“Who would have thought?” She takes a ragged breath. “Just a few days ago, I was standing right here – next to Peter, pouring him wine. He was so excited about the upcoming visit from the Bullfrogs; talking about how he was going to have them eating out of his palm.”
She shakes her head.
“I remember being so worried his mood was going to turn sour, but even when I spilled a few drops of wine, he ignored it.”
Normally, Peter would have whipped any slave clumsy enough to spill a drop of his expensive vintages.
Danielle looks contemplative.
“If those Bullfrogs hadn’t come, he might be alive right now. He was stuck between your Aurelians, and the Bullfrogs, and…”
“…and he chose the wrong side,” I finish the thought for her.
I feel guilty about it, but I didn’t turn my head away when that swordsman, Draven, killed my former owner. Watching Peter Paradooli die was a release; like a new chapter of my life started the moment his final chapter ended.
Danielle continues to shake her head. Her curls are damp with sweat, and they hang heavy around her face.
“This was a hell of a day. I thought… I really thought…”
I know what she’d thought…
She’d thought we’d end up in a Bullfrog’s aquarium; living out the rest of our lives as the playthings of those disgusting, perverted creatures.
“Don’t think about it,” I reach over and pat Danielle’s knee. “It’s over now. Don Sloor’s gone, and so are his cronies, and with the Aurelians here, they’ll be too terrified to ever return.”
Danielle nods. “Thank you. I know it was because of you that the Aurelians came for me.”
I smile. “I wasn’t going to let anything happen to my best friend. Not ever.”
I pull the towel tighter around me. The room is warm, but I feel a sudden chill as I contemplate the events of the last day.
“The Aurelians have killed so many men, and it didn’t even affect them. They’re as cold as ice – and now they’re just… taking over.”
I reach over and squeeze Danielle’s hand – making her turn and look me in the eye.
“Danielle… They think I’m their fated mated.”
Her eyes widen, and her fingers tighten around mine.
“You are?”
I shake my head.
“I don’t know.” After a moment, I add: “…yet.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“But, Danielle – what if they wind up being just as bad as Peter was? They’re Rogue Aurelians. They have no masters or rules except their own.”
Danielle considers my words.
“I don’t know about the Bond you might have with them – but I know this: They freed us, Ashley. Just in doing that, they’ve proven that they aren’t anything like Peter. They could have easily forced us all to remain as slaves – but instead, they gave us a choice.”
A choice – to stay in their service, or finally be free.
“Only five girls decided to leave,” Danielle tells me. “Mostly because they still have family somewhere. The rest of us are staying. We can’t all be wrong about them, Ashley.”
I gaze into my best friend’s eyes, and I can see how genuinely she believes this…
…but I wish I could share her confidence.
When I saw Augustus walk into the poolroom, swaggering like a conquering hero, it sent chills down my spine. I could picture him taking over the entire planet; and killing countless enemies in the process.
“What if they don’t stop, Danielle? What if they kill every crime lord on this planet? Or what if they die trying?”
That was Peter Paradooli’s dream – to take over the entire planet and make it his. How could I be with men who want the same thing?
Danielle sinks back in her chair, clearly still exhausted.
“Look… Even if they do want to take over Reena, would that really be so bad? This whole fucking planet needs the Angels of Death to cleanse it of all the crime and corruption that has taken over since declaring independence.”
I stare at Danielle. She has a point.
“The Aurelians don’t want the same things as Peter,” she insists. “He wanted to own the planet – and everyone on it. But your Aurelians? They just want to set it free – to end the crime, and the slavery.”
I’m not convinced, though.
I twirl my hair idly. My body is still deliciously warm and satisfied from the afterglow of Augustus’ tongue, and I’m impossibly tempted by the thought of a lifetime experiencing that same pleasure…
I know it’s a foolish urge, to decide such an important thing based on such carnal desires, but could I ever be with another man after I’d experienced such pleasure at the hands – and tongues – of those towering Aurelians?
Danielle sighs, seeing the dreamy look in my eyes.
“I’m a little jealous, to be honest. Everyone is. We’d all switch places with you in a heartbeat, Ashley. Every crime lord and cartel boss in this city – this world – is going to be constantly looking behind their back from now on, wondering if they’re the next to share Peter’s fate.”
Danielle squeezes my hand.
“And they did it all for you. They risked their lives to rescue me, just because you asked them to.”
I turn my head to stare into Danielle’s huge eyes. They seem so much more human – so much more full of emotion – than the identical, slate-grey eyes of the Aurelians.
“But what if all that stuff about the Bond is true, Danielle?” I ask. “What if I lose everything that makes me, me?”
Danielle shrugs. Despite the seriousness of the conversation, she’s having trouble staying conscious. After everything that happened today, I remember she’d then spent a half-hour running to every corner of this enormous manor – explaining the new situation
