Made in Malice (Corrupt Credence Book 1)

LUCIAN

“She’s home,” Nox says with his thumbs cruising along his phone screen. He must have been watching the camera feed at the gate. I was reluctant to leave her alone at work like he suggested, but he said she promised she would tell him if anyone fucked with her if I did.

There’s a part of me that wanted to say fuck it anyway and show up there just because I can—hell, I want to get her fired because she has no business working in a fucking bar, letting everyone look at her—but Nox’s reasoning of letting her start to trust us might work in my favor, because I need her to ruin the Umbras since I can’t just get rid of her.

Not that just making her disappear hasn’t crossed my mind, because it has, along with other thoughts like keeping her here, locked in my room, so I could use her whenever and however I wanted, which have been plaguing me since I laid eyes on her. Of course, my thoughts were a little more cruel then, but now I find myself wondering how many times I could make her come before she begged me to stop, or what her teeth would feel like sinking into my lip and cock.

“I texted her my number,” Nox adds as if he’s telling me as an afterthought.

At least he’s not holed up in his room or sleeping so much that I have to worry if he’s even eating and taking care of himself.

“How are we going to get around the no mingle rule?” He tosses his phone to the side, not expecting her to text back, or maybe he’s just distracting himself so he doesn’t keep texting her. His question finally registers, and I get irritated, not at him, but at the fact that we have rules at all. We’re the founders, we can do whatever the fuck we want.

“Cooperation between families is encouraged.” I purposely pretend not to understand his question.

“I’m not talking about cooperation, and you fucking know it. We want her,” he states with conviction.

“We want to fuck her.” That’s all I’m admitting right now.

“You want to own her,” he counters, reminding me that we don’t have any secrets, but when I admitted that, I wasn’t thinking clearly. It pisses me off that he brought it up. “I think I might like to be owned by her.” Nox is actually smiling, which throws me for a loop.

“Jesus Christ.” I tip my head back and look at the ceiling. Sometimes, I forget we’re opposite sides of the same coin, but images of my lamb leaning over me with her hand in my hair, pulling my head up to meet her pussy while she grinds against me to ride my face, don’t seem so out of the fucking question.

“You like the idea!” Nox accuses. I can’t tell if he’s in my head or if he just knows me that well. Probably both.

“Not the way you do,” I defend lamely.

A pillow hits me in the side of the face. “Well, you better pull your head out of your ass and quit being such a dick then, or we might never get to find out what it would be like. Besides, she saved your ass. Who knows what would have happened if anyone but her found you that night.”

“Nothing—nothing would have happened because I wouldn’t have let it.”

“You couldn’t even fucking walk, let alone convince someone you weren’t drunk off your ass. It could have meant you losing the seat, and you know I don’t want it.”

“They can’t even tell the difference between us. Even if you had to take the position in name only, I would have fulfilled the duty,” I admit somberly. She did save my ass. Even after I was a dick to her and made her fall, she came to the house and asked for help.

“She can tell the difference between us,” he boasts as if it’s something special, and I hate to admit it, but it is.

“So what, I’m supposed to kiss her ass now?” I scoff.

“No, I’m pretty sure she likes fighting with you, even if she doesn’t know it yet, but she flinched when you reached for her, like she thought you would hurt her, and that’s not okay.”

“She makes me want to strangle her.”

“Not going to judge your kink, brother, as long as that’s all it is,” Nox drawls, giving me a veiled warning.

“I hear you,” I respond, because I do. I noticed her recoil too, and I hated it.

NOVA

I’m in a slight state of shock Monday after my second class. Not only have I not seen the Morningstars, but no one has messed with me all day. There have been no snide remarks, no students stalking me down the halls, including Lucian, and no jilted girlfriends warning me away from their man. It’s pretty nice actually, but I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I’m not really sure what to do with myself. I spent most of the day yesterday in bed or in my room, other than an awkward dinner with Rory and Astrid. Going back to the house sounds boring. Maybe I’ll go change and hang out on the beach. The Umbras have their own private oasis on the island, but being so isolated doesn’t sound all that appealing right now. I know from my experience yesterday that I’m just going to dwell on the lady from Hooker’s, and I won’t get any answers about what she meant that way.

