Gabriel slouches against the wall. His hair flops over one eye. It’s criminal that he can look so damn fine after spending fourteen hours stuck inside a tin can.
Am I really going to do this? Am I ready to fuck up everything good in my life, to have them all walk away?
It doesn’t matter if I’m ready. This is for Antony, for family. For my father’s legacy.
I clear my throat.
“I’m going to stop my cousin from becoming the head of the Julian family,” I say.
“But that’s not what’s happening,” Noah frowns. “Antony said—”
“I know what he said, but he’s family and I know him better than he knows himself. He’s going to march into the Triumvirate meeting and announce himself as Brutus’ heir, and Nero and Constantine will either have him killed on the spot or they’ll let him do it, and I don’t know which is worse. He thinks it’s the only way to protect me and my secret. I won’t allow it.”
“If he wants to do it, then—” Noah cuts himself off when he sees my face. He won’t argue with me or attempt to talk me down. If it was his brother, he’d do the same thing.
I wring my hands. “I have a plan. It’s going to be fucking dangerous. We’ll be walking into the lion’s den without Antony’s protection. I may turn him into my enemy, but if I save his ass I don’t care.”
I swallow. My nails dig into the leather as I search their faces for an answer.
“This is my battle, not yours. I can’t say what will happen, but it won’t be pretty. Blood will spill, much of it by my hand. I’ve debated cutting you all off from this, casting you aside so that your association with me doesn’t put you in the firing line.” A glance at Noah’s wrathful eyes and Eli’s frown prove how well that would have worked. “But it’s too late. I’ll protect you and the people you love no matter what happens, but I’m giving you a choice. Are you with me? Are you my family?”
“You don’t even have to ask.” Noah’s jaw clenches as he pounds his fist into his palm. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
“Count me in,” adds Eli.
Gabriel grins. “Will there be cake?”
George rests her face in her hands. “You’re a terrifying person, Claudia August. But you’re also my best friend, and best friends stick together.”
I lift my head and meet the eyes of the four people who’ve just sworn allegiance. My throat closes.
Cicero once said that if you have a garden and a library, then you have everything you need. In Malloy Manor I’ve had a garden of weird succulents and more books than I could ever hope to read, and yet I haven’t known how barren I am.
I don’t have to do this alone. I have a family.
Three beautiful, broken princes. One best friend who’s too clever for her own good. They’re more than I could ever hope for, and I’m walking them straight into the den of the wolf.
They are mine, and I’ll fight until my last breath for their freedom. I swear it on my father’s grave.
Alea iacta est.
Let the die be cast.
17
Eli
“Tell me all about Germany. Don’t spare any details. I want to know what you saw, what you did, how many sausages you ate. And go!”
Livvie and I are cleaning out the lion’s cage while he’s ‘entertaining the crowds’ at the Colosseum. I.e., eating his fill of Nero’s enemies. It’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve been in the locker room after a grueling track meet. Piles of dried shit coat every surface, mixed with half-masticated chunks of rotting meat and clumps of fur. Livvie holds a large garbage bag and shovel while I chip away at the caked-on filth. We’ve already filled two bags, and we’ve not even halfway done.
Nero is evil.
I’m determined we will free these animals, but in the meantime, I’ll give them the best possible conditions I can down in this basement prison. Before work, I went around every pet store and butchery in Harrington Hills and packed my car full of fresh food. Their grateful faces as they gobble at the food more than makes up for the fact my Porsche reeks like raw hamburger.
“Germany was cool.” I keep my eyes on my work, hoping she’ll get the idea I’m not going to talk about it. I don’t want to accidentally say something that will hurt Claudia’s plan. It’s already dangerous enough as it is – I won’t risk Livvie saying something to Nero that will see all of us killed. “Castles and World War II stuff and beer, you know. We couldn’t exactly get up to much with our teachers watching.”
“Mmmhmmm, sure. And did you find what you were looking for?”
