“Take her back to the office.”
They’re talking about me like I’m not here—again—but I can’t hold it against them. I feel like I’m not here at all. Like I’m floating and this is a dream or a nightmare or some twisted combination of both. Aurora guides me through the room and into what looks like an employee locker room. Another door. Another hallway. Then I’m back in Hades’s office and she’s tucking a blanket around me. “Just keep breathing. It will be okay.” She tries for a smile. “Ursa’s really not that bad.”
“My father would kill her if he could.”
She blinks. “I’m going to get you that drink now.”
“Seriously, Aurora. If I do this, I can’t go home. Not ever. He’ll never forgive me.”
She pours a healthy splash of amber liquid into a glass and brings it back to me. “I know a little something about never being able to go home again. Sometimes it’s true. Sometimes it’s all in your head.” She waits for me to take the glass before she continues. “You chose to do this auction for a reason. Is it a good enough reason to go forward with this?”
Alaric.
I almost forgot about him in the midst of this. I take a sip of the alcohol and wheeze a little as it burns a path down to my stomach. I told Alaric that his freedom was worth the price of seven days. How is it less true because Ursa’s the person who won? Easy answer. It’s not. “Yes. It’s still a good enough reason to move forward with this.”
“Then you have your answer.” Her smile falters. “Hades will go over everything, and I suspect Hercules will be checking in on you, but if you’ve changed your mind, it’s not too late to back out.”
“I haven’t,” I respond before I can think too hard about it. I haven’t changed my mind. I knew the risks when I accepted the Sea Witch’s help. I just never expected this.
I’m swimming with the sharks now.
It’ll be everything I can do not to drown.
Chapter 7
Ursa
I can barely keep my satisfied smile off my face as I walk through the public playroom. This has all gone according to plan. The price went higher than I expected, but with the show Zurielle put on… I lick my lips.
It’s going to be such fun to have Triton’s daughter playing my sinful games. It’ll be even better that all evidence points to her enjoying them despite herself. Preferable that way. Alaric promised that she wasn’t the good girl her father believes, but men have a habit of seeing what they want and ignoring all evidence to the contrary. What man doesn’t believe that every virgin is a little slut waiting to happen? Only for him, of course. Only ever for him.
Fools, all of them.
Malone strides up like a great slinking cat. She narrows her eyes at me. “Did you drop a million on her solely to spite me?”
“Of course not, darling.” I grin. “It was only the icing on the cake. It’s good for you to be acquainted with disappointment from time to time, instead of getting everything you want without a fight. It keeps that pretty head on your shoulders instead of in the clouds.”
Malone smirks. “And here I thought it was because you wanted to give your little boyfriend a toy.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re speaking of.” I’d hardly call Alaric my boyfriend. It’s such a mundane title and implies a trust I don’t have in him. Alaric is the kind of man skilled in telling others what they want to hear in order to pave his way forward. If I have a fondness for him, I would have paid his debt myself if not for that tricky little caveat in Hades’s bargain.
Well, it’s not something I’m going to get into here in the Underworld.
She raises her brows. “Uh-huh.”
I can’t quite resist ribbing her in return. “Don’t think I missed the way you licked every bit of our virgin off Aurora’s fingers. Was that all for the taste or the pretty submissive offering it?”
“Bite your tongue, Ursa,” she snaps. “You know better.”
Yes, I do. But the advantage of friendship is that sometimes we dance over each other’s lines without apology. “You should take her, darling. She’s primed for it, and maybe it’ll put you in a better mood.”
Malone gives a delicate sneer. “Worry about your own household.” She shakes her head. “I suppose you’ll be too busy with that virgin pussy for drinks this week.”
A slow heat has been building in me since I placed the winning bid. “Call me in a few days. I might be in a mood to share.”
Her green eyes light up, though her voice stays dry as always. “You truly are a friend cut above the rest.”
