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“Watch!” my father commanded.
I closed my box and approached him. Even with his thicker fingers, my father made short work of the fastenings of the sapphire pendant he held in his hand. The jewel and its nesting sprang up and a hidden interior revealed itself.
It was immediately clear what these beauties had been designed to do. “Poison,” I breathed.
This would make my job so much easier.
“Did you catch the order of how I pressed against the fastenings?” my father demanded.
I nodded. Opening my own box, I counted the fastenings on the ruby choker. They were the same as the sapphire’s fastenings. With the slightest touch in the correct sequence, the ruby lifted from its setting.
My father grunted. “Good. You’ll not fail me.”
A rush of pride flooded my chest. It was too much. My heart felt heavy, and a prick of emotion threatened to break my control. “I won’t fail you, père.”
These were going to be an immense help. Not only were they stunning, but they were useful. A lot like me. I was a well-honed blade, with many tactics at my disposal. While the butcher would be suspicious and untrusting, he would never see me coming. Not when I saw the chance to strike.
As we closed the jewelry cases, my father flashed me a smile. There might not be any love in his face, but the victory he felt was worth far more, and I would take whatever he gave me until I could earn more.
“Load them before you pack them in your trousseau.” It was his final command as he escorted me back to the hall.
“Consider it done.” I nearly skipped to my bedroom, joy renewing my purpose.
Chapter 12 – Constantine
Idropped a tentativeknock on the solid wood door. One of our many guards stood unmoving, scanning the church’s hall behind me. I’d hired many additional security personnel for this event, dropping a pretty penny in the coffers of Spyder Security. Their founder and CEO, Jakob Webber, should have at least sent me a wedding card. The bastard hadn’t.
There had been no unusual activity reported from our security. Still, it was distracting to worry about my beloved sister being in such proximity to our enemy. The antique handle rattled, and the door swung open. Iryna smiled up at me in greeting.
“Louloudi mou,” I breathed.
“I know.” She smirked, giving a little twirl. “I’m going to upstage your bride.”
The sapphire gown she wore was inspired by the mystical, lush waters of the Mediterranean, with a glamorous, modern flare. As I brushed past her to enter, I couldn’t help approving of the diamonds adorning her throat. They had been a gift, given to her just this morning after we’d both come back from two very different nights.
“You like?” Iryna brushed her fingers over her newest piece of jewelry.
