His Sacrifice

I couldn’t speak, everything in me going cold.

“But don’t be mad.” She leaned up and kissed the tip of my nose. “It’s all about power, just like you said. You got the power all those years ago. I was too young then. My sisters and I—” She glanced around the room, but I couldn’t see anything beyond her anymore. It was too dark. “We’re all Marie’s daughters. Different fathers. Mom has a habit of dispatching whoever she mates with.” Her eyes glittered. “So black widow, right? Anyway, me and the girls, we’re taking over.”

I tried to shake my head, but couldn’t move.

“And I don’t mean in some ‘I’m going to write a girl power blog’ way. I mean, we’re really taking over. With the power we’re getting from each of you, we’ll rule this place. That’s been Mom’s plan all along. You’re just one of the lucky few who gets to put the whole thing in motion. They’ll sing songs about you, Ted! About the sacrifice you gave to make this brave new world possible. We’ll run your companies, take over your estates, and eventually take it all. We’ve been waiting a long time, trying to figure out when we could make our move. But, really, with the way you men—” She tapped her fingers on my shoulder, her grip strong, too strong. “And I don’t mean all men, of course, but with the way men have been fucking up running things, it’s time for some fresh blood.” She glanced at my chest and winced. “Sorry. No pun intended.” Her tinkling laugh echoed in my mind as my eyes closed. “Women are the way to save this whole shebang. Mom, my sisters, and I are just going to light the match to start the blaze. And don’t worry about me getting busted, sweet Ted. You’re going to disappear tonight, and sure, maybe the cops will eventually come looking, but I’ll say you left work early and said you were going to meet someone for a date. No one will be able to link you to me or this place. I haven’t told a soul about you.” She spoke in a familiar voice. In my own voice using my words. “And the waiter at the restaurant?” She giggled. “He’s one of my brothers. You saw him when we walked in Mom’s front door, but you didn’t even recognize him.”

I slouched, my body going numb so that I all I could sense was the horror in my sluggish veins. My ears felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls in them.

“Girls, come!” Vanth’s voice barely made it into my mind. “Bring your cups. It is time to commune with the divine and the infernal.”

“Rest now.” Cate lay me back on the floor. “My cup runneth over.”

I opened my eyes once more. Cate hovered above me, her eyes gone raven black and a wicked grin on her face. Those were the last things I saw.

She pressed my eyes closed. “Shh. I’ll take it from here.”

Epilogue

Cate

“I’m the one running? I thought Morgana was more of the politician sort.” I kicked my stilettos up on my desk, the sun pouring in from the corner windows behind me.

“Daughter, you know very well that Morgana’s temper makes her ill-suited for public life.” Mom sat back on the leather sofa and cast an appreciative look around my office. “I rather like what you’ve done in here.”

“Thanks. Ted’s office was rather boorish, to be honest. It needed a sprucing up.” I’d replaced all of his furniture and décor, opting for sleek glass and chrome instead of the heavy wooden shit that was supposed to denote power but only showed bad taste.

“Well done. And how’s McGovern doing under its new leadership?”

I smiled. “Ever since we’ve taken over, profits are up, costs are down, and employee morale is at an all-time high. Paid family leave went a long way toward keeping the staff happy, not to mention we’ve started paying all of their insurance costs instead of only a quarter. Honestly, I can’t imagine things going any better.”

“Same for all the other girls. They are doing quite well. The blessings were particularly strong this time, just as I predicted. Taking those five was the smartest move we could have made. And you made a particularly good choice with Ted as your target. He had absolutely no idea, did he?”

“None.” I snorted. Ted thought he was ever-so-clever. Not so much, but at least he was an excellent fuck. I doubt any other man could pleasure me the way he and his friend had. Rough, but so, so good. Too bad.

I cleared the naughty thoughts away. “I’m glad my sisters are faring well. Morgana said she’s going to institute mandatory paid vacation at her firm. That should be interesting to watch.”

“Oh, I rather like that. Now, back to this Senate business.” She leaned forward, her shrewd eyes on me. “You have to be the one. You have that wholesome look—from your father, of course.”