“I’m everything cut above the rest.” I catch sight of Hades across the room, and he tilts his head, indicating I should follow him. “I have to go. Duty calls.”
“Enjoy your night.” She loads enough innuendo into the sentence to sink a fleet.
“You, too. Find some pretty submissive to take out all that frustration on.” I walk away to her soft cursing, my smile widening. It’s a good night. There are still factors in play, but things are going my way. I just need to be patient enough to let the final few dominos fall.
I find Hades in the lounge, leaning against the bar. Some of the other territory leaders have made their way back here as well. I catch sight of Jasmine and Jafar tucked in what’s become their booth. Those two are always so lost in each other, it’s tempting to test them to see if their distraction expands past their time in the club. I know better than to give in to that impulse. In the year or so since Jasmine’s taken over her father’s territory, she’s proven herself to be a capable leader. That and the fact we don’t share a border is enough to keep me on my best behavior.
For now.
I stop next to Hades and prop my hip against the bar. He doesn’t seem overly keen on breaking the silence, but that’s a simple negotiation tactic. We already settled this yesterday. He won’t interfere, even if he doesn’t like this.
Tisiphone appears behind the bar. She’s a tall Dominican woman, and one-third of Hades’s Furies. I’ve never seen her anywhere except behind this bar, but that doesn’t mean I’m foolish enough to believe all she does is sling drinks. She nods to me warily and pours Scotch for him and gin and tonic for me.
I pick up the drink. “Hades, darling, you look tired. Are you getting enough sleep between those two randy partners of yours?”
His brows inch up. “I won’t bother to ask what game you’re playing by bidding on that girl.”
“Good. It’s none of your business.” No matter what most of the other territory leaders believe, I have no real interest in war. It’s messy and expensive and even if you win, you lose. Better to be subtle in my revenge. I might want Triton dead, but I know better than to bring all of Olympus down upon our heads.
What better way to enact my revenge than taking his daughter?
Easy. Having her come to me willingly, entrapping herself in my net of her own choice. It only took the right bait, and she leaped without checking for predators in the water. I might pity her if I were the type of woman to pity fools.
Hades takes a sip of his drink. “If she changes her mind anytime in the next seven days, I’ll take her from you and return her to her father.”
I let my smile slide free. “She won’t.” That, I’m sure of. The trap is too well baited. My plan is too perfectly balanced. “And she’s an adult, Hades. You’d have to be a monster to hand her back to her father against her will.”
“Ursa…” He shakes his head. “This won’t end the way you want it to.”
I laugh a little. “Give me some credit. I’m not in danger of falling for the mode of my revenge. You’re the one who let emotions get tangled up in your goals.”
He gives me a long look. “The girl watches you with lust in those big brown eyes.”
I know. Impossible not to notice when Zurielle hasn’t learned to mask her expressions nearly as well as she should by now. How she survived Olympus is more a testament to her father’s overprotectiveness than any survival instincts
she possesses. Really, her lust makes her easier to manipulate, ensures that my end goal is simple enough to obtain. No matter what my reputation, I have no interest in forcing the girl. Revenge is all the sweeter when it’s walked into willingly. It gives Triton no place to stand and cry foul if Zurielle loves every depraved thing I’m going to do to her little body. Every depraved thing we are going to do to her little body.
Now, I get to have my cake and eat her, too.
“Shall I have the amount wired to you?”
He shakes his head slowly. “My office.”
I allow him to lead the way. We find Aurora and Zurielle already there. The latter has her clothing back in place, the tease of a dress making me want to rip it off. She looks nothing like her father, a big burly white man with red hair and a full beard. No, Zurielle is like a replica of his dead wife, the pretty, petite Vietnamese woman he brought back to Olympus with him after one of his business trips at Poseidon’s behest. She lasted long enough to bear him five daughters before she died. The official story is a car accident, but rumor has it that Zeus was responsible. Knowing what I do of Zeus, it could be anything from her rejecting his unwanted advances to him deciding that Triton was focused too much on his lovely wife and not enough on Olympus business. Who can say?
