“You will never touch Dravka again,” Valerie said, her tone soft and careful. “You will never lay another hand on any of them.”
Valerie had managed to surprise her aunt, for once in her life.
Then that fury whipped across her face, red coloring her cheeks. “Howdare—”
“In a single moment, I can ruin all your plans. With a word. With a public scene in front of your friends,” Valerie continued, though her voice began to shake. With nerves, with hatred, with fear, she didn’t know. “So let’s come to an agreement, one that benefits the both of us and not just you.”
Madame Allegria was stewing, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She hadn’t expected this, Valerie knew. She hadn’t expected her meek little niece to actually fight back for once.
She was doing this for Dravka. She’d been given an opportunity here—one she would never get again. A bargaining chip.Power.
Valerie wouldn’t waste it.
She’d always known that there was little chance of a future for her and Dravka on Everton. No matter how often she’d dreamed of a happy life with him elsewhere, she knew that that was all it was.
A dream.
A beautiful fantasy that they could both escape to when their reality became too…everything. The reality was that Madame Allegria would never let Valerie go. She was chained to this place, possibly even more so than the Keriv'i males in her brothel. Her aunt would let them go free before her.
The Larchmonts wanted their son to marry—well, at least Derek Larchmont did. A summer wedding would mean it would happen quickly, within the next month. The Programmers would change the seasons soon. The air would heat and warm. The projected sun would linger in the sky longer.
Valerie’s will was not her own. Since her mother’s death, since coming to live on Everton with her last remaining relative in the universe, a monster in a beautiful mask, it had never been her own.
But Dravka and Tavak and Ravu…there was still hope for them. There was still a possibility of a future, away from Everton. A happy future.
One she could help secure them.
“When I marry Gabriel Larchmont,” Valerie said softly, turning her head to look straight into Madame Allegria’s eyes, ignoring her stinging, reddened cheek, “you will close the brothel. Permanently.”
Her aunt’s face didn’t change, though her eyes flashed.
Though it tore at her heart to say it, she continued with, “You will provide passage for Dravka, Tavak, and Ravu off Everton to a neutral colony of their choosing. You will give them the credits that you owe them.Allof them. You will never bring another Keriv'i to the New Earth colonies again.”
Valerie had surprised her aunt again. She actually seemed…speechless.
“How would it look?” Valerie continued softly. “For a Larchmont heir to be married into a family who owns an infamous brothel? I don’t know how you got Derek Larchmont to overlook it. But you know how your circles talk.”
Valerie knew how she’d accomplished it, however. Her aunt’s influence reached beyond Everton. Those that knew she was the infamous madame of the Kraves kept it quiet…because they were usually the ones visiting them. They would do anything to keep that knowledge from their husbands, from their tittering friends and acquaintances. There were rumors, of course, but not many believed them.
After all, Madame Allegria was seen at too many charity events, too many balls and dinners, where she played the part of charming, wealthy philanthropist who was generous with her credits. The brothel wasn’t the only thing she owned. It wasn’t her only source of income. She made more credits on Genesis in a single month, through her investments, than she did during the whole year on Everton.
She didn’t need the brothel. She onlywantedit because she was cruel and controlling and it brought her a sick kind of satisfaction. It brought her pleasure. But it was a double-edged sword. Her weakness.
“I could ruin you,” Valerie whispered, holding her gaze, “and you know it.”
Madame Allegria’s eyes narrowed.
“But if you agree to close the brothel,” Valerie continued, swallowing the thick lump in her throat, “I will do whatever you want. I will smile at the Larchmonts. I will kiss their son and dance with him at parties. I will make them like me. I will make pleasant small talk with your friends and pretend that you were my savior after Mom died. I will tell them how much I love you, how great you are. I will never mention anything about the Keriv'i, about this place. I will never mention anything about what you do to them, in the darkness, with your cabinet of whips and chains. I will never mention what you did tome.”
I will never mention that you almost killed me.
Those unspoken words lingered in the air between them, souring the space. Madame Allegria heard them and Valeriesworeshe saw a flash of regret in her eyes.
But this was her aunt, who never felt anything for anyone unless they could get her something she desired.
“So,” Valerie voiced softly, sitting stiffly in her seat, her heartbeat pounding in her throat, “are we in agreement?”
“I think you are more like me than you care to admit, my vicious little niece.”
