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If she accepted, she’d be mine—permanently. My exclusive thrall for as long as I desired. She could never leave me again.
And she’d be under my protection. Even Brien, my primus, would think twice before harming her.
Not that she wouldn’t be punished. She would. But I’d be in charge, the man who decided what form the punishment would take.
“Your call,” Brien said at last. “But make sure she knows this is her last chance. She’d better behave herself or I will take action.”
“Understood, and thank you.” I knew he’d only agreed because of our friendship, and I appreciated it. “FYI, I’m also bringing a kid back. Seventeen or eighteen. Name’s Rio. He was living with her, and she cares about him—he’s insurance that she’ll behave. If he works out, I might use him as a PA, too.”
“I trust your judgment,” he said. “Is that it? Twilight’s waiting.” Twilight was Brien’s new mate.
“Only that I want to put Eden in the garden suite. She needs fresh air, being pregnant and all.”
He grunted assent, clearly uninterested in where Eden slept, and ended the call.
My next call was to the Hotel Garnet concierge. A blood-bond ritual required a bracelet. As I expected, the concierge was happy to compile a selection for me to choose from.
“Something simple,” I told him. “Nothing too fancy. And I want blue stones.”
Because despite everything, I wanted to please her, and Eden wasn’t a fancy, frou-frou type. The blue stones were to match her eyes.
“Of course, Lieutenant,” said the concierge. “I’ll have it to you within the hour.”
I thanked him and looked in on my prisoner. She was sleeping peacefully, so I locked the suite and went to inform Rio of his new employment. He was sitting straight-backed on the couch, Nathan on a chair nearby.
Nathan jumped to his feet. “Adrian’s in his bedroom working.”
Adrian appeared in the bedroom doorway. “I ordered thralls for the three of us.”
I nodded my thanks. Unlike Adrian and Nathan, my only meal tonight had been a half-bottle of blood-wine. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be feeding from Eden for the foreseeable future. And although I would be fucking her, that clearly wasn’t an option tonight, either.
Rio was next. “How would you like a job?” I asked him.
A suspicious squint. “What kind of a job?”
“I could use a PA.”
“What’s that?”
“A Personal Assistant.”
“Yeah? What would I be doing?”
“For now, you’d be Eden’s personal chef and companion. Later on, we’ll see. You’ll have to prove I can trust you.”
His chin lifted. “I won’t spy on her for you. I don’t care how much you’re paying.”
“I wouldn’t hire you if I thought you’d spy on a friend.”
“Yeah? That’s all right then. How much are we talking about?”
I named a figure and his brows shot to his dyed-pink hairline. “And all I have to do is hang out with Eden?” he asked, clearly expecting a catch.
“That and cook for her. You’ll sign a contract with us—one year. After that, you can leave or stay. Your decision.”
He rolled his tongue around his cheek. “All right. Sure. I’m in.”
I suspected he’d only agreed because he thought he might get to play the hero. The kid clearly worshipped Eden. But if he helped ensure her good behavior, it was a win-win.
