Twenty minutes later, I was regretting not having argued about an escort as I was sitting in a cab next to Sirius. He seemed as happy to be with me as a child who had been told he’d have castor oil for dinner. His jaw was locked, and his knuckles whitened from how much he clenched his fists.
I adjusted the folds of my skirts and shifted away from him. After learning about the Priority Protection Act, I understood how much he must hate accompanying me. For him, looking after a whore had to be a waste of his precious time.
“I wonder how Jasper convinced you to come with me.”
He stared out of the window, elbow propped on the frame. “I was the only agent available. He gave me an order, and I didn’t have much choice.”
“I thought that under the Priority Protection Act, it was practically illegal to use an agent’s time to protect a whore.”
“It is.” He turned his glacial stare on me. “But since you’re one of the agents’ supposed guest, I’m obliged to follow my captain’s order. Some people do follow the law.”
“What do you mean by that? I am Evander’s guest.”
Sirius scoffed. “Please. What do you do to him? Do you suck his cock every night in exchange for staying in his house? Does he take you from behind, like a dog?”
Anger flared, hot and strong in my chest. He wouldn’t talk like that if Evander or Jasper were present. And I hated that he assumed that Evander was taking liberties with me. Alas, it wasn’t the case.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I snapped.
A slow, vicious smirk stretched his lips. “Does he ask you to do all the dirty things he can’t do with his fiancée?”
“He never asked me—” Sirius’s words sank in like a cold stone in my heart. Or rather, one particular word sank in. Fiancée. The French word was all the rage at the moment, meaning betrothed, bride-to-be, future woman who would sleep with Evander every night and carry his children.
My mouth grew dry.
Evander Lynch was taken, and why shouldn’t he be? He was handsome, strong willed, and had a good job. Women must throw themselves at him. I’d assumed he was free, but then again, I’d never asked. And I was a whore. He probably didn’t consider taking liberties with me as cheating on his fiancée.
The world spun upside down. Now Evander’s words took another meaning. All his moments of hesitation, all his ‘I can’t’ became very clear.
Sirius clicked his tongue. “Oh, you didn’t know he was engaged to be married.” He reclined his head on the back of the seat. “Well, but after all, why would he tell you? You’re only his whore.”
The news was like an icy, sharp blade to my heart. My breath remained trapped in my constricted throat. The pain slashed me in half. Why did it hurt so much?
Sirius was right. Evander had no reason to share his private life with me. I was nothing to him, not even his friend. Just a little whore he’d decided to protect because of his unbreachable honour. Hot tears threatened to spill, but I’d rather face Bertie again than crying in front of Sirius.
“I’m surprised he didn’t tell you,” he said as sweet as a snake. “Evander prides himself to have a strong moral code. Finally, he showed his true colours. He fucks a whore but doesn’t say anything about his intended. Even for a man like me, this is cold.”
“He doesn’t fuck me!” I slammed a hand on the seat, earning a shot of pain in my arm.
“Oh, really? Why then is he stubbornly trying to protect you?”
“It’s his choice. I didn’t buy his protection in his bed.”
He leaned closer, his lips were an inch away from my ear. “You don’t have to lie to me.”
The tip of his tongue stroked my neck, and I scurried away from him, retreating to a corner.
He followed me. “If I didn’t find whores utterly disgusting, I might fuck you as well.”
“If I didn’t find you utterly disgusting, I might . . . No, on second thought, not even in that case.”
He laughed. “Shut that pretty mouth. You’ll be naked on your knees in front of me if I pay you enough.”
“Try me, swine.”
“I will. Once I cleanse your memory of the events of the past weeks, you won’t have any recollection of me. I’ll search for you in your brothel and pay you, and you’ll spread your legs for me, whore.”
A chill settled in the pit of my stomach. If I didn’t remember him, I might take him as a client. I wanted to vomit.
His cruel smile stretched his lips. “And please don’t insult my intelligence. We both know you and Evander have sex. It’s written on your flushed face how much you enjoy yourself with him.”
That unfortunately might be true.
In a swish of fabric, he withdrew to his corner, grinning, surely happy to have hurt me.
