Old Bern snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“I’m here now.” I took a seat across from Kaspar. Maeve remained standing. She wore a simple business casual outfit, perfect fitted, her nails newly manicured.
Winter stayed hiding in the corner. I left her there to stew for a bit.
“Now we’re all here,” Maeve said. “I haven’t done one of these meetings in a long while. I’m not sure I remember how they go.”
“I’ve been to two now and I don’t enjoy it.” Old Bern waved his cigar in the air. “You’d think we’d stop trying to kill each other.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about.” I leaned forward, elbows on my knees.
Kaspar’s eyes were uncomfortably intense.
“It’s interesting because I was under the impression that all you wanted to do was murder Roman and burn the world down.” Maeve came around her chair and sat perched on the edge.
“I can see how you’d think that.”
“You came directly here from a firefight. What makes you think I’d believe anything you said regarding peace?”
“Maeve’s got a point,” Old Bern said.
I held up my hands. “I know you all are aware of my feud with Roman, but this goes much deeper than that. This is about the future of our group. It’s about the future of our world.”
Maeve’s lips flattened. Old Bern seemed amused.
Kaspar was the only one that didn’t react.
I pressed forward.
“Roman is amassing too much power. His view of what the Oligarchs are supposed to be conflict with my own. I believe we can be a proactive force in this world, but he wants to keep us squabbling in the shadows against each other.”
“That’s how we’ve always acted,” Maeve said. “We keep each other in check and we all prosper together.”
“I think the world should prosper along with us. I’m sick of the shadows. I’m tired of having all this strength with no way to properly use it.”
“What would you have us do?” Old Bern asked, scoffing. I never expected him to believe in what I said. He was too much the old guard—but he was ancient himself, and his son might be more amenable to my ideas. “You want us to start running the government?”
“We could shape policy,” I said, nodding in agreement. “More realistically, we could influence politicians and push business leaders in the right direction. We could keep the world together, if we tried.”
“Big words,” Maeve said. “And yet so far all you’ve done is try to kill Roman. From my perspective, you’re as stuck in the old ways as the rest of us.”
She had a point. I gestured at Winter, beckoning her over.
All eyes turned to stare.
She hesitated. Blood was splattered at the hem of her shirt. I didn’t think she’d noticed that. It made her look vulnerable and gorgeous. I glanced at Kaspar—he seemed hungry.
Winter drifted closer.
“Everyone, this is Winter, but you know her better as Spring Kane.”
Winter flinched. “Don’t call me that,” she said automatically.
Maeve’s eyebrows rose. Old Bern coughed with surprise.
Again, Kaspar didn’t react. What the hell was with him?
“I thought you were dead, darling,” Maeve said.
“You were supposed to.” Winter glared daggers at me. Despite everything, the girl still had a temper. I had to admire it.
“What does Spring—” Maeve stopped herself. “Sorry, what does Winter have anything to do with what we’re discussing?”
“I plan to marry her.”
All eyes locked on me again. Including and especially Winter.
Her mouth fell open in outrage.
“Why would we care if you marry this girl?” Old Bern asked.
I locked eyes with Winter. I wanted her to hear this. I wanted her to feel it.
She must be losing her mind. It almost brought a smile to my lips.
Torturing this girl was a new pleasure. I hadn’t expected it when I took her—but each passing moment made it more and more delightful. The beautiful rage, the gorgeous shock. The way she fought and fought and fought and still wanted more.
Delicious. Tempting.
“Her father is an important man in the finance world. I’d bring his business into my fold.”
“Good for you,” Old Bern said, laughing. “That’d be one hell of a marriage. But it still doesn’t explain why any of us would care.”
“She’d soften him.” Kaspar spoke quietly and Maeve stared at him with a deep frown. Even Old Bern seemed surprised.
“Soften him?” Maeve asked.
“I know how you all see me.” I pulled their attention from Kaspar. I didn’t want him to steal this from me, not when I felt like it was seconds away. Winter’s gaze was a shadow cast across my chest, but I bulled forward regardless. “I’m the young one, the newest Oligarch. You all think my hatred of Roman is arrogant and foolish. But it goes so much deeper than petty family grievances.
“I believe the Oligarchs should be more ambitious, and I want to prove that by taking a good wife. I want to settle down and let marriage soften out some of my more aggressive wedges. I believe Winter can do that for me and much more. With her father’s money and influence added to my own, I will counter Roman and destroy the old ways. He’s the past, and I want to move into the future.”