God of Malice (Legacy of Gods #1) by Rina Kent

The only light comes from the dim crystal chandeliers hanging over halls and above the circular stairs.

Eerie silence permeates the air and it doesn’t help that it’s four in the morning. I become super conscious of the thud, thud, thud of my heartbeat.

Calm down, me. It’s not like I’m doing something wrong. I’m just trying to leave.

Though maybe I can snoop around in case there’s something to uncover about Devlin.

I quickly shake that idea away. I’ll just get caught, whether by the guards or by Killian. And I really can’t afford to be held captive by that monster again after I finally managed to escape his destructive orbit.

Besides, Gareth and I have a deal. He already kissed me, got me in trouble with Killian, and used his part of the bargain to his heart’s content.

“What do you mean they’re in my territory?”

My feet come to a halt at the base of the stairs at what I’m sure is Jeremy’s voice.

There’s a distinguishable harshness in it, an edge that quietly simmers under the surface.

It’s late, but that obviously holds no importance to Jeremy since he sounds wide awake.

“It all adds up with the timeline.” Gareth’s voice echoes in the air with eternal calm.

I feel like a rookie spy as sweat trickles down my back, and I hold my breath until I struggle with inhaling oxygen.

From the sound of their voices, they’re in a downstairs room that’s not far from the stairs.

“Is it a snake we know?” Jeremy asks.

“Probably.”

“The cockroaches are getting bold if they think they can barge into my territory as they please.”

Snakes?

Do they mean the Serpents? As in, the other powerful secret club that’s a complete mystery to the public? I don’t think they do initiations like the Heathens or the Elites.

The only thing known about them is that the Serpents exist, and they make their presence known by acts of complete anarchy.

The moment the public starts to forget about them, arson, damage of property, and other crimes hit the headlines.

“What will you do about it?” Gareth asks.

“Pay them back their dues, of course.”

“Your father won’t be happy if he knows you actively hurt someone from the Bratva.”

“That’s why he won’t know. Besides, he of all people realizes that if I don’t kill, I’ll be killed. The fight for the top starts right now, Gaz.”

Wait…

Does that mean the Serpents are also Russian mafia? I figured they’d be some sort of mafia, but how come they’re actively competing with Jeremy and Nikolai, who are from the same organization?

I take a step forward, my curiosity getting the better of me. I probably shouldn’t be privy to this information, but something tells me it’s important in the great scheme of things.

My foot trips over something big and hard, and I shriek as I tumble forward, gripping the railing for balance so that I don’t end up on my face.

A person. That’s what I stumbled over.

And he’s lying at the bottom of the stairs. No kidding. He’s on the carpet, facedown.

When I accidentally hit him, he grumbles, “Can’t anyone fucking sleep in this motherfucking house?”

I grip the railing tighter, staring at none other than Nikolai. He’s in boxers. That’s all.

His chest and back are a map of tattoos. Couple that with his messy long hair, angular features, and furrowed brow, and he has all it takes to induce fear into anyone’s soul.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there,” I whisper and resist adding that I didn’t expect to find someone sleeping at the bottom of the stairs, considering all the rooms upstairs.

Nikolai narrows one of his eyes, then in one swift movement, he jumps up to his full height and barges into my space.

I automatically step back, but my shoes hit the step and I’m trapped under his scrutiny.

It’s like I’m being sized up for dinner—or something much more nefarious. I could swear there’s a glint in his eyes, the one hunters get after spotting prey, but it soon vanishes.

“Nope, not the right one.” The disappointment in his tone makes me pause.

But I don’t have time to think about his words before Jeremy and Gareth stalk in from wherever they were.

Fully clothed, thank God.

“Didn’t know we had a guest,” Jeremy says casually, his voice losing all the tension from a minute ago.

Gareth slides a hand in his pocket, his expression is unreadable. “Killer’s guest.”

I can feel my ears heating. He probably knows what we’ve been up to.

God, can the earth open up and swallow me, please?

Jeremy studies me with no change in his expression. “Anoushka’s least annoying roommate.”

“My friends are not annoying,” I say without thinking, definitely bolder than I’d ever act, especially considering the fact that I’m being surrounded by three predators, with another one just upstairs.

Not to mention that Nikolai is still in my space, watching me with that one narrowed manic eye of his.

“The blonde has a social butterfly complex and the silver-haired one is…” Jeremy trails off. “Bland to put it mildly. She’s also teaching Anoushka bad habits. When I said annoying, I was being nice.”