I’ve only seen his wife in pictures, but Zurielle has the same delicate bone structure and warm beige skin. Everything about her screams breakable in a way that makes my mouth water. The only difference between her and her dead mother is that her long hair has been dyed a deep auburn color and her mother’s was a more natural dark brown. They even have the same sweet smile and foolish hope in their brown eyes.
Watching Zurielle up on that stage with Aurora touching her, playing with her nipples, delving a hand between her thighs… It was sexy and strangely sweet, and I wanted to stride up there and put my mark on her for everyone to see. She is the mode of my revenge, and I fully intend to use her until I balance the scales skewed by her father.
All in good time. A patient hunter is a successful one, and I haven’t come this far to let lust derail me.
I take the seat next to Zurielle and wait for Hades to rifle through the paperwork. He flips around two pages and slides them across the desk to us. “These are the terms. Once Ursa signs, the money will be transferred into a holding account to be paid out upon the end of the seven days. My twenty percent will be taken off the top.”
Zurielle nibbles her bottom lip. “I can’t have the money now?”
Hades raises his brows. “Are you often paid before doing the promised work?”
“Hades.” I laugh. “What I have in mind is hardly work.”
He doesn’t look at me, his attention narrowing on Zurielle. “If Ursa is in agreement, I’ll release up to thirty-three percent of the total tonight.”
I have to fight down my smile. Zurielle couldn’t be more predictable if I’d laid out the steps for her ahead of time. “Of course. I suspect her word is good.”
She glances at me, finally wary for the first time since I picked her up two days ago. “It is.”
“There you have it.” I wave casually at Hades. “Make the necessary changes.”
“I want to pay off Alaric’s debt,” Zurielle blurts. “So it’s going to you anyways. There’s no real need for moving the money around. Just take the remainder of what he’s owed.”
Shock flashes across Hades’s face. It’s quickly concealed, but I see it. In all my years in Carver City, I’ve never managed to see him surprised. Not like he is right now. He gives me a sharp look and then studies Zurielle. “Are you sure?”
“I’m not from Carver City, so there should be no issue with my paying his debt.” Her voice wavers a little, but she doesn’t drop her gaze. I might be impressed if I wasn’t downright giddy with victory. Zurielle lifts her chin. “I’m sure.”
Hades hesitates a beat but finally nods. “Consider it done.” He motions to the papers. “Sign here.”
She reads it over carefully and finally signs with a flourish. I do the same. It’s a contract more for the money than for the sexual bits. Selling one’s virginity isn’t exactly on the up-and-up legally, and something like this would never hold up in court. It doesn’t have to, though. I’ve already gotten my way. It’s just a matter of tipping the last domino.
Hades glances at the signatures and nods again. “I’ll see the funds transferred tonight and Alaric’s amount paid in full.” His dark eyes go almost pitying. “I hope he’s worth it.”
“He is.” Zurielle sounds so pure, so determined.
I’m going to take great delight in cutting her knees out from beneath her. “If that’s everything?”
He flicks his fingers. “Go. Expect Hercules at some point in the next week, and remember what I said about the consequences of not honoring your part of the contract.” His expression freezes over. “Don’t make me have to act on it, Ursa. No one in Carver City will like it if I do.”
“Darling, I wouldn’t dream of it.” I may have flirted with war when the Man in Black died, but I have no intention of letting something as petty as political squabbles derail my current trajectory. Zurielle is mine for the next seven days, and no one will take her from me. Not even Hades.
I push slowly to my feet. “Come along. Hades will have your luggage delivered in the morning.” I should leave it at that, should avoid feeding the unease in her pretty, dark eyes. I can’t quite resist. “You won’t need it tonight.”
