by Celia Aaron
“You’re my child, of course you could do it!” Vanth kissed Cate on the forehead. “Get all you can before his last breath, then stop. We don’t want dead blood mixing with the live. And one more thing.” Vanth kissed her again. “Happy birthday!”
Cate smiled. “Thanks, Mom.” She returned her gaze to mine. “I guess you’re the candle I’m blowing out, huh?”
Vanth laughed. “Oh, how droll you are Hecate.”
A low groan came from my left.
Vanth turned. “Morgana! Stop stabbing him! You won’t get enough live blood that way.” She hurried off as Cate gripped my shoulder, keeping me upright as my world began to go dark.
“Cate.” A wet bubble popped on my lips. Blood?
“It’s Hecate, really. Named after my great-great-great-great grandmother. Though there may be a few more ‘greats’ in there. Not entirely sure.” She gave me the same sweet smile I remembered from the day of her job interview. “Don’t look so confused.” She pressed the cup harder against me, as if trying to make sure she didn’t lose a drop. “There was a reason I showed up in your office that day, a reason I wanted the job, a reason I got the job, and a reason I played you so easily.”
I couldn’t speak, everything in me going cold.
“But don’t be mad.” She leaned up and kissed the tip of my nose. “It’s all about power, just like you said. You got the power all those years ago. I was too young then. My sisters and I—” She glanced around the room, but I couldn’t see anything beyond her anymore. It was too dark. “We’re all Marie’s daughters. Different fathers. Mom has a habit of dispatching whoever she mates with.” Her eyes glittered. “So black widow, right? Anyway, me and the girls, we’re taking over.”
I tried to shake my head, but couldn’t move.
“And I don’t mean in some ‘I’m going to write a girl power blog’ way. I mean, we’re really taking over. With the power we’re getting from each of you, we’ll rule this place. That’s been Mom’s plan all along. You’re just one of the lucky few who gets to put the whole thing in motion. They’ll sing songs about you, Ted! About the sacrifice you gave to make this brave new world possible. We’ll run your companies, take over your estates, and eventually take it all. We’ve been waiting a long time, trying to figure out when we could make our move. But, really, with the way you men—” She tapped her fingers on my shoulder, her grip strong, too strong. “And I don’t mean all men, of course, but with the way men have been fucking up running things, it’s time for some fresh blood.” She glanced at my chest and winced. “Sorry. No pun intended.” Her tinkling laugh echoed in my mind as my eyes closed. “Women are the way to save this whole shebang. Mom, my sisters, and I are just going to light the match to start the blaze. And don’t worry about me getting busted, sweet Ted. You’re going to disappear tonight, and sure, maybe the cops will eventually come looking, but I’ll say you left work early and said you were going to meet someone for a date. No one will be able to link you to me or this place. I haven’t told a soul about you.” She spoke in a familiar voice. In my own voice using my words. “And the waiter at the restaurant?” She giggled. “He’s one of my brothers. You saw him when we walked in Mom’s front door, but you didn’t even recognize him.”
I slouched, my body going numb so that I all I could sense was the horror in my sluggish veins. My ears felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls in them.
“Girls, come!” Vanth’s voice barely made it into my mind. “Bring your cups. It is time to commune with the divine and the infernal.”
“Rest now.” Cate lay me back on the floor. “My cup runneth over.”
I opened my eyes once more. Cate hovered above me, her eyes gone raven black and a wicked grin on her face. Those were the last things I saw.
She pressed my eyes closed. “Shh. I’ll take it from here.”
Epilogue
Cate
“I’m the one running? I thought Morgana was more of the politician sort.” I kicked my stilettos up on my desk, the sun pouring in from the corner windows behind me.
“Daughter, you know very well that Morgana’s temper makes her ill-suited for public life.” Mom sat back on the leather sofa and cast an appreciative look around my office. “I rather like what you’ve done in here.”
“Thanks. Ted’s office was rather boorish, to be honest. It needed a sprucing up.” I’d replaced all of his furniture and décor, opting for sleek glass and chrome instead of the heavy wooden shit that was supposed to denote power but only showed bad taste.
“Well done. And how’s McGovern doing under its new leadership?”
I smiled. “Ever since we’ve taken over, profits are up, costs are down, and employee morale is at an all-time high. Paid family leave went a long way toward keeping the staff happy, not to mention we’ve started paying all of their insurance costs instead of only a quarter. Honestly, I can’t imagine things going any better.”
“Same for all the other girls. They are doing quite well. The blessings were particularly strong this time, just as I predicted. Taking those five was the smartest move we could have made. And you made a particularly good choice with Ted as your target. He had absolutely no idea, did he?”
“None.” I snorted. Ted thought he was ever-so-clever. Not so much, but at least he was an excellent fuck. I doubt any other man could pleasure me the way he and his friend had. Rough, but so, so good. Too bad.
I cleared the naughty thoughts away. “I’m glad my sisters are faring well. Morgana said she’s going to institute mandatory paid vacation at her firm. That should be interesting to watch.”
“Oh, I rather like that. Now, back to this Senate business.” She leaned forward, her shrewd eyes on me. “You have to be the one. You have that wholesome look—from your father, of course.”
I drew a pentagram over my heart. “May the harpies never trouble his soul.”
“Amen.” She sighed. “Anyway, you’ve got the look, the smarts, and you aren’t so quick to anger. You’re also the sharpest, so I think this is meant for you.”