That grin of victory shut me up for the rest of the trip.
At least anger kept my desire to cry at bay.
Apparently, a tiny side of me had hoped that a romantic involvement might’ve happened between Evander and me. I blamed the way he made me feel when he touched and kissed me. It was the only possible explanation for the pain cutting me into pieces now.
The self-satisfied glances Sirius threw at me didn’t help. The sadistic swine loved hurting me, but it was Evander who hurt me the most.
It was a relief to jump out of the cab and enter De Luna House. I didn’t wait for Sirius to open the door and give me his hand. He wouldn’t offer it, and I wouldn’t accept it, anyway.
The scent of spices coming from the kitchen mingled with the girls’ perfumes, and a wave of homesickness overwhelmed me. Which was ridiculous. De Luna House wasn’t really my home. It was simply the place where I worked and, yes, where Violet taught me to read and do maths. But I belonged there. Any fantasy I might’ve entertained—without my conscious approval—about leaving this place and live a different life next to Evander must end now.
Whores didn’t realise their dreams, didn’t leave their whorehouse, and didn’t live happily ever after. Sirius had taken care to remind me of that. I wasn’t grateful to the bastard though.
“Asia.” Felicity emerged from Violet’s office and pulled me into a hug. “How are you? I received your note, but I was worried.”
I rested my head on her shoulder, fighting back the tears. “Any news of Charlotte?” I deflected her question because I couldn’t answer with ‘I’m fine.’
“None, and Katy has disappeared too.”
I stiffened. “What do you mean?” My heart clenched for Katy, for pretending I didn’t know she was on a cold medical slab in an underground laboratory being prodded by scientists.
She held me at arm length and studied my face. “She left with a client and hasn’t returned yet. Why the pale face? You seem tired and scared. Your client?”
I shook my head. It went deeper than that. “Listen, I’m not here to stay. I have to take my things and leave again.”
I’d stay with Evander only until Bertie was caught. Then I’d leave him. Forever.
“Why? What’s the matter? Violet is going crazy trying to replace you, Katy, and Charlotte. She won’t be happy about this.”
I took her hand. “It’s my new client. He’s paying me a lot of money to be with him all the time.” The lie didn’t come out easily, and my voice didn’t sound convincing to my own ears. “It’s a great opportunity for me to put some pounds aside, and I’ll give Violet her share. Sorry, but I have to go. My client has been very clear about the fact that I should be quick.” He’d only forgotten to tell me he was taken.
Felicity’s mouth twitched as if she were about to say something but remained silent.
I dragged my feet up the stairs. Disappointment squeezed my heart. Silence filled the corridor. The girls were probably asleep now. They had no idea Katy was dead, and maybe even Charlotte was dead. Another overwhelming wave of sadness spilled within me. A sob tore from my mouth, and a tear rolled down my cheek. I wasn’t sure if I was crying for Katy, Cha
rlotte, or me. Maybe for all three of us.
Once in my room, I stuffed my two satchels with warm clothes, toiletries, books, and shoes, jamming them blindly in the bags. Paying attention to fold my shirts didn’t seem important now. Nothing was. I paused packing and sat on the edge of the bed. Sobs rocked me, and tears wetted my—Jessica’s shirt.
Light footsteps sounded from the corridor. Only R. O. B agents moved so silently. I wiped my face with a kerchief, patted my hair, and resumed packing.
Without knocking, Sirius strolled inside the room, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his waistcoat. “Jasper’s orders were clear. He wants me to help you pack like a gentleman.”
“And you made clear that helping me isn’t something you want to do.” I stowed a scarf inside the satchel.
“You have to admit that society doesn’t give a damn about you and your lot. Why should I? Whores are natural magnets for incubi. We can’t possibly help them all. We don’t have the resources. It’s better if we focus on innocent maidens.”
I didn’t reply. What was the point? Men like Sirius liked to use whores for their personal pleasure before returning to the sanctity of their home and their wives to recite the evening prayers. Hypocrisy was their lifestyle.
Even Evander’s.