I tried to ask Astrid about my mom to see if she would tell me why she left, but she got emotional, and I stopped pushing for details because I felt bad. Rory just eyed me the entire time like he was trying to pry open my head and examine my thoughts. Like I said, awkward.

“What are—” The rest of his words are cut off by my scream when Nox pops his head out from my backseat.

I swat at him and miss several times when he ducks out of the way. “What is wrong with you? How did you even get in here?”

“You left it unlocked. Did I scare you?” He’s trying really hard to frown, but he can’t keep the smile off his lips.

“You are as crazy as your brother.” I lean back against my seat and let my heart rate drop so I don’t have a heart attack.

“I got bored waiting for you. I was going to take a nap.”

“The car is like two hundred degrees. You would die in twenty minutes.” I start the car to crank up the AC.

“So what are we doing?” He leans forward between the seats, ignoring my comment about the heat.

“I don’t know.” I give a half-hearted shrug.

“Lies, I can tell by your answer,” he accuses. Maybe I could use this to my advantage. He probably knows everything Lucian does, so maybe I could get Nox to tell me what he knows about my mom or her family.

“I was thinking about going to the beach,” I offer, turning to see him better.

“Sun, skin, and water.” He says each word slowly while running his eyes over me as if he’s imagining me wet and naked…or maybe I want him to be thinking about me like that, because that’s what I’m thinking about him.

“I’m sure you go all the time, but I really haven’t had the chance, plus the beaches back home are nasty unless you’re up north.”

“I know the perfect spot we can go. Where’s back home?”

“Michigan, are you sure you want to come?” Now I’m nervous about hanging out with him.

“I wouldn’t miss it. Will you let me take you to the best beach in SC?” he challenges.

“Is it far?”

“It’s just a little drive,” he says dismissively.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he asks as if he’s surprised I agreed, which makes me leery. “You already agreed.” He changes his tone quickly, like he realized I was about to back out.

“Fine, but you better not be trying to trick me.”

“Do you have your suit?”

“Isn’t it too cold to get in the water?” I’m fine in shorts, but I notice lots of people are still wearing pants and even sweaters or light jackets, especially in the evening.

“Not where I’m going to take you.”

“Cryptic.” I mull the idea over for a few seconds. “I was just going to put my feet in, are you going to go in the water?”

“Yup, come on. Don’t leave me hanging.”

“Fine, I’ll need to run by the house to grab my suit,” I agree.

“I wouldn’t complain if you went without. I could even join you if that would make you more comfortable,” Nox offers with a charming grin.

“I’m not the skinny dip in the light of day kind of girl,” I tease, realizing I’m flirting with him.

“So if we wait until tonight?” he hedges.

“Are you trying to get us arrested?”

“Nah, we’d be fine.” He lies down in the backseat.

“What are you doing?” I question, assuming he would jump up front, not keep hiding in the back.

“Believe me, it’ll be easier this way. I’ll wait in the car while you run in and get what you need.”

“This feels weird,” I confess while leaving the parking lot to head to the Umbras. “Do you think Astrid and Rory would give you a hard time or something?”

“Probably not to my face. We’re the next to take over, but they might give you shit about being around me. Plus, there’s all the nonsense about families not socializing.”

“I didn’t know that. So they don’t want the founding families being friends?”

“They don’t want some of the founders forming alliances and overruling the others. It’s a shitty rule anyway. It’s been happening from the beginning.”

“So who made the rules then?” My heart is beating a little fast when I hit the button to open the gate for the Umbra property, like I’m worried they are going to know I’m smuggling Nox into their territory.

“The original founders came up with the creed.”

“The creed?” I question.

“Yeah, bullshit rules. I’m surprised they haven’t talked to you about this yet.” He lets me hear his doubt.

“I promise you they haven’t. To tell you the truth, I don’t even see them that much,” I admit.

