“Why?” I croak. “Why would you do this? Why get involved with Nero?”
Mom laughs as if the question is a joke, the sound cold and bitter. “Oh, Nevaeh. Still so naive. Still just a little girl inside, aren’t you, honey? You think we had a choice?”
“There’s always a choice?—”
“We’ve been working toward this foryears!” she snaps. “It’s been a long, hard road to get what we deserve, Nevaeh. You morethan anyone should know how we’ve struggled! The way things are set up? The system in this city is designed to keep people like us in the gutter, no matter how hard we claw.”
“We were doomed unless we took matters in our own hands,” Dad adds, his eyes gleaming. “Until I got my position working for Nero and Zinc Co on their medical testing team. Then… then I finally had an opening.”
The pieces click together at once. “You stole it. That’s why Nero was after you!”
“I sure did,” he confirms with pride. “Without them knowing. Hid the key in your snow globe. I knew it would be safe until we could leverage it for profit.”
Mom grabs my arm roughly, her nails digging into my skin. “And now it’s time to collect.”
They drag me from the restaurant, my feet slipping in the slick blood of the dead men on the floor.
Outside, Matteo’s SUV sits waiting like a hearse. Dad rifles through the vehicle until he finds what he’s looking for—my snow globe, the one Matteo forced me to bring from Caelian’s estate.
“There it is,” Mom breathes, dark eyes alight with greed. “Our golden ticket.”
As they hold the globe up to the streetlight, examining it closely, the truth sinks in like heavy stones in my stomach.
They’ll do whatever it takes to profit from this, even if it means sacrificing me—their own daughter.
I was never their concern. I was just another asset to be leveraged when the time was right.
They shipped me off to the dance company to ensure their asses were covered; it didn’t matter what happened to me.
The drive through Dresden’s streets feels like a funeral procession. We pass through the industrial district wheresmokestacks pierce the night sky in thick plumes, then through the iron gates that separate the poor from the powerful.
My parents practically vibrate with excitement, chattering away in the front seat about the fabulous life they’re going to lead once they cash in and force Nero’s hand.
I sit in the back with the heavy pit in my stomach, thoughts a messy cross between hurt over their betrayal and yearning for Caelian.
He must be so confused if he’s discovered I’m missing. He might even think I’ve run away again.
I don’t even want to think about what Mom and Dad are planning once it’s all said and done. They haven’t been clear on where I fit into their world once their scheming pays off.
Nero’s palace rises before us, the largest house in the city. As we approach the gates, Dad frowns.
“Where are the guards?”
The gated entrance stands unmanned, the security booth empty. Bodies lie scattered across the cobblestones, face down in pools of blood.
“Someone’s already here,” Mom whispers.
We walk through the front doors to the echo of our own footsteps. Halfway down the foyer we hear it—raised voices coming from somewhere deep in the house, followed by what might be the scrape of furniture.
Mom and Dad exchange glances then grip their weapons tighter. I’m escorted through corridors lined with portraits of dead and alive Vorones alike, some sort of tribute by Nero to his family.
The dining room door stands open, warm light spilling into the hallway. We step inside to find a scene that stops my heart cold.
Caelian stands with his gun trained on Nero, who sits calmly at the head of a table set for kings. A blonde woman in a low-cutdress sits off to the side, eyes bouncing between both men like she’d prefer to be excused than endure the life-or-death standoff taking place.
“Well,” Mom says, grabbing hold of me and pressing me in front of her like a shield. “Looks like we’re just in time for the party. I was hoping this would go down the hard way.”
Caelian’s eyes find mine from across the room. A flicker of momentary relief passes over him, as if he’s grateful to see me alive and breathing.
