrustration, and her shoulders tightened with the weight of the failures she refused to accept.
I wanted to tell her it was okay, to not take the failure to heart, that we didn't blame her for anything, but I knew from experience that it would be like talking to a rock. An immovable, stone-cold rock.
