I look at him, really look, and see that he’s not gloating. He’s tired—the lengthy gambit of his death cost us more than I realized. Maybe that’s what he means—even in failure, we are changed, but things remain the same outside of our home. I growl, hating the feeling of being both the predator and the prey. “Then what will work? How do we attack this new stronghold they’ve built?”
Wilde watches me from the couch, his gaze unwavering. The empty Cabal Quarter is visible in the window behind him, cold and indifferent. I realize we are now in another closed system that Taurus and Talia have created, just like when the Resistance was formed to fight the Cabal so long ago.
“Division, my beloved. The lines drawn at the party force everyone to choose a side; they cannot avoid it. We possess unique knowledge, having been her mates and confidants, of how Darkness feels about the members of the community. Her veneer of polite politics is what they experience, but we know what was said in the shadows. We know the truth, and we will use it.”
Oh, that’s ingenious.
Wilde’s words click into place inside my head like the tumblers of a lock.
A long, quivering silence, then I laugh—sharp and delighted, the sound bouncing off the cold glass and polished marble. “That’s it, isn’t it? It’s not the rupture; it’s the rot. If we can’t break them from the outside, we ferment something on the inside.”
My mind slides into the groove of the game, the one Wilde always played better than me. He doesn’t attack with brute force, but with the slow, inevitable pressure of secrets, grievances, and lies. It’s a long con, but it becomes reality by being believed. This sort of game doesn’t allow for any winners but for those who are running it—everyone else is automatically a loser, though they cannot see it.
Thinking back, every move we made fits with the sick elegance of a trap snapping shut. The party, and the little rumors scattered like breadcrumbs in the dark beforehand. Our drawing Belle and Amanda’s families into the fold to have more support to use against our enemies.
I’m suddenly giddy. “Holy shit, Wilde, we hit her where she can’t defend herself—her connection to the masses. Taurus and Talia will want monogamy, but agree that she doesn’t have to give it. But that will eat at them, and it will cause internal fractures. She’s damned if she tells them ‘yes’, and damned if she doesn’t. The second she or Rafe do anything with previous mates or lovers, it will cause an enormous issue.”
I see it clearly now; she won’t be able to connect with people physically as she did in the past, and the story of evil Taurus and Talia will mutate and multiply. They will become villains once more, and no one will be able to stop it. All we have to do is encourage the right folks to do the right things and get denied; the rest will spread on its own.
Wilde’s smile is slow and secretive. “You see it now. She’s vulnerable, not for what she did, but for what she will not admit.” He drains his glass and sets it down with a click. “Perception is power. Their loyalty is built on the image of her, not the woman herself. All we had to do was dull the image.”
The gears in my head spin faster. “The ones who are still orbiting her will start turning on each other, too.”
He nods deliberately. “Some will not be baited by the scandal—but others will accuse her and, in doing so, reveal their insecurities. Friends will become enemies, and enemies will become convenient allies.”
I grin, baring my teeth in eagerness. “Such a wonderful gift means you really love me,” I say.
Wilde’s eyes flicker, just for a second. “You’re the only one who truly understands and accepts me, beloved.”
We fall silent, both of us staring at the empty quarter beyond the glass. Our conversation is over, but the echo lingers in the space between us.
I want to savor the coming chaos, but a splinter of worry works into my flesh.
The plan is beautiful, yes, but it is ugly, too—something that can’t be unwound once set in motion.
“What if it backfires?” I whisper.
He considers this, and then shrugs. “It won’t. The truth is the most stable element in our world, yet no one wants it. They want only the version of reality that flatters their bruised egos. We’ve already done the damage. The rest is just…watching discord spread.”
An icy shiver works its way up my neck, but I like it.
There is a knock at the door—a nervous, urgent tapping that makes me squint suspiciously. Some people in our house right now are not made for the plotting we were just doing. It would be rotten luck for them to have overheard.
Wilde raises a brow, then gestures for me to open it. I pad over, still in my pajamas, silent as a ghost. Belle is on the other side, wild-eyed and clutching a bottle she seems to have been using as a stress ball.
“She’s gone,” Belle blurts, barely through the threshold. “Chaos. She left sometime last night. Mayhem is in pieces. You need to see this.”
I pull her inside, shutting the door with a soft click. “Tell me everything and don’t leave out the ugly parts.” Belle looks from me to Wilde, then back to me, and I realize she’s trembling. “It started after the party, but it got worse. Roman and Janus had a fight about whether they should have been part of our little event. Calista won’t even speak to either of them, and because Mayhem, Veruca, and Chaos got involved, the argument spread.”
Wilde’s lips twitch. “Predictable,” he says under his breath. “You think she headed for my Darkness’ principal residence to see Hex?”
Belle shrugs, looking smaller than usual. “Nobody’s seen her since morning. The others believe your assumption is correct, but I don’t know. Chaos isn’t programmed for linear reasoning; it’s not who she’s supposed to be. She may have run off simply to get my attention.”
I whistle low, giving Belle a knowing look. “Sounds like it’s working.”
Wilde stands, moving with the lethal grace of a predator who knows the game is already won. “It is, but we cannot get distracted by juvenile behavior. We knew the ties between Roman and Janus to Philomena, plus the one between Chaos and Hex, would be a sore spot. However, they need to fall in line or find other accommodations. We do not have room for defectors within our ranks.”
I nod, mind already running through the next steps.
