Konstantin: The Heartless Beta novel Chapter 39

Konstantin

We’ve taken Dimitri back to his penthouse, but we have him tied up with silver. Even if his disposition is to be believed, there is no way we can trust him now. I don’t even think we can repair that trust.

Yeah, I am aware that Dimitri might have been under the influence of the parasite, but the point remains… he never trusted us to help him.

“We need to figure out what we’re going to do from now on,” I say as the two of us walk to the SUV with Marle in tow. “The longer your child stays away-”

“I know that!” Kai roars, denting the side of the SUV with a punch. “I fucking know.” He then leans his arms against the hood and rests his head. “I don’t know what the fuck we’re going to do, Kon.”

I let out a sigh and walked to him, placing my hand on his shoulder until he turned around to face me. “We’ll figure something out; we always do,” I say.

“There is something we can try,” Marle suddenly speaks up, and both of us look at her.

“At this point, we’ll try anything,” I say, but Marle shakes her head.

“Don’t say that until you’ve listened to what I am about to say because it involves your child.” She says in a flat voice but holds up her palm to stop me from advancing towards her.

Kai sighs. “We’re not doing any trades with that demoness,” he says, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration, “even if it involves my child.”

“Both of you need to listen to me before jumping to conclusions. We will not be trading any lives but rather pretending to.” Marle says in a low voice, and then she breathes out.

Okay, now this has both our attention.

“I will bewitch the child - its image will be more of a mirage than anything else. It will disappear as soon as we have Kai’s child back.”

I frown at this. “That sounds like it will be a bit too easy. What if the blonde bitch finds out about the plan beforehand?” I ask, knowing Kai was thinking the exact same thing. That bitch wasn’t dumb; she would smell the scheme straight away, and then what? Kai’s child dies, and so do we?

Marle grins; an evil fucking grin even if I do say so myself. “I’m older than Morganna; the spells she knows now were the ones I created.”

I blink. “Wait, those demons are old enough to want to resurrect a Demon of Lust; how the fuck can you be older if you’re only 300 years old?” I ask, shaking my head but not really wanting to know the answer.

This is where Marle looks at Kai and smiles. “I’m 300 in human years; before that, Xamnir was my master and Alpha.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen my older brother at a loss for words, and to be fair, I am just as fucking stunned. This witch isn’t just old, she’s one of the Ancients: A breed of witches so powerful that the Gods themselves had to eradicate them. But how did Marle survive the Purging?

“I know what you’re thinking, but now is not the time for that-”

“So that’s why you’ve been trying to get to my side; I’m your master’s vessel,” Kai says in a low voice bordering on a growl, and I am not sure if he is angry or upset. He looks at Marle and advances on her with fury in his scent. “Is any of this your doing?”

Marle’s eyes widen at his assumption, and she vigorously shakes her head. “NO! You misunderstand me! Yes, I am one of the Ancients, but I am not allowed to interfere in anything anymore because of my past sins. The Lynx Witches were sent to you but were twisted by the corrupted visions Xamnir made them see; visions where you led the entire Pack astray. As much as I wanted to tell you about this, the bind on my tongue forbade me! Who do you think told Tiarin about the prophecy about her? Why do you think Xamnir had us all purged?!”

She hangs her head in her hands and sobs. I’m not sure what to make of this, and I don’t think Kai does either. If Marle told Tiarin about what Xamnir had planned for her, then she was the reason the Wolf Goddess rejected Xamnir and fled.

“And why do you think Tiarin appeared before Caterina in that cave? I was the one who told her what the Lynx Witches were planning! I may not have been able to tell you everything back then, but I can confer with the Gods; it’s the only reason I am able to speak to you now.”