Hadrian fixes me with those intense eyes, tinged with the deep, chestnut brown.
"Would you prefer to sleep in the slums, your ladyship?"
Ha! I've slept in the slums before. I’m not too good to do it again.
However, I would very much not prefer those slums to a soft, downy bed – even if I don’t get the self-righteous satisfaction from it.
I break eye contact with Hadrian, but I'm seething inside. There's something about Hadrian in particular that constantly gets on my nerves – in the same way a girlish crush somehow always gets under your skin. Yet the most infuriating thing about Hadrian is that he has a point. I'm glad to finally be in a position I which I can be the one enjoying a small luxury – like a comfortable bed – instead of always being jealous of those who have more than me.
Hadrian’s comments also raise the issue of money. They stole me away from Spur’s joint in barely a bra and panties.
If I’m going to survive, I'm going to need to steal from these Aurelians.
"How are you going to live after your salary is cut off?” I ask, blocking the guilt of my scheming from my aura. “Once Law Enforcement learn what you’ve done, won’t they freeze your accounts?"
Kitos gets a shrewd look in his eyes. “Good question,” he nods. “We’ll liquidate our assets before they do. We’ve decided to pool almost all of our funds into purchasing two small Orbs."
Gods!
Orbs. The mysterious, otherworldly material that powers so much of the miraculous technology of the Aurelian Empire.
The three, small Orbs-Shards that power the Orb-Weapons of this triad are already worth far more than I could probably make from a lifetime stripping. The much larger one that powers this Reaver is probably worth as much as the entire hotel we'll be staying in.
…and the thing about Orbs is that they're small enough for me to steal.
It's suddenly so clear to me. The second I get one of these Aurelians alone with me, I have to make my move. I’ll stun whichever one of them it is with the electro-shock device in my arm. Then, I’ll slit his throat with...
…oh Gods!
I can't.
As cold and callous as I need myself to be, I can't do that!
I could probably be capable of murder if it was my life or theirs… Or if it was somebody who truly deserved it – like one of the men who kidnapped my sister.
But to kill somebody in cold blood? Especially one of the men sworn to protect me?
I could turn them into the Aurelian Law Enforcement – which almost certainly guarantees their execution – but I couldn't possibly be the one to actually wield the blade.
I look down. My guilt is pouring through the Bond.
Kitos gently strokes my cheek. "You aren't to blame. We're going to do everything in our power to find your sister – and, if it comes to it, to get revenge. Lilac will have justice, Allie. She won’t be just another statistic – another faceless name in a database of missing persons."
Gods. He thinks I'm guilty about what happened to my sister!
That suddenly makes me question everything I think I know about myself.
Am I doing this because I need to be a strong woman?
…or am I just evil?
I shake my head. I can't let myself be fazed. Kitos might be acting kindly – but kindness is only ever shared for its own selfish reasons.
Kitos needs to do everything in his power to keep me reliant on him. If he can't make me choose to remain with the three of them by choice, he and his battle-brothers will need to trick me – manipulate me into thinking that they’re the key to finding my sister.
The Bond is everything to these men. The future of their fucking species depends on me not leaving them...
…and that’s why I must.
Inwardly, I feel so ashamed that I've let myself and my emotions be manipulated this way.
But I will be free of these three men.
18
Kitos
The tools of our deception are laid out on the bed.
The concierge of the hotel brought them to us in exchange for a few measly credits. We can afford it. In addition to just how far Aurelian Credits stretch on this frontier world, the three of us have barely spent anything during our two hundred years as Aurelian Law Enforcement agents. While most of our peers worked their jobs, going home at night to lavish manors, and building harems of women – spending wildly – we cared for only one thing; becoming the best agents we possibly could.
As a result, we’d built up the equivalent of a small fortune – perhaps not a lot year-on-year, but now its accumulated, it adds up to quite a lot.
Enough to require us to slowly liquidate these accounts in creative ways that won’t draw too much attention. We need to bring the money into our control, so we can have it in hand when we make our escape with Allie.
I lick my lips at the items on the bed.
A leash.
A collar.
A tiny pleasure dress, designed specifically for slaves.
I’ve never wanted a slave. I view men who have to buy women – instead of earning their affection – to be pathetic scum. With every woman I’ve ever tasted, the pleasure has always been in knowing that they ached for me.
But with Allie…
…I’ll admit, a dark part of me enjoyed the fantasy of treating her like a slave.
Allie stands with us, examining our recent purchases.
“Well, you just had to go and get a pleasure dress, didn’t you?” She wrinkles her adorable nose.
“Would you prefer it my way?” I tease. “To be nude?”
Nude – with two deliciously painful clamps dangling from her nipples, and a plump, emerald-studded butt-plug firmly up her rear end.
Allie turns and gives me a playful shove, and I let myself stagger back, as if she could ever actually move my muscular bulk.
The attitude in
