Malice in Wonderland (9 page)

“The what?”
I asked.

“It’s the chief newspaper of the Netherworld,” Knight responded. “Think
New York Times
.”

“So, what, they’ll run an article or something?” I asked, still not completely understanding the point.

Christina nodded. “This is something that the entire Netherworld needs to know about. If we just go to Melchior, he’ll never alert the public, because he doesn’t want them to know what's going on. He'd be too afraid that they might demand that he step down rather than wage war against us."

"People are too afraid of him; they would never demand that,"
Dia
said in argument with Christina.

Christina nodded. "I know that,
Dia
, but Melchior is the type who won't take any risks where his supremacy is concerned. If the
Netherworlder
Today
runs the column, it’s our safest bet to ensure that word gets out about
who
we are and what our demands are.”

“If my father is some supreme dictator in the Netherworld, wouldn't he be able to censor the newspaper?” I asked, frowning because it seemed so obvious.

“Yes, ultimately, he’s able to censor anything, but if the article runs without him seeing it first …” Christina started.

“And how do you propose to do that?” I interrupted, my voice sounding dubious. It just seemed like a long shot, especially when their whole plan depended on this newspaper to be the sole herald of the event.

“Sometimes it’s good to have friends in high places,” Christina answered loftily. I just smiled and shook my head, figuring my doubts were probably irrelevant. I mean, they knew what was going on way better than I did. And, yes,
usually
it
was
good to have friends in high places.

"Your friend's life won't be on the line?" I asked.

Christina shook her head and laughed. "If anyone gets away with anything in the Netherworld, it's the newspapers. Besides, if your father tried to go after them for running the piece, it would only better
illustrate
his despotism; and that's the last thing your father wants."

"He's going to be working overtime to convince the Netherworld population that his rule is ultimately better for them," Knight added and nodded in agreement.

"So let’s say I can make sure our article runs in
The
Netherworlder
Today
," Christina continued, still tapping the end of her pencil against her lips. "The question is: how soon do we run it?”

“Now,” Knight answered as he leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs. “What else are we waiting for?”

“We could wait for Melchior to make his first move; that way, we’re justified in our retaliations,” Fagan piped up, alternating his gaze between Christina and Knight. “That way it would look like he’s attacking us, rather than vice versa.”

“
Oh, geez...
What does it matter anyway?”
Erica
asked
. “It’s not like anyone in the Netherworld will stand up to Melchior regardless of whether he attacks us first.”

“She has a point,”
Dia
said with a frown. “When Melchior goes silent, it’s not a good thing.”

“I think we run the article ASAP, as in yesterday,” Knight announced before leaning back into his chair, and crossing his large arms beneath his head. Then he glanced at me and smiled. I felt my cheeks flush and immediately glanced at Christina, trying to quell the rising tide of heat within me.

Dia
glanced over at me after ogling him and fanning herself. "Good Lord, Hades did us all a big favor with that one," she whispered.

"I'm not sure I'd call it a favor," I whispered back. Knight glanced at me and raised one eyebrow. It was pretty evident he'd either overheard our conversation or was adept at reading lips. Either way, he was annoying.

“Okay, done,” Christina said, slapping her hands together.
"The article runs tomorrow. I'll take care of the preparations today." Then she eyed her notebook, which I assumed was a list of agenda items, and crossed off the top two. “Okay, the other issue I wanted to talk about is spies. It’s becoming more and more evide
nt
that we haven’t done a good enough job at sniffing out the loyalists.” She took a breath. "The incident at Miller's Crossing is just another example that we should be doing our job better. Loyalists are an absolute threat to our cause. They need to be identified and dealt with."

“Loyalists are the folks who support your father,”
Dia
whispered to me. "We call ourselves the rebels."

“That’s an understatement,”
Erica
pointed
out. “Loyalists have been the biggest threat
any of us have come across so far
.
Probably next to Melchior, himself.
I’ve been telling people lies just so I can see if the lies get out, and then I track them back to the source. I’ve already caught
a
crapload
of
moles that way.”
Then she glanced over at me and smiled. "Good times."

Christina nodded. “Just be very careful. Don’t give out any information to anyone who isn’t sitting around this table. Got it?”

Everyone nodded as Knight rubbed his chin and leaned forward. “Speaking of moles,” he started
,
settling his gaze on me as his jaw tightened. “I think we need to keep a strict eye on
Quillan
.”

I felt my heart stop as I glared at him. “
Quillan
gave me his word, Knight."

“This isn’t about pinky promising,” he spat back at me, narrowing his eyes. “
Quillan
was Melchior’s right-hand man for how many years?”

“That’s beside the point,” I threw back.

“Wait,
Quillan
Beaurigard
joined The Resistance?” Fagan asked in a tone that belied his incredulity. "Are we no longer consulted on anything anymore?" he demanded of Christina.