“They probably figure they have a long time to indoctrinate you since you won’t have to rule for a while.” He says it so casually, so matter-of-factly, yet it still about knocks me over.

“What do you mean, indoctrinate me to rule?” I look over the seat and see him all scrunched up on the bench because he’s too big to be back there lying down, but he hasn’t complained once.

“Nova, you’re the next in line for the Umbra family.”

“Nuh-uh,” I deny like a grade-schooler.

“Uh-huh,” he argues right back.

“I didn’t agree to that.” I’m indignant and frankly a little freaked out. I don’t want to rule anyone, let alone this island.

“You have a while before you need to worry about it.”

“How long?”

“A couple decades,” he answers and wiggles around, looking for more room.

“This is… That’s crazy. I have more questions, but I’ll be right back,” I tell him quickly. My mind is reeling, plus I can see he’s uncomfortable.

I hop out of the car, leaving it running so he doesn’t overheat, then rush through the door to get what I need.

“You’re in a hurry,” Rory says, causing me to skid to a halt in the hallway.

“I’m going to go to the beach with some friends,” I tell him, offering up some truth.

“Which beach? Are you going to the mainland?” he questions.

“I’m not sure, but possibly. It’s kind of spur of the moment.”

“You’ll be with other students from school?”

“Yeah.” That’s not a lie.

“Okay. I could send someone from the security team,” he offers with a hopeful lilt.

“Please no. I have my phone and my own car. I promise to call if anything happens.”

“If you insist, but please be safe.”

“I will,” I promise, then dash away before he has a chance to change his mind or possibly send someone to follow me.

“Sorry I took so long,” I pant after climbing back into the driver’s seat.

“It’s okay, I might need a shoulder rub after this though. I’m getting a cramp.”

I ignore his flirty tone and tell him, “Rory caught me when I got there and wanted to know if I wanted someone from security to come with me,” I divulge. “Do you think I should leave, then come back in a few minutes to take you home?”

“I doubt he’ll be watching the cameras. We should be good.”

If I thought my heart was beating fast when my gate opened, it’s thumping even harder now as I pull toward his. Nox finally sits up and leans through the front seat, right past me to push in a code into the box. His chest is touching mine, and I think I forget to breathe.

I’m pushed back as far in the seat as I can go, but it’s no use, because I don’t even gain an inch. When he turns his head to look at me, our eyes lock, and every bit of oxygen is sucked out of the car. Nox is gorgeous. He has the same light eyes as Lucian, but there’s a softness to him, even with all the tattoos and piercings.

His eyes drop to my lips, and I lick them in response, which could be embarrassing, but he’s watching my mouth as if he wants to taste me. He starts to lean in, and static cracks through the speaker, causing us both to jump.

Nox pulls himself away from me and drops back into the rear seat with a huff. I have the urge to apologize, but I don’t know what for, so I just keep my mouth shut and drive slowly up the road to the house. In the back of my mind, I’m wondering if Lucian is responsible for the interruption, and I don’t know if I should be grateful or angry.

“Are you coming?” Nox asks, opening the rear door.

“I can wait for you here,” I offer, not wanting to see Lucian just in case. I can just imagine what he would have to say about the almost kiss.

He opens my door from the outside. “I’m not taking no for an answer. Come on, Nova.” It’s not lost on me that this is something his brother would say and do, but the delivery is so very different.

I hit the button to turn off my car and exit with Nox. We go through the same door Lucian took me through and follow the same path up the stairs.

“Is Lucian home?” I ask softly.

“Not sure. Let’s find out.”

“No,” I say hurriedly, but Nox is already pushing a door open to reveal his brother standing in the middle of a dim room, shirtless and damp. I can confirm that I was correct about the nipple piercings, and those tattoos don’t seem to end at all. My mouth goes dry. I wish I could find him as unattractive as his attitude, but I don’t, so I avert my eyes down to my feet.

“What are you doing?” Nox casually asks as he strolls into the room. I’m not sure I could ever get used to seeing them together. It’s like my brain can’t compute that there are two of them.

