“Isabelle.”
My skin goes hot, and I try to fight down my reaction. “She’s different.” Who wouldn’t fall at least a little in love with a woman like that, so shiny and new to kink and embracing it full-heartedly with her two men? The fact that one of them is Gaeton only makes playing with her more enjoyable.
Allecto holds my gaze and starts ticking up her fingers with each name. “Meg. Hook. Jafar. Ursa. Alaric. Stop me when I find one that you haven’t been at least infatuated with.”
“Stop it.” I glare. “There is nothing wrong with caring about people.”
“Don’t get pissed now because I’m right.” She drops her hand. “And that’s not even getting into those jackasses that you dated. Finn. Hazel. Oliver.” The last of her fingers go down.
“You’re supposed to fall in love with the people you date.”
“Uh huh.” Allecto snorts. “And look how well that worked out. I was cleaning up the heartbreak tears for weeks after those relationships went down in flames.”
“Heartbreak after a breakup is also a normal thing.”
“You will fall for her, you will hate yourself for doing it, and then you won’t be able to go through with it.”
I hate how her words feel like daggers aimed right at the heart of me. “You are such a bitch sometimes.”
“Ooh, fierce words from the asshole who’s planning murder.” She shakes her head. “Killing Malone won’t fix anything. It’s only going to compound that horrible mess of emotions you’re refusing to address. It won’t bring your mother back or make time go in reverse.”
“Enough.” I shake my head as if I can dispel her words. It’s never that easy. Allecto knows me well enough to know exactly the right thing to say to have her words set up residence in my head. “That’s enough. It’s my choice and I’ve made it.”
“Aurora.” Some of the fierceness bleeds out of Allecto’s tone. “If you really want her dead, I’ll take care of it. It won’t fix anything, but at least then you’d be safe.”
I stare. Now it’s my turn to wait for the joke to land, but I should know better by now. Allecto doesn’t joke about things like this. She sure as hell wouldn’t choose to start now, with this topic. “What?”
“It’ll be a mess. She’s a strong leader, and her territory is stable, and the ripples will affect the rest of the city, but if you need this done, I’ll do it for you.”
For a moment, I actually consider it. Allecto’s good, and she can likely do exactly what she’s offering. One moment Malone will be moving through this world, the next she will be a memory. Just like my mother.
I take a slow breath and finally shake my head. “No. I can’t ask that of you.”
“You aren’t asking; I’m offering.”
I shake my head again. “It has to be me.”
Allecto scrubs her hands over her face. “Fine. But don’t you dare beat yourself up when you change your mind. There are people capable of murder, and you’re even one of them when you get heated, but an assassination is a totally different animal.”
It’s irritating that she doubts me. “I’m more than capable of doing this.”
“Sure. Capable.” She turns for the door. “That’s not what I said, though, is it?”
She’s gone before I can come up with a response. I don’t care what Allecto says or how many theories she has about me developing feelings for the people I have sex with; none of that has to mean anything. Malone isn’t just anyone. She’s the enemy.
I huff out a breath and turn back to get the treadmill going again. As I take up the steady pounding rhythm of running, my traitorous mind flickers to the single scene I had with Malone all those years ago. I agreed to it out of some perverse desire to understand the woman who hurt my mother. I didn’t expect Malone to systematically dismantle all my defenses and shatter me to pieces. The woman is the single best Dominant in Carver City. I’d know—I’ve been with them all at this point.
It doesn’t matter.
I’ve already agreed to this assignation, and I’m going through with it.
I’m going to kill Malone.3MaloneI’ve never had a problem taking what I want. The world respects power and power alone, and that’s particularly true in my world. In the past, it’s been a simple matter of seeing something and going through the necessary steps to acquire whatever it is—whoever it is.
As I sit in the chair across from Hades’s desk, it’s with the uncomfortable knowledge that I don’t know what he’ll say in response to my request to contract Aurora out. The old man has a soft spot for the girl, and has ever since she came to work in the Underworld nine years ago. It’s not exactly a fatherly love, not with the games we all play, but he cares about her. It colors his perspective, ensures that he won’t be able to make this decision based on possible gains or compensation. He’s making it emotionally.