Becoming Lailah: Married to my Twin Sister's Billionaire Husband-Chapter 235: The Second Human 2

THE HALL was so silent that Mailah could hear the soft click of the cooling wax from the chandeliers.

Below, Seryn stood in the center of the room like a fallen star—dimmed, but still looked dangerous.

The King of Exiles leaned forward on his throne. His eyes raked over Seryn’s new form. He didn’t look impressed; he looked disgusted, the way one might look at a stray dog that had wandered into a palace.

"The Demon Princess," the King said, his voice a dry rasp. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face here. Every soul in this room has a reason to want your head on a pike. You spent centuries treating the Exiles like your personal footstools."

Seryn didn’t flinch. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind an ear—a small, human gesture that looked alien on her. "I’m aware of my reputation, Your Majesty. But as you can see, I’ve had a bit of a... change in management."

"How?" Lucson whispered. He stepped down, his hand still white-knuckled on his sword hilt. "We saw her fall."

Mailah held her breath. This was it. Seryn was going to tell the King that they had conspired with Ysoria, the ancient witch. Using magic to banish a royal must be a crime that could get the Ashfords—and Mailah—executed on the spot.

Seryn tilted her head, her eyes twinkling with a dark, secret mirth. "I don’t know," she whispered. Her voice carried to every corner of the room. "I remember a flash of cold, and then... nothing. I woke up in the dirt. My powers were gone. My fire was gone. I’m just... this."

Mailah’s heart did a strange double-thud.

She’s lying.

She looked at Grayson. His jaw was set so tight a muscle was jumping in his cheek. He knew it too. He knew they had forced her out with Ysoria’s help. Lucson must have told him.

So why was Seryn protecting them? Or was she just spinning a web they couldn’t see yet?

The King let out a short, harsh bark of laughter. "The great Demon Princess Seryn, reduced to a common girl with a memory gap? That is the funniest thing I have heard in centuries." He stood up, his heavy robes rustling like dry leaves. "You are lucky I am in a good mood. Look at you. You are fragile. You smell of sweat and mortality."

He stepped down from the dais, circling her like a predator. "There is no worse punishment than being human in a world that eats the weak. To kill you now would be a mercy, and I am not a merciful man."

Seryn bowed her head slightly, though that small, cruel smile never left her lips. "Then, as a resident of this realm, even a lowly one, I am your responsibility, am I not? I am an exile now, too."

The King made a face as if he’d swallowed something bitter. He looked up at the balcony, his eyes landing on the Ashford brothers. A slow, wicked grin spread across his face.

"You’re right. You are a burden. And since the Ashfords have just won their turn.." He gestured toward Mailah, then back to the brothers. "I will give the responsibility to them. Ashfords----she is yours. Keep her out of my sight. If she causes trouble, her blood is on your hands."

Seryn looked up at the balcony. Her eyes locked onto Grayson first, then slid to Mailah. She gave a tiny, playful wave.

"See you then at home, boys," she whispered.

The ride to Grayson’s estate was the most uncomfortable twenty minutes of Mailah’s life. Inside the car, the air was thick enough to choke on.

Grayson sat across from Mailah, his gaze fixed out the window. He looked like he wanted to punch through the carriage wall. Seryn sat next to him, humming a soft, haunting tune under her breath.

"Stop that," Grayson growled. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Seryn stopped. She looked at him, her eyes wide and mock-innocent. "Does my voice still affect you, Gray? I thought you said I was just a ’fever’ you’d recovered from."

"You’re a parasite," Grayson snapped. He turned his head, his eyes burning with a sudden, intense heat as he looked at Mailah. It was as if he were trying to anchor himself to her.

Mailah reached out and grabbed his hand. His skin was scorching, his pulse racing. He squeezed her fingers so hard it almost hurt, but she didn’t pull away. She needed the contact as much as he did.

"Why did you lie to the King?" Mailah asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Seryn leaned back, stretching her arms. "Maybe I like the view from your guest room. Or maybe I realized that if the King executed you all, I’d have no one left to play with. Being human is boring. I need entertainment."

