Of course, there didn’t seem to be anything lax about Eclipse. Ever since their trek to the club, Obsidian’s brother had been on edge. Whether it was because of hisamsouelotor the fact that Taayin insisted there had been demons present, Obsidian wasn’t sure. He could’ve grilled the male, but he’d been giving Eclipse space, wanting to give him time to deal with his revelation.
Taayin strolled in, staring intently at his cell phone.
“Did you find out who it was?” Obsidian asked, hoping for some news on which demons were close. Though he suspected it was Perfidious, he wasn’t about to count any of them out.
“I was able to get a picture. I’m pretty sure this is Perfidious,” thelieterrasaid.
Obsidian took the phone from Taayin, stared at it, then passed it to Eclipse when he appeared at his side.
“I remember him,” Eclipse grumbled, then frowned. “I was too preoccupied or I would’ve felt his presence.”
Obsidian set the phone on the countertop, glancing at it one final time before Penelope pulled it toward her. She passed it over to Acadia, who then handed it off to Ziana.
“He looks familiar,” the Fae noted, squinting at the screen. “I’ve seen him somewhere.”
Elina took the phone, nodded. “Yeah. He was at the club.” Her gaze swung to Asmia as she passed the phone over. “You remember him, don’t you?”
Asmia’s eyes widened as she stared at the image, horrified.
“What is it?” Taayin asked, clearly sensing her panic.
“That’s… He’s…” She set the phone away from her as though it would burn her.
“Spit it out,” Obsidian snarled at the female.
She swallowed hard, lifted her gaze to meet his. “I met him at the club. He asked me to dance.”
Obsidian noticed she was avoiding looking at Taayin.
“What did he say to you?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. But…” Her amethyst eyes widened as they darted over to Taayin, then back to Obsidian. “I’d like to request to speak to you in private.”
“Whatever you have to say can be said here,” he told her, not willing to allow her to keep secrets from Taayin. Not because he was worried about their personal interactions. If this was Perfidious, thelieterraneeded to know what was going on as much as Obsidian did.
“I think he did something to me,” Asmia whispered, terror in her eyes.
Taayin’s body went hard, hands clenched into fists. “What did he do, Asmia?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I remember not wanting to dance with him, but then I did. Like he willed me to do it. And … ever since … when …” A tear trickled down her cheek. “I think he manipulated my thoughts.”
Penelope’s hand was on Asmia’s arm, a clear sign of her need to comfort the female. “What did he do, Asmia?”
“Whenever Taayin and I … this morning, when we were intimate…” She shook her head. “I see his face in my mind. Not like a fantasy because I would never. I think he’s doing it. Perfidious is making me think about him.”
“Turn around,” Obsidian ordered, moving to stand behind her.
“I want to see,” Taayin insisted.
He met thelieterra’shardened gaze, surprised by the rage he saw there.
“Show me, Obsidian.”
Penelope was staring at them, eyes wide. “What’s going on?”
Rather than explain, Obsidian pressed his palm to Asmia’s forehead. It took a moment for him to filter through her memories, locating the one from the night at the club. When he did, he projected the image out of her head and through his eyes, watching as Asmia danced with a male, their bodies pressed intimately together.
A harsh snarl sounded from Taayin as Obsidian uncovered the hidden manipulation Perfidious had planted there.
