AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She waved her hand. “Already taken care of. So, do you need help or not?”
“I’ll manage.” My menacing tone didn’t discomfit the sister in the least.
She shrugged and left the car. I stole a moment to grasp for composure. A honeymoon might not be such a bad idea. I could seduce my husband and make it look like an accident when he dropped dead. Letting out a long breath, I exited the vehicle. Showtime.
Chapter 14 – Constantine
Two hours into theflight and the plane’s cabin was still quiet. The wedding had coincided perfectly with an international hit. The pretext of a honeymoon worked to disorient my bride and infuriate her father, while also giving them a reasonable excuse for me going abroad. Iryna, who’d insisted on coming along tokeep me safe, was snoozing in her bedroom. She was adorable. As if I needed protection from my slim little bride in the master suite—the same bride who’d agreed to hide poisons in her jewelry.
Her luggage had been taken to my villa back on the Pacific coast, where the gemstones would be removed and the dangerous substances disposed of. A placebo would be placed inside, and all without my new wife knowing what we’d done. She really should have checked the fastening on the ring she wore; the nano technology was so advanced that I could listen in on any conversation she had.
But it still left an interesting question. This woman was here to kill me. So how best to proceed while keeping her in the dark? How could she be used to lure her father from his foul hole? Talia was shrewd. Gustave even more so. I had to test how easily I could make him move on his daughter’s behalf. Instinctually, I knew if I pushed too hard that he would rather see his own offspring killed than risk his neck. It was a delicate balance to move the pieces on this metaphorical chess board so I could trick the daughter and trap the devil.
I turned a page of my book, absently reading while my mind considered this fascinating situation. We were headed to the homeland of my family. The Drakos clan, like so many other houses of the underworld, had strong ties to the Continent. Greece had its charms, but I knew her nightmares. And I still wasn’t certain bringing my sister back to that place was wise. The horrors scarred into our skin were knit closed by the one blessing of our childhood—that this was where we’d met.
The master suite door cracked open. I stiffened but didn’t look up. There was a pause as Talia remained in the doorway. When she cleared her throat, I caught the tick of annoyance at my lack of acknowledgement and smiled internally.
“What are you reading?” she finally asked.
I lifted the book so she could see the front cover and slowly dragged my gaze over to my wife. I froze. The visage before me was sin manifest. Her nearly naked body leaned casually against the doorframe. She damn well knew she was being sensual, but the stance didn’t overdo it. No, far from it. She was perfect. All that olive skin, with swaths of white lace doing next to nothing to cover her firm breasts and the little triangle flirting with her smooth slit. That lingerie wasn’t part of the clothing I’d provided, which meant she’d been wearing it all damn day. She was a temptation covered in wedding white.
“Othello,” she said aloud, reading the title. Those dark eyes widened in surprise. “I had no idea you were so deep.”
I shoved a bookmark in between the pages and rested the hardback on the table beside me. “Oh, that’s right. I’m just the monster who delights in tormenting your family, aren’t I?”
A muscle feathered in her jaw. “You were the aggressor.”
“Only some of the time, princess.” The moniker slipped out without me even being conscious of it.
We paused as it hung between us, an insult, yet also something more.
Something dark awakened inside me, and I was suddenly desperate to hurl myself from my seat and claim her. Talia watched me, analyzing the effect her enticing expanse of skin had. It was true I wanted her, but she couldn’t know that. I forced control over my body.
“What’s your game, Talia?” I asked her, waving a hand at her languid form. “It’s bold of you to offer yourself up as a tasty morsal for this beast.”
I forced myself to look only at her face, which was perfectly made up. While I appreciated the care she’d taken, it angered me to see the caked-on mask. The real Talia was under there somewhere. The war paint she wore so precisely reminded me of who she was. It also reminded me that she was the enemy and needed to be tamed. To do that, I had to remain in control while I broke her gently.
