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“I suppose so. Or maybe he figured it was the most efficient way to get what he wanted,” I said a little bitterly, recalling how he’d pressured me into accepting his blood bond.
“Whatever. I would’ve come for free anyway. This way, they’re paying me a shit-ton of money. So what’s this about this Twilight woman?”
“She’s Talon’s prima now. That means what she says goes. A vampire syndicate isn’t a democracy. They might run it like a business, but the primus isn’t the CEO, he’s the king. Which makes the prima Talon’s queen.”
Rio’s brown eyes went round. “And you fucked with this bitch?”
“The short answer? Yeah.”
“But why? What did she do to you?”
Guilt tightened my throat. “Nothing,” I admitted.
“Then why?”
I shook my head, embarrassed to tell Rio I’d pretended to be Twilight’s friend when instead, I’d been feeding information about her to Kuro, AKA Eugene Smith. I’d ratted out a woman who’d been nothing but nice to me. A woman who’d seemed like she could use a friend.
He frowned. “Tell me. I promise I won’t judge, but I don’t like going in blind about something like this.”
I forked up more of the omelet. “I did it for the money, all right?”
“I thought they paid thralls a lot.”
I swallowed the food in my mouth. “They do. Maybe I wanted more, okay?”
He considered me. “That doesn’t sound like you. There’s something you’re not telling me.”
A knot formed in my chest. “Busted by a teenager.”
“So there is something,” he said, refusing to let me dismiss him like that.
I looked away, ashamed I’d tried. Rio might be only eighteen, but he had an old soul.
“Tell me,” he pressed.
And I found I wanted to tell him. Keeping the hurt and humiliation locked inside hadn’t helped.
“I wanted out. And I wanted to hurt them.”
I wanted to hurt Talon.
“Whoa, back up a little,” Rio said. “First, why did you want out?”
“Because Talon said he’d never take me as a mate. He wanted a pureblood mate.”
“He straight up told you that?”
I shook my head. “Not me, no. His friend Cain. They didn’t know I was close enough to hear. But he said it all right.”
It had been at a party in Quebec City. I’d gone outside for some air, and I guess Talon had come looking for me, but Cain had stopped him. I’d heard my name, then they’d paused on the other side of a thick hedge, arguing in low voices.
I’d stilled, straining to hear. Instinct told me this was important. I hadn’t even dared to breathe.
Please don’t notice me. Please don’t notice me.
“Remember the pact,” Cain had said. “We mate with vampires or nobody. Especially not a thrall.”
Talon had growled. “Drop it already. Eden’s a thrall, nothing more. And the last thing I want is to sire a dhampir. I want a pureblood spawn, same as you.”