Zurielle flinches but rises to her feet without hesitation. Does she realize she’s responding to the snap in my voice? I don’t think so. Virginity doesn’t mean innocence. It doesn’t really mean anything at all. But this girl is innocent.
If I were a virtuous person, I wouldn’t find that so delicious. But then, I’ve never shied away from my desires, and dirtying up a girl who’s done barely more than kiss makes me feel like Christmas has come early. All the better that she looks at me like she can’t decide if she wants to crawl at my feet or run screaming.
I stay silent while we leave the Underworld. She’s practically vibrating with nerves and questions, and she lasts longer than I expect, managing to wait until we’re settled in the back of my town car to speak. “If you were going to give me the money, why not just do it yesterday when we talked?”
I twist to look at her, finally—finally—releasing my mask for the barest few seconds. I let her see my hunger, my anger, my lust. Then I wrap it up in a warm smile that I’m all too aware doesn’t reach my eyes. “I want you, Zurielle. Now I have you for the next seven days. It’s as simple as that.”
As simple and as complicated as that.
Chapter 8
Zurielle
Ursa wanted me, so she bid on me. It seems simple enough, but there’s nothing simple about this situation. I may be naive at times, but I’m not foolish enough to ignore the connection between her and my father nor to pretend it has nothing to do with her winning the bid on me. Maybe she wants me, but having me for the next week will be a strike at my father and that has to be more attractive to her.
I push the worry from my mind. It’s something to deal with at the end of this week, and maybe not even then. With Alaric free, we can leave Carver City, leave Olympus, just leave and go somewhere my father’s anger will never touch us, move to a city where no one knows the names Triton or Ursa. The thought makes me smile a little, but I let it drift away as the car pulls into a parking garage that looks like any other.
Ursa barely waits for the car to stop before she’s out, motioning for me to follow her. The same Black woman from before climbs out of the driver’s seat. Ursa waves a hand at her. “This is Monica. You won’t see her much this week, but as my head of security, if she tells you to do something for your safety, do it.”
I swallow hard. “Okay.”
Monica gives me a once-over and shakes her head. “You’re going to regret this.”
For a moment, I think she’s talking to me, but then Ursa’s laugh booms through the
echoing space of the parking garage. “You know me, darling. I make a habit of regretting nothing. I’m certainly not going to regret this week.”
“Sure.” Monica rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say, darling.”
I half expect Ursa to slap her down over the blatant familiarity, but she surprises me by laughing again. “You missed dinner. Go get something to eat after you check in with our people.”
“Bossy.”
“I am your boss, yes.”
Monica gives a slim smile, but it dies when she turns to me. “I take Ursa’s safety seriously. You fuck with her, and I’ll toss you off a balcony without a second thought.”
I blink. “Um.” I really, really want to believe she’s joking, but her expression is deadly serious. “I’m not going to fuck with her.” As if I would, when doing so would risk violating our agreement. As if I could.
Ursa raises her brows. “If that’s all?”
“Yeah, yeah. Get out of here.” Monica waves us away.
I don’t realize that she’s not following us into the elevator until Ursa pushes the button and the doors slide shut. That’s when my nerves begin to get the best of me. My heartbeat kicks up, slamming against my ribcage. I’m at this woman’s mercy, and I should be preparing to do whatever she asks and bear whatever she wants to do to me. Simply survive it.
I am afraid. But I’m not only afraid.
The thought of her dragging those nails over my skin? Of watching her strip out of that dress and seeing what she has on—or doesn’t—beneath it? Of kissing her and kneeling before her spread thighs…
I shiver.
No, I’m not only afraid. Or even primarily afraid.
I should be. Wanting Ursa might be the worst mistake I’ve made yet, but I can’t help how drawn I am to her.
The doors open, and she steps out. I follow but stop short. I don’t know what I expected. Something minimalist and chic, maybe. That’s all the rage right now, and it seems like everyone with money in Olympus has jumped on the trend.
The Sea Witch: A Wicked Villains Novel Page 6