She just shrugged. "It made sense to grant him absolution."

"
Um, h
ow did it make sense?"
Erica asked
in a loud tone, seemingly irritated again. One thing for Nymphs--most of them were bipolar.

"He was the closest person to Melchior; and, yes, he did work with Melchior during the entire time I did," Christina started. "So he knows how Melchior thinks."

"But don't you think Melchior is aware that
Quillan
is one of us?"
Erica asked
with a frown as she shook her head, clearly uncomfortable with the revelation.
"I mean, hello
McFly
!"

"No," Christina answered. "As far as he's aware,
Quillan
could be rotting in one of our prisons."

"Which is where he should be," Knight added, and I made the decision to ignore him.

"Until word gets out,"
Dia
said and shook her head. "It's just a matter of time before Melchior is made aware that Quill has joined us. And then he'll have to change his tactics 'cause he'll be more than aware that
Quillan
knows everything about him." She paused for a second and sighed, glancing down at her fingernails as she buffed them against her bright red blouse. "This could come back to bite us, y'all."

"It's all the more reason for us to act now rather than later," I said sternly. "We have to beat my father at his own game and the only way we're going to do that is with timeliness. We have to take him by surprise."

Christina nodded. "
Dulcie's
right."

“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!” Fagan yelled, slamming his fists against the table again. "You talk as though the elf has actually joined us!
When he could be the biggest mole among us!"

“
So
lemme
get this right," Erica started, a frown marring her pretty face. "
We’ve been working our asses off trying to separate the loyalists from the rebels and you
just decide to
bring
Quillan
on?”
She
continued, glaring at Christina
and then me
.

Christina glared right back at both of them. “I’ve informed
Dulcie
that
Quillan
is her responsibility. And if she feels he’s worthy of our trust, then I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt. And I refuse to hear another word on the subject.”

“He must be kept under strict surveillance,” Knight said, leaning back against his chair as his attention rested on me again. I refused to look at him. Anger freely flowed through me, but I tempered it. There was no point in reacting because it wasn't like I could ever change Knight's mind where
Quillan
was concerned. The others, however, I was less sure about.

Christina faced him. “I’ll leave that subject for you and
Dulcie
to figure out.” Then she turned to the team assembled around the table again. “On that note, you’re all dismissed. We’ll meet again tomorrow after the article runs, in which case, we need to prepare for Plan
A
immediately. You’ll receive notice of where we’ll be meeting an hour before we meet. Until then, please be very careful."

SEVEN

I was so
angry,
I couldn’t even force myself to look at Knight as we drove in the darkness. It wasn't like I was surprised though—I should've guessed he
’
d never give
Quillan
the benefit of the doubt. So, really, I wasn't even sure why I was so mad to begin with. This was just another one of Knight's shortcomings—that he couldn’t find it within himself to forgive and forget. Yeah, yeah, I know—that's the pot calling the kettle black, but so what? In this instance, I would play the role of the pot all day long since I still wasn't prepared to forgive Knight for everything that
had
happened between us. 

We'd already driven out of the portal from the city where we
’d
had our meeting with Christina and team, and were now on our way back to where we'd first come from, complete with a barren landscape against the velvet background of dark blue sky and yellow stars. I'd hoped
Dia
would have accompanied us, but unfortunately, we weren't going in her direction; so now it was just Knight and me.

As I glanced out my window, I caught a shooting star sailing across the sky. The beauty of the night, however, was lost on me. I was still utterly consumed with how pissed off Knight and the whole
Quillan
debacle made me; or maybe, it was just leftover resentment about what nearly happened between us in the Denali. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the Denali episode was the primary culprit. I just couldn’t swallow my anger at myself. It was overflowing now, gagging me with a cornucopia of guilt and disappointment.

Why do I always lose control of myself where Knight is concerned? How is it possible that I still find him so attractive while being so pissed off with him at the same time?

It was like both sides of me were in constant conflict. One ha
lf kept reminding me that this wa
s what happened in relationships—you'd get screwed over, turned inside out, and left a mere shell of your former self. But the other half of me couldn’t stop picturing Knight’s brooding gorgeousness, his smoldering eyes, and how they seemed to
consume me with just a glance. And m
y first half wanted to murder my second half. But both halves couldn't deny how I longed for the feel of Knight's hands on my body and the taste of his lips. Not to mention how his spicy and clean scent drove me absolutely insane.

“So are you just going to ignore me for the rest of the drive back or what?” the asshole in question asked. He glanced over at me with his
eye
brows raised. I had to wonder if during his creation as a soldier of the Netherworld, his incredible good looks were just part of the package.
Seduce
your enemy with your handsome charm and then … whack! Finish them.