Page 27

The man’s eyes nearly fall out of his head.

Before I continue, I straighten a little and glance back at Alexei. “Speaking of bad decisions, you killed Dimitri’s father. Are you sure no one saw that?”

“No one saw.”

I squint at him. “No cameras? No witnesses? No old housekeeper peeking through a crack?”

“It’s covered.”

I whistle softly. “Overachiever.”

I glance down at my current victim again and try my little experiment one more time.

It fails again. I make a wounded sound, then set the tool down in disappointment just as my phone rings.

“Fuck’s sake,” I snap, glaring at the floor. Alexei raises an eyebrow as I snatch my phone up and look at the screen.

My parasite: Pick a safe word.

Yes, I saved Kento as Parasite in my phone. No, we won’t be discussing the fact that I apparently put “my” in front of it. That was a clerical error.

My prince: What the fuck do you mean, pick a safe word?

My parasite: Exactly what I said. You’ll need one, so pick something you’ll remember.

My prince: I don’t need a fucking safe word.

My parasite: Oh, sweetheart. That confidence is adorable.

My prince: Don’t fucking call me sweetheart.

My parasite: We’ll go with raspberry. Don’t forget it.

I stare at the screen like I can somehow kill him through it. What the fuck does he mean, safe word?

Alexei, from the corner, says, “You look homicidal.”

“I am.” Then another message appears, and there’s an image attachment. I open it and gasp. It’s a knife.

A very specific knife.

Pink handle. Small blade. My favorite.

“What?” Alexei asks, and I turn the screen away from him. “Nothing.”

He stares as I text furiously.

My prince: Why do you have my knife?

My parasite: Yours?

My prince: Don’t fucking play with me.

My parasite: Oh, so it’s yours.

My prince: Why the fuck do you have it???

My parasite: You left me unattended for too long. I got lonely. I needed something that smelled like you.