"You’re planning something," Mason said from the corner of the carriage, his usual playful tone replaced by a sharp edge.

"I’m planning on taking a bath," Seryn replied. "Do you have any idea how gross it feels to have skin that needs washing every day? It’s exhausting."

When they arrived at the estate, the brothers held a hushed, angry meeting in the foyer. Lucson, Mason, and Carson had to leave the Ashford Manor for the night for a deep cleaning after the three-day event. Ravenson left for somewhere because as he said, he didn’t want to get involved.

"She stays in the North Tower," Lucson ordered. "The door stays locked. I’ll set wards that even a human can’t break."

"She’s a human, Lucson, not a house pet," Carson muttered, though he looked uneasy. "She needs food. And clothes that aren’t... whatever that black sack is she’s wearing."

"I’ll handle it," Grayson said suddenly. His voice was low and dangerous.

Mailah felt a pang of jealousy so sharp it took her breath away. She knew it was a terrible time to feel it, but seeing Grayson volunteer to be near his ex-lover—knowing he was supposed to be in love with in his pre-exile state—felt like a slap.

Grayson must have seen the look on her face. He turned to the brothers. "Go. I need to speak with her."

The brothers disappeared into the shadows of the house, leaving them alone in the grand hallway. The flickering candlelight cast long, dancing shadows.

Grayson stepped toward Mailah. He didn’t stop until she was backed against the heavy oak door of the library. He placed his hands on the wood on either side of her head, pinning her in. The scent of him wrapped around her.

"Don’t look at me like that," he whispered. His face was inches from hers.

"Like what?"

"Like you’re waiting for me to leave you for a ghost." He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of her lower lip. His touch was electric, sending shivers straight down to her toes. "She is nothing to me. Every time I look at her now, all I see is the time I wasted. When I look at you..."

He trailed off, his eyes darkening. He looked down at her mouth, and for a second, the world seemed to stop spinning. The simmering tension between them, which had been building since he saved her from the soul-fire, finally boiled over.

Grayson leaned in, his lips brushing against hers in a ghost of a kiss. It was hesitant, almost fearful, as if he were afraid he might break her. But Mailah didn’t want hesitation. She reached up, winding her fingers into his soft, dark hair, and pulled him closer.

The kiss turned deep and hungry. It was a desperate collision of teeth and tongues, a release of all the fear and doubt they’d been carrying.

Grayson groaned low in his throat, his grip on her waist tightening as he lifted her slightly off her feet.

For a moment, there was no demon princess, no King of Exiles, and no curse. There was only the heat of his body and the way his heart thudded against her ribs.

He pulled back just an inch, his forehead resting against hers. Both of them were breathing hard.

Mailah reached up, her hands trembling as she touched his chest. She could feel his heart thudding wildly against her palm. "I’m scared, Grayson. Why didn’t she tell the King the truth? She’s keeping us alive for a reason, and I don’t think it’s because she’s forgiven us."

"Because a secret is more powerful than a dead enemy," Grayson whispered, his voice dropping to a seductive, low register. "But tonight, I don’t want to think about her secrets."

He moved closer, his lips brushing against her ear. "I am a man of ambition, Mailah. I want power. I want the world. But right now...."

He leaned back just enough to look into her eyes.

Suddenly, a loud, dramatic cough echoed from the top of the stairs.

Seryn was leaning over the railing, holding a piece of toast she must have swiped from the kitchen.

"I don’t mean to interrupt the ’true love’s kiss’ moment," Seryn said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But your ’human’ guest is hungry. And also, I would like to tell you that the window in the North Tower doesn’t actually lock from the outside. Very breezy."

Grayson closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists. "I am going to throw her off that balcony."

"You can’t," Mailah whispered, though she kind of wanted to help him. "The King said she’s our responsibility."

Seryn grinned, taking a large, crunching bite of the toast. "That’s right. We’re a family now. Isn’t this fun?"

As Grayson stormed up the stairs to deal with her, Mailah stayed in the shadows of the hallway. She looked at the shattered remains of her peace. Seryn was here, acting like a ditzy human, but her eyes... when she looked at Grayson, they weren’t blank. They were hungry.