Turning to face the girls, he pulled the dagger from a previous dead girl out of his pocket and thumbed the sharp blade. “I’ve finally found someone who wants nothing from me and you...” Lucien cocked his head, his blue-black hair catching on his collar. “You tried to take her away from me.”
Evelyn was the first to sense how precarious her existence was.
Dropping to her knees, she clutched her knife still stained with my blood and bowed her head. “I didn’t mean to take away your current distraction but...I’m doing you a favour, don’t you see? Ofcourseshe wants something from you. She’s just good at lying. You can do better.Somuch better.”
“My distraction.” Lucien nodded along. “And you thought you could provide a betterdistractionby taking away what’smine?”
“I was helping,” Evelyn blurted. “Even if she isn’t lying then...she knows nothing of your world or your company. She’s only here because she was stupid and her blood test showed she wasn’t on birth control. You should be with someone who’s—”
“—like you?” He smiled thinly.
Her chin popped back up again, reckless courage filling her dark eyes. “Yes. Someone like me. I can replace her. She’s weak and useless and—”
“Interesting.” Lucien looked down at her, his tone soft and deadly. “And what do you propose you could do for me that she doesn’t?”
My head swam; ears rang...I wouldn’t last much longer.
“Everything.” Evelyn smiled coyly. “You deserve someone who knows how to please you.”
“Ah.” His tone softened, scarily amused. “Then I suppose I misread you over the past few weeks.” He shifted, his long coat kissing the ground. “I assumed you were here to kill me.”
“What? No, I—”
“You were next on my list to exterminate,” he murmured. “I haven’t gotten around to putting you down yet because I’ve been a little...distracted.” Glancing at me over his shoulder, his gaze arrowed to the cut on my throat. His shoulders bunched and his eyes ignited with fury that threatened to set him alight.
Smiling, he looked at the girls again, but he couldn’t hide his shaking, his body burning up with all the scalding rage inside him.
My vision turned fuzzy again. I struggled to sip air around my throbbing migraine.
How was he fighting his pain for me?
How was he making me feel this way?
This overwhelmed, hyperaware, andaching?
Lydia licked her lips, glancing at Evelyn kneeling politely. She didn’t bow but she did tip her chin in respect. “Evelyn hasseen the error of her ways and is willing to join me in serving you.”
“Serving me?” Lucien asked. “Serving me how?”
Lydia smirked. “You know...”
“No, I don’t know.” Lucien linked his hands behind his back, his fingers going white they balled so tightly. “I want you to tell me. In explicit detail. Give me the truth of why you’re here without a single lie. If you can do that thenperhaps,I’ll consider your offer.”
Lydia’s eyes gleamed. “Alright.” Sucking in a breath, she stepped forward boldly. “I’m here to be whatever you want me to be. Your mistress, your wife, the mother of your children.” She pressed a hand to her chest, sincerity blazing all over her pretty face. “I’m the daughter of one of your board members and my father said if I can share your burdens and bear your children, then I’ll never need to work again. I’ll have the prestige of having my family forever linked to yours. I’ll be known as the one who protected the future of Brimstone Industries and—”
“And once you bear my child, then what?” Lucien interrupted. “Once you have a puppet with Ashfall blood in their veins, what did your father say to do with me?”
Lydia gulped and flicked a look at Evelyn. “He...he would petition to set you free, obviously—”
“Careful,” Lucien purred. “You were doing so well. Are you sure you wish to continue with that lie?”
Tearing her gaze from Evelyn, Lydia braced her shoulders. “Fine. I’ll...I’ll tell the truth.”
“Go ahead.” Lucien nodded politely.
Whatever trap she’d set for herself didn’t prevent her from saying, “I’m guessing you already know that Marcus Ward and the rest of the board have offered a staggeringly large reward for anyone who can either synthesise your blood or bear your offspring.”
“I’m aware.” He smiled. “And the minute either of those things happen, my death is imminent, isn’t that right?” Lucien sighed as if all of this bored him.
