Chapter 325 325. Vasiliy - Mahith

Chapter 325 325. Vasiliy - Mahith
“What the fuck went through your head when you touched the tree?” Artemiy hisses angrily at me not long after we arrive at Yao’s house. “Did you think it would make you a Lord on the spot or what?”
On the way to his house, Yao had explained that while he isn’t a Lord, his son is. As for the tree, he learned about the demon living inside it when Anton was a small child. Anton usually played around the tree, and one day, he climbed it all the way to the top. It hadn’t been the first time he’d done so, but that time, the branch he was standing on broke. He would have most likely hurt himself badly in the fall, but the branches moved and caught him midair.
From then on, Yao and Anton began visiting the tree, eventually befriending the demon and spending a great deal of time talking with him.
While Olena makes small talk with Florencia, Yao’s wife, in the kitchen, Yao, his son, my cousin, and I are in the living room, which has a direct opening to the kitchen, giving full view of the ladies.
Olena is always worried that her English is bad, but Florencia is from South America, so she understands what she’s going through and makes sure to let her know not to worry about her pronunciation.
Once Olena has more chances to practice, I’m sure she’ll get over her anxiety. Maybe I should stop speaking to her in Russian and only reply in English.
Well, that’s a problem for another day, since right now I have to calm Artemiy the fuck down. He’s not one to anger quickly, but when he does blow up, it’s not pretty, and it always ends with someone getting their feelings hurt.
I take a small bite of my pumpkin pie before replying, “I had to do it. Plus, you were the one who came up with the idea of me being a Lord. So there you have it—problem solved.”
I don’t truly believe that having a demon makes me a Lord, but I’m not Vasiliy the Cook anymore. Who I am now is yet to be seen, but I’m looking forward to the future.
My cousin deadpans me for a moment before his eyes flash red. I imagine mine will do the same now. 
“If you wanted a fucking demon, we could have gone to the Blood Lodge!” he explodes, making Yao and his son, Anton, blink at us while the women stop talking, their attention now on us.
Here we go.
I sigh and put my plate on the coffee table because I feel this conversation requires my full attention to be on my cousin and not on the excellent pie. I wonder if Florencia will give me the recipe if I ask her nicely. And if she comes up with the most common excuse people use when they want to gatekeep recipes—It’s a family secret—maybe she’ll accept trading one secret for another.
I put one finger in the air and say, “You are having a tantrum and scaring the ladies.”
That makes him glance over at the kitchen, embarrassment reflecting in his gaze.
A second finger joins the first. “I wasn’t keen on having a demon, but something about the one in the tree made me realize that I was always meant to be his vessel. The end.”
Artemiy drags a palm down his face. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? We don’t know that demon. Anything could have happened to you!”
His anger comes from a place of worry, and I get that, but this is not the place to let it all out.
“But it didn’t,” I point out before turning to Yao. “You seem to know an awful lot about the demon tree. Can you please put my cousin’s worries at ease so he can stop behaving like a child?”
That last line makes Artemiy snap even more. “I’m behaving like a child?” he growls. “I’m behaving like a child when you are the one who put your hand on a tree with a demon inside while I had that motherfucker who hurt Olena right under my nose, but your little stunt let him get away!”
From the corner of my eye, I see Olena flinch and wrap her coat tighter around herself, which makes the demon inside me, Mahith, lash his tail back and forth in anger.
‘We need to catch that man and punish him for what he did to my beloved.’
‘We will,’ I promise him.
Having a demon inside me is… strange, to say the least. Seeing him in my mind and hearing his voice will take some time to get used to. But what shocks me the most is how strong I feel now. It’s like I’m at least ten years younger. And my knee doesn’t even bother me that much.
But what I will probably struggle with until the day I take my last breath is how my emotions aren’t entirely mine anymore. I feel whatever Mahith feels—especially his anger, but his longing as well, for the woman he has loved for over five hundred years. 
It takes a lot of restraint not to go straight into the kitchen, sweep Olena into my arms, and hold her tight for all eternity. She has suffered so much–in her past life and in this one as well. But this time, she will get her happy ending. 
Mahith’s anger bleeds into mine, making me snap at my cousin. “You think you’re the only one who wants to get that son of a bitch six feet under? But losing your temper in front of Olena and traumatizing her even more is not the way!”
Artemiy finally looks toward the kitchen and notices how ashen Olena’s skin has gone. He pinches the bridge of his nose before muttering, “I need some fresh air.”
A loud breath leaves me before I say, “You do,” agreeing with him as he leaves the living room.
Florencia pulls Olena back into their conversation, and slowly, the tension leaves her shoulders. 
My gaze turns to Yao and his son, who don’t seem particularly fazed by what just transpired. “Sorry about that. Something happened that we’re trying to take care of,” I explain as vaguely as I can.
Yao gives me a sympathetic look before glancing at his son, sadness in his eyes–Anton’s expression hardens. 
Then Yao starts speaking in a low tone. “While I don’t fully understand what happened, but the anger the two of you carry and from the little you two said, I’m going to go ahead and assume that it happened inside the maze. Some bastard did something to Olena.”
I press my lips together and nod slowly. 
Anton’s eyes glow red.
Yao clenches his teeth before gritting out, “The tree usually protects this land from bad things, but there are things we can’t prevent, no matter how hard we try.” Anton curls his hands into fists as his father keeps talking. “Unfortunately, it’s not the first time something like this has happened, but never during the Last Harvest celebrations. If there’s anything my family and I can do, let me know.”
“I will,” I reassure him.
‘I should have known. I should have felt it. In a way, I think I did, the moment she entered the maze. Something crackled in the air, anticipation rising inside me. But because I didn’t understand what was happening, my attention was all over the place without really focusing on anything. I was more concerned with figuring out why I suddenly felt so nervous. For so long, I had felt nothing. It was as if there had been nothing but a void inside me,’ Mahith blames himself. ‘I should have protected her. She got hurt because, once again, I wasn’t by her side to protect her.’
‘No,’ I correct him. ‘What happened is because some psychopath preyed on a vulnerable woman and decided to put his hands on her.’
From the state of her clothes, I’m sure that sick bastard ripped open her coat and put his filthy hands all over her body—and judging by the bruise I saw on her neck, his mouth as well.
‘When we find him, he will wish he had stayed away from her,’ Mahith hisses.
‘Tell me you’re thinking of all the ways we can kill him.’
A macabre grin spreads across his lips. ‘Killing him is no punishment. Torturing him until he begs to die is. But even then, we won’t put an end to his suffering.’
‘I like the way you think.’
When Yao goes to see if Artemiy is well, Anton leans in and whispers, “I might be able to help you catch that man. The demon inside me has a very acute sense of smell. If I have something he wore, I might be able to pick up his scent.”
My brows draw together. “Your demon sounds like a bloodhound.”
Anton smirks. “Something like that.”
My gaze drifts to Olena. “I might have something with his scent on it.”

The reason why we know the name of Vasiliy's demon is because he is not one of the Outcasts.