The Sea Witch (Wicked Villains 5)

A slow heat has been building in me since I placed the winning bid. “Call me in a few days. I might be in a mood to share.”

Her green eyes light up, though her voice stays dry as always. “You truly are a friend cut above the rest.”

“I’m everything cut above the rest.” I catch sight of Hades across the room, and he tilts his head, indicating I should follow him. “I have to go. Duty calls.”

“Enjoy your night.” She loads enough innuendo into the sentence to sink a fleet.

“You, too. Find some pretty submissive to take out all that frustration on.” I walk away to her soft cursing, my smile widening. It’s a good night. There are still factors in play, but things are going my way. I just need to be patient enough to let the final few dominos fall.

I find Hades in the lounge, leaning against the bar. Some of the other territory leaders have made their way back here as well. I catch sight of Jasmine and Jafar tucked in what’s become their booth. Those two are always so lost in each other, it’s tempting to test them to see if their distraction expands past their time in the club. I know better than to give in to that impulse. In the year or so since Jasmine’s taken over her father’s territory, she’s proven herself to be a capable leader. That and the fact we don’t share a border is enough to keep me on my best behavior.

For now.

I stop next to Hades and prop my hip against the bar. He doesn’t seem overly keen on breaking the silence, but that’s a simple negotiation tactic. We already settled this yesterday. He won’t interfere, even if he doesn’t like this.

Tisiphone appears behind the bar. She’s a tall Dominican woman, and one-third of Hades’s Furies. I’ve never seen her anywhere except behind this bar, but that doesn’t mean I’m foolish enough to believe all she does is sling drinks. She nods to me warily and pours Scotch for him and gin and tonic for me.

I pick up the drink. “Hades, darling, you look tired. Are you getting enough sleep between those two randy partners of yours?”

His brows inch up. “I won’t bother to ask what game you’re playing by bidding on that girl.”

“Good. It’s none of your business.” No matter what most of the other territory leaders believe, I have no real interest in war. It’s messy and expensive and even if you win, you lose. Better to be subtle in my revenge. I might want Triton dead, but I know better than to bring all of Olympus down upon our heads.

What better way to enact my revenge than taking his daughter?

Easy. Having her come to me willingly, entrapping herself in my net of her own choice. It only took the right bait, and she leaped without checking for predators in the water. I might pity her if I were the type of woman to pity fools.

Hades takes a sip of his drink. “If she changes her mind anytime in the next seven days, I’ll take her from you and return her to her father.”

I let my smile slide free. “She won’t.” That, I’m sure of. The trap is too well baited. My plan is too perfectly balanced. “And she’s an adult, Hades. You’d have to be a monster to hand her back to her father against her will.”

“Ursa…” He shakes his head. “This won’t end the way you want it to.”

I laugh a little. “Give me some credit. I’m not in danger of falling for the mode of my revenge. You’re the one who let emotions get tangled up in your goals.”

He gives me a long look. “The girl watches you with lust in those big brown eyes.”

I know. Impossible not to notice when Zurielle hasn’t learned to mask her expressions nearly as well as she should by now. How she survived Olympus is more a testament to her father’s overprotectiveness than any survival instincts she possesses. Really, her lust makes her easier to manipulate, ensures that my end goal is simple enough to obtain. No matter what my reputation, I have no interest in forcing the girl. Revenge is all the sweeter when it’s walked into willingly. It gives Triton no place to stand and cry foul if Zurielle loves every depraved thing I’m going to do to her little body. Every depraved thing we are going to do to her little body.

Now, I get to have my cake and eat her, too.

“Shall I have the amount wired to you?”

He shakes his head slowly. “My office.”

I allow him to lead the way. We find Aurora and Zurielle already there. The latter has her clothing back in place, the tease of a dress making me want to rip it off. She looks nothing like her father, a big burly white man with red hair and a full beard. No, Zurielle is like a replica of his dead wife, the pretty, petite Vietnamese woman he brought back to Olympus with him after one of his business trips at Poseidon’s behest. She lasted long enough to bear him five daughters before she died. The official story is a car accident, but rumor has it that Zeus was responsible. Knowing what I do of Zeus, it could be anything from her rejecting his unwanted advances to him deciding that Triton was focused too much on his lovely wife and not enough on Olympus business. Who can say?