* * *
I don't knowhow long I’ve been asleep, but the shuffling of clothes and muttered curses wakes me.
Turning, I see Owen fumbling to put on his pants in the dark. “Where are you going?”
He jumps. “Shit. I thought you were sleeping.”
“Surprise,” I joke.
He shakes his head and continues to pull on his clothes.
I climb over sleeping bodies before asking again, “Where are you going?”
He zips up his pants and then answers. “I have a hunch I need to check on.”
I open my mouth to ask what’s the hunch when his finger presses to my lips. “I’ll tell you once I know for sure if I’m right or not. I won’t be gone long. Get back in bed,” he suggests before placing a quick peck on my lips.
“Shouldn’t you bring someone with you?” I start and search for clothes of my own to join him. I don’t want him going by himself.
“Nope. This isn’t that kind of situation. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Owen pulls on his shirt and walks toward the door.
“Hey,” I whisper-shout, and he looks back. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
He turns back and scoops me in a hug. “I’ll be back before you know it, Angel,” he murmurs, kissing me, this time coaxing my mouth open.
I grumble when he pulls back.I love youis on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it. Instead, I say, “I’ll be here waiting.”
65
OWEN
Following up on a hunch, I pull up outside Senator Baker’s house and wait.
Based on the information Lev’s been able to dig up, I have a theory on who could be meeting with the Senator.
Madeline kept saying shit like we’d never see it coming, but we saw Elise coming. At least we did once we had all of the information.
The number of families in Edgewood who were stripped of their titles and either forced to move or be killed is almost surprising. The Bellonae Filiae planned this for a long time, and they almost succeeded— because we got cocky. I refuse to be caught sleeping again. Not with Ariah’s life at stake.
Elise is gone, but that doesn’t mean the threat is.I refuse to believe it’s all that simple.
Senator Baker is tied to this— I fucking know he is. Antonio, I snicker, remembering his cries, said as much, and so does all the evidence.
Madeline wouldn’t say shit about it. The stupid cunt died protecting him, and Elise laughed and said she’d never partner with the dumb fuck. But I know something’s there— which is why, just like the last few nights, I sit here and watch.
I have a few hours before I need to head to the Tombs for our vote.
Like there’s anything to vote about.
Ariah is our Chosen, and I’ll fucking cut out the heart of any idiot who is dumb enough to say otherwise.
Everyone is on board, though. So I won’t need to slice anyone. Seb is still a ways off from falling for her, but that hasn’t stopped him from seeing how many times he can make her come before she taps out.
I snort, remembering the scene on the hood of the car when we tied that bitch Vivian to the gate and made her watch Sebastian fuck Ariah. Vivian’s threats and wails in protest paled in comparison to the sound of Ariah coming. I wasn’t sure if it was the sight of Ariah on the car as we all made her come or her doing what she toldMiss Taylorshe’d do if she didn’t stop fucking playing around that had me hard all the way home.
My dick was so hard that night. Fuck. It’s hard now just thinking about it.
