AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Livvie stands straight and tall. “Father, I wanted to keep you apprised of the situation with the animals.”
Nero lifts an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware there was a situation. My buyer is on his way now.”
“The lion has caught a parasite, probably from one of the scumbags he ate at Colosseum. You never know what those lowlifes have in their systems when they enter the ring. Anyway, this parasite has spread through the entire basement – every animal has it, even Casp— even the white tiger. The vet informs me it won’t jump to humans, but the infected animals must be euthanized. It’s no problem—” she holds up her hand as Nero rises from his chair, a touch of color flaring in his cheeks. “—I’ve sold them to a collector for taxidermy. He’s offered the same amount of money as your buyer. I know he’ll be disappointed but—”
“That’s fine. We must all learn to live with disappointment in business. Excellent work, Livvie. Eli.” Nero steeples his fingers. “This solution has your name all over it – neat, precise, imaginative. You know, once I marry your girlfriend, you may wish to have a family of your own. And I have a daughter who will need a husband.”
Livvie glares at me, her eyes begging me not to bite. I force a smile, hiding my hands behind my back so Nero can’t see my fists burning to make contact with his face. “I’d definitely consider it.”
“It’s a pity Olivia was born with tits and that ass,” Nero muses, sinking back down into his chair and reaching for one of his always-on-hand cigars. He addresses me, as if his daughter isn’t even in the room. “She’s by far the most brilliant of my children. She has a real head for the business. If she had a dick I might’ve made her my successor. But that’s a decision for another day. I have plenty of life in me yet.”
He dismisses us with a wave.
Outside in the hallway, I fume on Livvie’s behalf, but she brushes it off. “That’s not important now. All I want is to get the animals to safety.”
“Who is Nero’s successor?” I ask as we descend to the basement to start preparing them for transport.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. He hasn’t made an official announcement. I assume my older brother, Cassius. He’s the cleverest of the lot, which isn’t saying much considering he’s a few feathers short of the whole duck.”
I laugh at her description. “How many kids does Nero have?”
“Fourteen, by last count. Eight of us between his two wives, the rest illegitimate. It’s part of Nero’s image – he’s the father figure, the head of the largest dynasty, the family man looking out for everyone in Tartarus Oaks. We all have our roles to play.” She smiles, but there’s a bitterness behind it. “Apparently my role is to marry you and cement the ties between our Imperators.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
“Of course it’s going to happen. Your woman may have temporarily waylaid Nero’s grab for her empire, but she’s no match for the power of Lucian, especially not with Constantine agreeing to this double marriage.”
Livvie clearly doesn’t know about the secret meeting Claudia had with Constantine. He could be a more powerful ally than we give him credit for.
“Seriously, Golden Boy, I’m fine. I don’t give a shit about my father’s empire. Now, stop looking at me like I’m a problem to solve.” Livvie throws open the basement doors. When he sees us, Casper mews and scratches at his cage, eager to get out and play. Livvie strides past him, dangling the key to the veterinary room, a savage glint in her eyes. “We’ve got a lot of animals to move.”
Claudia
For the first time since I’ve lived at Malloy Manor, I throw the gates open wide.
I’ve dreamed about the day I might be able to come out of hiding. Things haven’t worked out the way Antony and I planned – instead of claiming ownership of the house, selling it for a fortune, and living out our days in opulent obscurity, I’ve rebuilt Malloy Manor into my own private fortress, protecting my family from the cutthroat world of the Triumvirate.
And now, my family includes several mistreated and dangerous animals.
Fuck my life.
The first truck’s tires squeal in protest as it rounds the sharp corner into the driveway. One of its huge wheels goes up on the garden and flattens an ugly succulent, which honestly I’m not sad about. I wave to the driver – my man Po – as he backs right up to the front door. Eli jumps out of the cab, waving at Po to start unloading.
Eli rushes over and wraps his arms around me. “Thank you, thank you. You don’t know what this means.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I scowl, but secretly, I’m a little giddy with love for him right now. What we’re doing is fucking insane, but it’s also so completely Eli. He’s always had to be the protector, to stand up for what’s right, especially for those who can’t stand up for themselves. And I know a lot of what he feels for these animals is about his guilt over everything he hasn’t been able to protect me from, including Mackenzie entering our home.
I’ll be damned if I don’t love his gorgeous, do-gooder ass.
“They are your responsibility.” I give him my best Ice Queen glare. “I need you to call every animal rescue and wildlife reserve in the country and get them out of here as soon as possible before the neighbors complain and the police or animal rescue get on my ass.”
Eli plasters my cheeks with kisses, then rushes off to help move the monkeys.
Animals screech and howl as Po and his team unload their crates. They must be waking up from the sedatives Livvie administered. A second truck arrives and waits on the street until the first is cleared. The scent of shit and rotting meat wafts over the neighborhood as cage after cage is lifted into my house. My neck scratches with nerves standing out in the open like this, in the exact spot where Mackenzie shot at me and Noah. There’s nothing I can do to help, so I wander back inside.
Bad idea. Malloy Manor is a disaster zone. There are terrariums stacked in the lobby, piles of shit on the hallway rug where the cages were tilted around the corner, and the whole place stinks like a zoo. Which I guess it is now. We have turtles in the downstairs bathroom, a lion in the swimming pool, and monkeys swinging around the basement gym.
“You sure he can’t jump out of there?” I ask Eli as the lion paces around the bottom of the empty pool, his mane matted with dried blood. I hated looking at him dragging his feet down there – he should be lording it over his pride and living out his old age in dignity, instead of pawing at a half-deflated pink flamingo pool toy.