“Why not you?”
She narrowed her eyes. “The wholesome look completely missed me, my darling.”
I laughed. “When you wear all black all the time and have a body like yours, you tend to miss that mark, yeah. You’re more vamp than anything else.”
“Thank you, dear. At my age, it’s so hard to keep attractive.” She peered down at her svelte figure. “Virgin’s blood has been harder to come by lately, but I found enough at an incel rally a few weeks ago that I have at least two baths’ worth.”
“Incel rally?” I cocked my head.
She waved her hand. “It’s these young men who are ‘involuntarily celibate’ or, in common parlance, they can’t get laid and hate women because of it. They get violent sometimes, too, targeting women who’ve turned them down, or just women in general. Rude beasts, the lot of them.”
“And they have rallies for this? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“No.” She smoothed her hands down her trim waist. “Thank heavens I’m not, because I racked up with all the virgins in their ranks. And their ridiculous anger makes the blood even more potent.”
“If you want me in the Senate, then you’ll need to share some of it.” I patted my not-so-trim waist. “I could use a tuneup.”
She shook her head. “You are beautiful. Made in the image of Diana. You’ve no need for lotions and potions like me.”
My cold heart warmed. Mom always knew just what to say. “Thanks.”
“I just speak the truth, little witch.” She rose and headed to the door. “I’ll go ahead and put out a call for a campaign manager, public speaking coach, all that. We’ll have you ready for the primary and general election in a year. You’ll win in a landslide. And then, we’ll be one step closer to the true fonts of power.”
I arched a brow. “Higher than the Senate?”
“With the roll we’re on, you’ll be sitting behind the desk at Pennsylvania Avenue in no time.�
�� She walked out with her usual flare, the door closing on its own behind her.
I turned and stared out my windows at the city. The sun was going down, turning the skyscrapers into mirrors reflecting fiery orange and deep red.
Red, like Ted’s blood. I pulled a small vial from between my breasts. I’d kept a little souvenir from our night together and wore it around my neck, hoarding a piece of his vicious soul.
“Oh, Ted.” I grinned. “If you could only see me now.”
Darling, if you’re into Bad Guys, I’ve just the one for you.
Also by Celia Aaron
Dark Romance
The Bad Guy
My name is Sebastian Lindstrom, and I’m the villain of this story.
I’ve decided to lay myself bare. To tell the truth for once in my hollow life, no matter how dark it gets. And I can assure you, it will get so dark that you’ll find yourself feeling around the blackened corners of my mind, seeking a door handle that isn’t there.
Don’t mistake this for a confession. I neither seek forgiveness nor would I accept it. My sins are my own. They keep me company. Instead, this is the true tale of how I found her, how I stole her, and how I lost her.
She was a damsel, one who already had her white knight. But every fairy tale has a villain, someone waiting in the wings to rip it all down. A scoundrel who will set the world on fire if that means he gets what he wants. That’s me.
I’m the bad guy.
The Cloister Series
I joined the Cloister to find the truth. But I've discovered so much more, and the darkness here is seducing me, pulling me down until all I can think of is him. Adam Monroe, the Prophet's son, a dark prince to an empire that grows by the day. He is tasked with keeping me safe from the wolves of the outside world. But the longer I stay at the Cloister, the more I realize the wolves are already inside and under the Prophet's control. If Adam discovers the real reason I'm here, he'll bay for my blood with the rest of them. Until then, I will be Delilah, an obedient servant of the Prophet during the day and Adam's Maiden at night.
Counsellor, Magnate, & Sovereign
Darkness lurks in the heart of the Louisiana elite, and only one will be able to rule them as Sovereign. Sinclair Vinemont will compete for the title, and has acquired Stella Rousseau for that very purpose. Breaking her is part of the game. Loving her is the most dangerous play of all.
Blackwood
I dig. It’s what I do. I’ll literally use a shovel to answer a question. Some answers, though, have been buried too deep for too long. But I’ll find those, too. And I know where to dig—the Blackwood Estate on the edge of the Mississippi Delta. Garrett Blackwood is the only thing standing between me and the truth. A broken man—one with desires that dance in the darkest part of my soul—he’s either my savior or my enemy. I’ll dig until I find all his secrets. Then I’ll run so he never finds mine. The only problem? He likes it when I run.
Dark Protector
From the moment I saw her through the window of her flower shop, something other than darkness took root inside me. Charlie shone like a beacon in a world that had long since lost any light. But she was never meant for me, a man that killed without remorse and collected bounties drenched in blood.
I thought staying away would keep her safe, would shield her from me. I was wrong. Danger followed in my wake like death at a slaughter house. I protected her from the threats that circled like black buzzards, kept her safe with kill after kill.
But everything comes with a price, especially second chances for a man like me.
Killing for her was easy. It was living for her that turned out to be the hard part.
Nate
I rescued Sabrina from a mafia bloodbath when she was 13. As the new head of the Philly syndicate, I sent her to the best schools to keep her as far away from the life--and me--as possible. It worked perfectly. Until she turned 18. Until she came home. Until I realized that the timid girl was gone and in her place lived a smart mouth and a body that demanded my attention. I promised myself I'd resist her, for her own good.
I lied.
About the Author
Celia Aaron is a recovering attorney and USA Today bestselling author who loves romance and erotic fiction. Dark to light, angsty to funny, real to fantasy—if it’s hot and strikes her fancy, she writes it. Thanks for reading.
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