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“How dare you threaten us, boy?” Ophelia says with that well-known whip in her voice. “Any attempt to kill us would be pure suicide. We are the Elders commanding this circle of Heathen Kings! We belong to the top hundred most powerful people in the world, with whole armies ready to protect us.”
“Yes.” My gaze sharpens with cunning. “From outside forces. But you were foolish enough to let Sade and me inside your mansion, weren’t you?” I take a step closer. It’s enough of a threat to make their spines stiffen. “Tell me, dear Elders, do you honestly think that your guards could react in time if we go rogue?”
A quick exchange of glances is enough for me to gauge the answer. I laugh, maliciously this time, causing Eva to go completely quiet.
“To think that it was only your arrogance that led to this,” I sneer. “The high secrecy of this meeting led you to dismiss the butler and instruct him to let no one disturb us. The closest guards are standing outside those grand double doors. By the time they get to me, you wouldn’t be breathing.”
Osvaldo responds with a low laugh that doesn’t manage to come out as sardonic as he means it to. “You don’t have a weapon, boy. The scanners would have detected it. But I do.” He holds up his cane that I know encases a long, sharp blade gifted to him by a Yakuza boss years ago. He’s used it to kill hundreds of men.
I grin at him. Reaching into the waistband of my jeans, I extract a long cable-style cord.
“The wire at its core is made of an alloy your scanners can’t detect.” My eyes fall to Lady Ophelia, whose timeless face stares at me blankly. “You’re familiar with it, aren’t you, Lady Ophelia? It’s how you worked your way up to the top hundred. I hear your nephew, Damon Saevage, is such an expert with this weapon he can sever a man’s head with it.” I tilt my head to look at her inquisitively. “Yes, I know that you’re related. I also know about your special attachment to Chase, whose help was priceless in taking down the people of the Morningstars, by the way. Of course, if I were to believe the wagging tongues I persuaded to share their theories with me, you and his father, Lord Daytona, used to be pretty close back in the day.”
She holds my stare, knowing exactly what my preferred means of persuasion are.
“Micah, this isn’t how I wanted us to do this,” Eva says appeasingly. I smile genuinely at her.
“It isn’t how I wanted to do this, either. Especially since any action from my part shouldn’t even be necessary. You see, our respected Elders here actually have a moral debt toward us, especially to you.”
“Me?” she muses.
“If it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t be alive today,” I explain, more for the Elders’ benefit than hers. “All that would have been left of them after Romano’s little stunt is thousands of tiny gorey parts. There would have been nothing left to even bury or incinerate, let alone to bring them back to life one day, when the science is far enough along. I hear that Sir Osvaldo entertains that possibility. Am I right, Sir Osvaldo?”
I let that information sink in for a moment, coiling the cord around my fist.
“Of course, I’m sure our respected Elders will act on that moral debt because they are people of honor. Everything I just said, well.” I wave my hand dismissively. “It’s a highly theoretical plan B. It’s not like I’d actually threaten another King’s life, namely your nephew’s, Lady Ophelia, or actually leak information about Chase’s true bloodline to the other circles. My loyalty to the Heathen Kings has always been, and remains ironclad. But my loyalty to Eva Brannan ranks higher.”
I give it a few moments for that one to sink in.
“Come on, we can all be one happy family again, can’t we? All you have to do is give your blessing for my marriage with Eva Brannan, and cancel the plans you had for my marriage with someone else. It’s a small price for everybody’s peace and quiet, don’t you think?” I stare at them with all the murderous intent I feel. But when I speak, I’m quiet, calm. Ready to end them. “So what will it be? Peace? Or War?”
They exchange glances, and Lady Ophelia finally gives a little nod. Osvaldo squares his shoulders.
“We will have peace,” he declares. “On one condition.” He looks at Eva, but this time there’s actual respect in his eyes. “That Ms. Brannan becomes part of the Heathen Kings organization.”
My eyes flash to slits.
“The fuck she will.”
“Don’t worry, it would just be a formal position, not a dangerous one,” Lady Ophelia offers. “Consider it a security for us. If we have her loyalty, then we can rest assured about yours.” She tilts her head back so she can assess me down her nose. “We never had a reason to doubt your loyalty before, Micah. And the heat you took upon yourself at Romano’s last event proved that even more. It was you who caught the operation of the Morningstars and disarmed the whole plan, and it wasn’t the first time you’ve proven to be a highly valuable asset, worthy of your title.”
She offers Osvaldo her hand, and he helps her get up. She squares her shoulders as she speaks with a finality that leaves no doubt this is the end of this conversation.
“Some people say that falling in love is a weakness. I’ve always argued it’s a strength, and you just proved me right. No King, no matter how dangerous, has ever dared threaten the most powerful people in the world the way you did for something he wanted more than anything. I respect that. And I trust a man who does that.” Then, angling herself to Eva. “Welcome to the organization, future Duchess Royales.”
Eva inclines her head, still bewildered, and Lady Ophelia responds with a nod. Osvaldo still looks pissed, but walks away with her as the grand double doors open with a heavy sound.
Lady Ophelia glances at us over her shoulder, a ghost of a smile lifting the corner of her mouth. “I like it when I’m proven right.”
Her words still linger in the room for some moments after they’ve left.
As soon as they’re out of sight Eva blows out the breath she’s been holding the whole time, nearly collapsing to her knees. I catch her and hold her close as we head toward the exit, all my senses on alert. It would be stupid of the Elders to have us killed considering the threats I made, but I wouldn’t put it past them to try. Lady Ophelia might trust me, but the feeling isn’t mutual. At her core, she’s a good woman, but she didn’t get to where she is today by forgiving people who crossed her.
Still, I planned things well. There’s nothing the Elders can do to us without incurring serious losses, so I guess they made peace with this. After all, allowing me to marry the woman I love is a small price for all the advantages I bring them.
We emerge into the sunny day, birds chirping, announcing the beginning of spring.
“So, I guess it’s happily ever after,” Eva says, interlacing her fingers with mine. “Till death do us part.”
