Page 84 of Godless Saints

“And how very Aster to pretend you don’t get wet for the threat.”

One of the Vesper boys looked between us and backed up fast. “Yeah… I’m not doing business with the mafia.”

I stepped into her space until she had to tilt her chin up to meet my eyes. “Deliver this to Moon Hyun-seo.”

Her eyes cut to the note. “Poor Moon,” she said. “What did he do to deserve you?”

“Nothing he’ll admit.”

Her expression shifted. Just enough. “Vivienne told me about you.”

My jaw tightened, muscle jumping under the skin. “Lucky me.”

“About you and Moon.”

The smile dropped. She saw it and fucking liked it.

“Yeah,” she said, chin lifting. “That’s what I thought.”

“What exactly did Vivienne say?”

“Enough.”

“That’s not a fucking answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting.”

My hand crushed the note until the paper crumpled. “Moon told Vivienne?”

Eloise looked me over slowly, split knuckles, half-buttoned coat, bruises on my neck from weeks of beating the rage out on everyone else in the ring. The Ashbourne ring sat heavy on my bruised hand. Her mouth tightened. “He told someone who actually gives a shit about him.” Her voice shook, but she didn’t back down. “Stay the fuck away from him.”

My throat closed.

“He said that? To her?”

She gave a slow, elegant shrug, chin high.

Paper buckled in my fist. He’d said my name to someone else. To Vivienne. Talked about me. The thought punched straight into my ribs. Maybe he didn’t want the note. Maybe he didn’t want me anymore. My stomach dropped hard, a cold sick plunge. I let it burn. Moon hadn’t told me to stay away. She had. That didn't fucking count.

Eloise watched it happen. “Good. You should look like that.”

I cracked my knuckles once. The old Ashbourne instinct, teeth, violence, pure fucking ownership, rose fast and ugly. I let her see every bit of it.

“Give him the note.”

“No.”

“Please.”

The word came out raw. It hit her wrong. Good.

It hit me worse.

Fuck. I’d just said please. Out loud. To her. Eloise didn’t smile. She just stared. I didn’t look away. Couldn’t. She had heard me beg. So had I.

“Fine,” I said, smiling like the good boy I wasn’t.

Eloise’s shoulders eased. She believed me.