“If we survive,” she says.
“Yes, if…” I pick her up and take her back to bed, positioning her between myself and Rafe again. His hand immediately goes between her legs as he kisses her shoulder in recognition that she’s back, and I settle in on the other side of her, my hand on her neck. Both of us are on the same side of our corresponding tattoos on her shoulders. It’s not a coincidence. Rafe knew which side of a woman we prefer to sleep on. And all I can think about is how right it is to have Eve between us.
For now, I don’t allow myself to worry about the delicate balance we will all have to keep so that none of us go insane with this double-life we will all have to lead. Treating her as an owned slave publicly and an equal lover privately. None of us can lose our sanity, or our triumvirate will break, and Eve will be taken from us. Or an even worse possibility, one that I have only just thought of, that we might accidentally kill her in this emotional madness.
57
BEAUTIFUL REBEL, RAFE
Three weeks.Three weeks into this charade, and instead of becoming easier, each day feels like swallowing broken glass.
I stand in my office watching Eve kneel beside Lorian, and the casual way he reaches down to stroke her hair makes my jaw clench—not from jealousy, but from the wrongness of it all.
My hands shake slightly as I pour myself another drink. This is the third one this morning, if I'm counting. Which I'm not.
"You're drinking before noon. Again."
"I'm fine."
"You're not." Lorian says.
Eve looks between us but says nothing. She's learned when silence is required. Another thing that makes me want to break something.
"I need to review the quarterly reports," I say instead of addressing his concern.
"You need to stop torturing yourself," Lorian says, moving to the bar. "She's alive, Rafe. Safe. The alternativewas?—"
"I knowwhat the alternative was." The words come out sharper than intended. "That doesn't mean I have to like this."
Lorian pours three glasses, handing one to me and, after a moment's hesitation, offering the third to Eve.
She takes it carefully, waiting for permission before sipping. Another trained behavior that makes it difficult for me to breathe.
"How many times this week?" I ask him quietly.
He knows what I mean. "Four."
Four times he's gone to the shrine to whip himself bloody, seeking absolution for what we've made her become. At least he has that release. I have nothing but the knowledge I am complicit.
"The appeal documents are ready," I say, changing the subject. "The legal team thinks if we can?—"
"Rafe." Eve's voice is soft. "Stop."
I turn to her. "Stop what?"
"Trying to fix this with lawyers and appeals. The evidence was real. I did what they said I did. I betrayed everyone.” She sets down her glass, meeting my eyes.
"Business and law aren’t based on morality or what’s right or wrong. It’s about finding a way to get what works for everyone. Do you have any idea what this has cost?—"
"Three hundred million credits in settlements to trainers. Another fifty million in legal fees. Stock devaluation of approximately twelve percent. Temporary suspension of the Ascendant Alliance’s expansion permits in two sectors." She rattles off the numbers like she's been keeping track, which of course she has. She sits here with me every day. "I know what I cost you, Rafe. I also know what I bought. Twelve human lives and an unborn baby."
"Yes,” I say. “Which is why we are appealing.” Then, a silence fallsbetween us. After a few minutes I say abruptly, “I have to go. The Kei Station acquisition won't finalize itself."
"When?" Lorian asks.
"Tomorrow. I'll be gone for at least two weeks, maybe three."
"Take Eve with you."
