Veronica's Fallacy

30.

-HER-

I didn't hear from Grim for the next few days... and this made me somewhat anxious. I wondered if my offhand comment offended him, and now he was contemplating his decision to work with me.

Or maybe he hadn't found anything worthwhile on Victor he could share with me. I believed it was due to the first reason I hadn't heard from him.

I couldn't stop thinking about it. Even though I wouldn't say I liked how much he occupied my thoughts, not hearing anything from him was bothering me too much for my liking.

After all, I wanted to keep this professional, yet I couldn't stop craving him. Even if he didn't have anything on Victor, I still wanted to hear from him... to spend some time with him just like that night.

The memories of our steamy playtime together in the kitchen ignited a delirious ache between my legs. I tried to push away the thoughts regarding our time together, but if anything, they kept occupying more and more of my mind until it was all I could think of.

"Veronica," A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I straightened up and looked around. I was still in the office, doing the annoying amount of paperwork that always made me feel numb. Though it was the first time I realised it.

"Matt," I greeted him with a welcoming smile, but my heart throbbed away in my chest as if I had been caught doing something forbidden.

"I thought you died," He commented. "Is everything all right?" He asked. There was an edge to his voice while his eyes scanned me from head to toe.

"Yeah, perfectly fine," I nodded. He gave me a pointed look before looking around us. "Did it work?" He asked in a whisper. I clenched my teeth. I knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah," I cleared my throat, trying to school my features, but I felt even more nervous under his scrutinising gaze. He cocked an eyebrow at me, disbelief flashed in his eyes, but he said nothing.

"Great. Are you done with work today?" He asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," My answer was strained as I stared at the files I needed to update. He chuckled, understanding my plight.

"Why don't you have dinner with me tonight? I want to catch up with you," He offered. Something dangerous lingered in his eyes. Something suspicious... I knew what this was all about, and I could've said no, but instead, I decided to go with him.

~

"You must've heard about the missing Rothledge," I broke the tense silence after ordering our drinks. It was a nice place but not as posh (and as dangerous) as the place Grim had taken me to. As soon as I realised that he was sneaking back into my head, I pushed away all the thoughts surrounding him... or I tried to.

Matt nodded, "Yeah, everyone's heard about it by now. It's a hot topic,"

"What do you think happened to him?" I wondered out loud, "Do you think the Conthalls might have something to do with it?"

He shrugged, seemingly clueless.

"Tell me what went down," He shot after finishing his drink, not even wasting a second to beat around the bush. Matt was direct like that, and I should've anticipated this.

"Well," I licked my lips nervously, "I met the Underlord, and he agreed to help me find Victor," I answered as briefly as I could. However, Matt didn't look satisfied with it.

"And what did he ask in return?" Matt asked the question I had been dreading a lot. I couldn't share this with anyone, especially someone like Matt, who worked in the Council and could easily use this information against me. If anyone in the Council found out I was an Underlord's mate, things would turn worse for me. I fought back the chill that ran down my spine at the thought. No, the Council wouldn't do such a thing against one of their loyal members, but I found it hard to believe.

'Everyone does terrible things, especially those who claim otherwise,' Grim's words echoed in my head, but I tried not to overthink it, afraid that he might be right.

"I cannot discuss that," I replied curtly.

"Or you don't want to discuss," He offered.

"I don't remember you sharing such details regarding your case," I shot back before he could push this further. He sighed and leaned back.

"I just want to remind you that they're not to be trusted, Veronica," He told me, "You need to be very careful around them," He pressed. "Anyway, tell me who you've got. What is their rank?" Matt pressed. I gulped.

"I..." I trailed off, thinking about his question. I hadn't had the time to ask Grim about such things. "I cannot tell you who it is, and I don't know their rank," I replied, not revealing much about Grim. That could put me in danger.

Matt frowned at me, an incredulous look in his eyes.

"Why not?" He shot, and I shrugged, not letting him push me against my will. He realised he wouldn't get an answer from me, so he continued. "And you didn't ask them or even attempted to know their rank?" He pushed. I shrugged, trying to brush it off as something trivial.

"Didn't need to. I told him what I wanted, he made the offer. I accepted it, and now he's at work," I replied, but Matt shook his head as if I were a fool.

"You should know about his rank," He said, "It's important. You have to know who you're dealing with because if it's someone from the Night Court, it won't look good for you later. Trust me on this one, Veronica,"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "And how do you know about the Night Court?"

Matt looked like he had spoken more than he should've. He paused for a second, refilling his cup. I didn't take my eyes off him, scrutinising his actions. I didn't miss how his hands shook lightly as he lifted his glass to take another sip. He was nervous.

"You know more than you should, don't you?" I commented, and his eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.

"I'm trying to warn you, Veronica. It would be best to be extremely careful with them," Was all he told me.

"Tell me what you had to pay," I decided to push. I had to know because of the slight flash of terror in his eyes. I wanted to know what I was dealing with... what Grim was capable of. A huge part of me was hoping to find something dark and disturbing so I could use it against all the overwhelming desire Grim incited in me. I was looking for more reasons to believe the mate bond was stupid and illogical for having me paired with an aberration. I needed it because Grim had conquered a part of me when he put his mouth on me that night. I wanted to reclaim that part of me from him for me. I wanted myself intact, like the way I was before he corrupted me so beautifully.

Matt spoke after a long silence, "I'll tell you if you tell me who you're dealing with,"

His offer was tempting, and I had almost considered it when Matt straightened up, and his eyes went beyond me before all the colour from his face drained away. It was as if he had seen a ghost. I was puzzled.

Slowly, I turned around to see who made him react like that. I was stunned when I saw Grim.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something important," He said. Something dangerous flashed in his eyes as he looked between me and Matt.

~

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