I want to inspect his room, see the things he keeps next to his bed, and find out if he has an altar to the devil in there, but I linger in the hallway so I don’t draw too much attention to myself.

At least I can hope it wasn’t him who interrupted us on the speaker. It looks like he might have just gotten out of the shower, which is an image I wish I could get out of my head.

“Nothing. What are you doing?” Lucian’s voice is tight. He might be aggravated at his brother for bringing me here and leaving the door open, or he could just be being his normal dickish self.

“I’m going to take Nova to the beach.”

“Not planning on inviting me?” Lucian asks deceptively softly. I peek over to see his rigid figure still standing in the center of his room, but he’s facing his brother. There’s a massive skull on his back that makes me feel like he’s watching me, even with his back turned, so I drop my eyes again.

“Why would I need to invite you?” I see Nox drop onto the bed out of the corner of my eye, then let my gaze slide over to Lucian again. “We’re a package deal,” Nox finishes, and Lucian’s shoulders fall a little in what I’d guess is relief.

I have the opposite reaction. Nox never mentioned asking his brother to come along.

I debate just sneaking out and heading to the beach myself like I planned, but being alone is less appealing than it was before Nox invited himself to come with me.

“What beach are we going to?” Lucian walks across the room to a dresser, drops the towel that was around his waist, and reveals his bare ass—well as bare as it can be covered in even more tattoos. I twist away from the door and plant my back against the wall so I can’t see into the room anymore. Is it possible he didn’t know I was standing there, or does he just not care? I’m betting it’s the latter.

I miss Nox’s response, if there was one, then try to look casual when I hear their approaching footsteps.

“Hiding, lamb?” Lucian teases when he sees me, and I decide he got naked to shock me, and it worked.

“Nope.” I even shake my head, which makes his lips curl up.

“Come on.” Nox ignores his brother and directs me down the hall to the next door. The rooms are mirrored, just like the occupants. If the wall weren’t between their headboards, they would be back-to-back. I’m actually a little surprised they don’t share a room, but in a house this big, that probably doesn’t make much sense.

Since I was actually invited into the room by Nox, I take a longer look around. The floor is dark wood, but almost everything else is black or a shade thereof. The curtains are open, unlike in Lucian’s room, allowing the afternoon sunlight to stream in and highlight all the carved details of the four-poster bed and furniture.

“Have a seat. I’ll be out in a minute,” Nox says while grabbing something out of his dresser. At least he’s not going to strip in front of me. I think I’m relieved.

The bed is the only place to sit, and I don’t feel comfortable getting cozy in his sheets, so I just lean against the footboard, waiting for Nox and trying to ignore the fact that Lucian is in the same room.

“How was school?”

I look over at him, a little surprised by the mundane question. “Fine,” I admit slowly.

“Nobody messed with you?”

“No, it was rather remarkable actually.”

“You’re welcome,” he says, breezing past me a little too close, so I feel his whispered words stir my hair before he sprawls on the bed.

“Why would I thank you?”

“Because I told them to leave you alone.” He lifts his arm and places it behind his head, stretching out and revealing a sliver of tattooed skin beneath his navel. I have to work not to look at his body. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing I find him attractive.

“Ah, King Pretty Boy has spoken and decreed that only he is allowed to harass me.”

“Do you know what would happen to anyone else who addressed me as such?” His light eyes manage to look dark, even in the bright room.

“As king, I thought you would like it.” I shrug, purposely ignoring the fact that I call him pretty boy. He hasn’t stopped calling me all sorts of names, and I think lamb has stuck. At least it’s not as bad as Charity. I hated that more than nightingale.

“Know what I’ll really like? When I make you say my name while you’re begging me to—”

“Ready?” Nox has perfect timing, interrupting his brother’s remark.

“All set,” I say, sounding way too chipper because I don’t want Lucian to finish. I can already feel heat crawling up my neck with discomfort, which is made even worse by the fact that my thoughts about what he might have said were more along the lines of obscene flirting than an insult or a threat, but I have no experience in that department, and I feel like he’ll somehow know that just by looking at me.