Chapter 425
Bang! Bang! Bang! “I’m coming!” Micah shouted, yanking on his pants with one hand and raking the other through his hair. Who in the hell was banging on his door at this late hour? He was sure he had no other appointments tonight besides Violet, who clearly bailed. And no way would her possessive mate, Griffin, let her sneak off to another male’s room at this time. So, it had to be one of the desperate students looking for a late-night “fix.” He sighed. As much as he enjoyed feeding on their sexual energy—and secrets—it was moments like this that made him feel like a glorified whore. Which was why he nearly choked on his own breath when he opened the door and found— “Violet?” His brow shot up to his hairline. “Well, this is… surprising.” He leaned against the frame lazily, a half-smile appearing on his lips. “Sorry darling, but this isn’t really the time for a—” He didn’t get to finish because Violet launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. For a solid minute, Micah stood frozen, stunned, his brain scrambling. She hugged him tighter and from the desperation in her grip, he didn’t need to be an empath to sense the mess of emotions rolling off her. Micah was tempted to return the hug, but instinct warned him to keep his hands to himself. Something was off. Way off. Then she pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes brimming with emotion so raw and strange, it left him speechless. Before he could say a word, she raised her hand and began tracing his cheekbones, his jawline, his brow, as if memorizing every inch of his face. Micah blinked. “Okay…?” He stepped back slightly, trying to ease her off him. “I think this is the part where I shut the curtains and we both pretend this never happened. See you tomorrow, sunshine.” This was starting to cross into dangerous territory. He didn’t know what was wrong with Violet, but he was not about to get roasted alive by the werewolf community for messing with someone’s fated mate. Not even for a girl like her. And gods, was she tempting. Her emotions were ripe, and bleeding all over the place. It was perfect for feeding, but then it was too risky. What people didn’t know about Incubi was that sexual energy was only half the meal they took. Memories were also stolen in the heat of passion. That was how he built his moniker as the great oracle with access to unimaginable information. It had been risky “nudging” Violet towards Elsie’s secret. But Elsie had needed to be taken down a notch, and when the opportunity came knocking, he simply opened the door. But Violet was smart and ended up figuring out his identity. It wasn’t surprising though. No one else could have known about Elsie’s secret, not when the girl had guided it well. But then, little Grace did come to blow off some steam once in a while and he did “help”. Although, Micah’s motives for helping Violet hadn’t been pure. No, it was far from it. He wanted Violet’s trust, and thought to buy it that way. He had never encountered someone whose heritage was hidden; it was nearly a clean slate. It was not normal. There was nothing normal about Violet. Not her hair. Not the fact no one seem to know a thing about her. But none of that explained what the hell she was doing here now. “You must know, don’t you?” she suddenly whispered. Micah tensed. “Know what?” “That Angus is alive?” she said, her voice barely audible. Two things happened instantly. Micah’s entire demeanor changed, his eyes sharpening into cold steel, while the teasing smirk vanished. Then Violet gasped as her back slammed against the wall and his hand was around her throat. “Who are you?” he growled, his voice laced with fury. “Did he send you?” His grip tightened. Violet clawed at his wrist. He was suffocating her. Then a roar thundered down the passage. Shit. Her mate was here. Micah released her instantly just as a fist collided with his jaw with a sickening thud, sending him flying backwards into the room. He crashed into the shoe rack, knocking down the shoes in a loud clatter. “Are you okay?” Griffin asked, turning immediately to Violet, worry etched into every corner of his face as he helped her up. “Yeah, I’m good,” Violet coughed, rubbing her neck where Micah’s grip had just been. Her voice was hoarse, but steady. Griffin’s gaze turned back to Micah with a dangerous glint. His entire body tensed, a low, guttural growl tearing through his chest. Micah groaned as he got to his feet, his head snapping toward Griffin with a deadly snarl. His eyes had gone entirely black now, like pits of ink. Half-succubus or not, he still carried werewolf blood, and the Alpha in him wasn’t going to take that punch lying down. They were two seconds from tearing into each other when Violet shouted. “Stop it!” But Neither seem to want to back down. “Stop it right now!” she yelled again, stepping in between them with a look that brooked no argument. Micah was still breathing heavily, his fists clenched at his sides, his body shaking from barely-contained fury. “Who the hell are you?” he spat, voice rough with suspicion. “Did you approach me on purpose? Did he send you?” “Send me here?” Violet blinked, confused for a second. Then something clicked in her head, and she blurted, “I’m your sister!” She lowered her voice. “I think.” Micah froze. Just like that, the fire in his eyes dimmed. “Shit,” he muttered, almost to himself. “Yeah, shit,” Griffin echoed dryly. “Because I’m not seeing the resemblance at all.” That was all it took for both Violet and Micah to turn to him at the same time, and the sheer force of their glares made Griffin blink and raise his hands in surrender. “Okay,” he mumbled. “Maybe I see it now.” Micah ignored Griffin completely and turned his attention to Violet instead. “What are you?” A low, guttural growl rumbled from Griffin, deep and unmistakably a warning. His body shifted slightly in front of Violet, protective, and stiff. The message was clear: he didn’t trust Micah, not even a little. Violet didn’t trust him either. Her lips pressed into a tight line, and she bit down on the corner of her mouth, clearly torn. The uncertainty in her eyes gave her away before she could speak. “If you’re really my father’s daughter,” Micah continued, eyes narrowing in curiosity, “then there must be something special about you. Angus doesn’t breed mediocrity. He’s obsessed with creating the perfect heir. The kind that would usher our kind into a new era.” He stepped forward, lowering his voice just a little. “I’m half-werewolf, half-incubus, which you already know of course. So tell me, little sister, what are you?” Tension thickened in the air like a fog as Violet hesitated, her hand twitching at her side. Micah was dangerous, charming, clever, and manipulative. Everything about him screamed untrustworthy and he was part demon — they were not exactly trust worthy. For all she knew, he could be working with Angus. And if that was the case, revealing her secret would only doom her faster. Sensing her hesitation, Micah added, “If you’re worried about your secret getting out, you shouldn’t be. You already know I’m the Oracle and we both know what chaos that would cause if that little truth slipped.” Griffin’s eyes widened. “You’re the Oracle?! Dude, what the fuck?” He was stunned. Micah gestured lazily, like Griffin had just proven his point. “See?” Violet lifted her head, meeting his gaze with slow determination. She was walking a tightrope with no safety net beneath her but if she wanted answers from Micah, she had to give him something first. Lila was going to kill her for this. “Half-werewolf,” she said carefully, “half-Fae.” There was instant silence. Then he let out a short, disbeliving laugh. “Impossible.” When Violet didn’t waver, it dawned on him. Micah snorted with a bitter edge. “Of course. Leave it to Angus to create more abominations.” Griffin bared his teeth in a snarl. “Violet is not an abomination.” Micah raised both hands as if in surrender. “Forgive me. I am.” Violet ignored the tension sparking between them and got to the point. “How long have you known our father—no, Angus is alive?” She refused to call him by that title. “Father” was too generous of a title for a monster like him. He was simply a sperm donor, nothing more. Micah’s expression turned unreadable. “Well, if we’re going to dig into that conversation, shut the door and grab a seat.” Violet and Griffin exchanged a look. This was why they came, wasn’t it? Griffin gave a short nod and closed the door. Together, they followed Micah deeper into the apartment.