The thought was like lemon juice on a bleeding cut, so I gnashed my teeth and dug my nails into my palm to focus. He’d even bought me Jane Eyre. I’d return it to him.
Sirius took one of the satchels and strapped it on his shoulder. “Ready? The cab is waiting, and I don’t want to pay extra pounds because you’re uselessly loitering here.”
I paused as his words triggered a memory. “The other day, in the kitchen, you were about to say something on what I could do to help and be useful. What was it?”
He arched a brow. “It’s pretty simple. I thought you would’ve figured it out by now.”
If I kicked his stupid mouth, would I be charged with assault on an officer? I might be tempted to find out. “Just tell me, will you?”
“The incubus wants you.” He raked a slow gaze over me that stripped me bare. “If you bait him out of his lair, we can ambush him, and end of the story.”
I didn’t like Sirius, not one bit, but he was right. Why didn’t I think of that before? “How do I bait him?”
“If you stay in an unprotected house, all alone, sooner or later the incubus will find you, or his shadows will, and judging by how he took your rejection personally, it won’t take long for him to discover where you are. He even sent his henchman to fetch you in Evander’s house. It means he knows your every move.”
I snapped the satchel closed and tossed it to him. “I accept.”
He grabbed it with one hand. “You accept what?” The noise of clinking glass—likely my bottles of makeup—came from the satchel when he adjusted it.
“I’ll be the bait, and you’ll catch the bastard.” And after that, I’d return to my life and forget about a pair of deceiving emerald eyes.
Eighteen
OUTRAGED. That was the only word to describe Evander’s mood after I told him I wanted to lure the incubus out.
“Absolutely no!” He slammed a fist on the desk of his office hard enough to cause a bottle of ink to rattle. “You have no idea what you’re putting yourself into. Too many things can go wrong, and we don’t know this incubus yet. He’s too smart and uses other Unnaturals to help him, and his hunger doesn’t fit the profile of other incubi we know. Your idea is madness.”
If I didn’t know he was betrothed, I would almost believe he cared for me.
Sirius standing next to the door didn’t flinch. “She volunteered, and it’s the first sensible thing she did.”
His hatred towards me grated on my skin, but I needed him as an ally now. I stayed silent and avoided Evander’s gaze.
He crossed the room with two long strides and came almost chest to chest with Sirius. “You put her up to it, didn’t you?”
Violence charged the air. The two men stood inches from each other, bodies tense with the anticipation of a fight. A fight I didn’t want to witness.
“It was my idea,” I said, moving closer to them. “It’s the quickest way to catch the incubus, and the safest thing to protect De Luna House and Charlotte.”
“You aren’t an agent, and you don’t have any training on how to deal with the Unnaturals.” Anger leeched out of his voice. “The incubus will likely kill you. You hurt him and escaped him, outraging him. He wouldn’t simply feed from you. He’ll kill you like he did with Katy.”
Dread burned hot in the back of my throat, and it was unfair of him to mention Katy. “I understand, but I can’t hide forever or let him kill Charlotte. Evander, I want to do it.”
“Listen to her,” Sirius said, “not just your cock.”
“What does it have to do with anything?” A tick started in Evander’s jaw muscle.
“You know damn well what,” Sirius gritted out.
“You sleezy bastard.”
“Evander, please.” I tugged at his shirt before he grabbed Sirius’s by the throat. “It was my idea, and I mean to carry on with it.”
“The hell you are.” His voice thundered in the room.
“For God’s sake, Lynch!” Sirius pushed off the wall. “She’s a bloody whore. All she has to do is what she’s been doing so far for a living. Lie down on her back, open her legs, and let the incubus have his way with her.”
The words hurt, but I couldn’t deny their truth.
The glare Evander shot was sheer, undiluted hate. I wouldn’t be at the end of that stare.
“He’s right,” I whispered. “And I won’t be alone. The agents will be close, right?”
Evander’s nostrils flared. The same raw energy he emanated when he kissed me was thickening the air.
Sirius didn’t back though. “Why don’t you tell her the truth?”
I perked up. “The truth? What do you mean?”
I could’ve talked to two trees for all the attention the two males were giving me.
“Why do you hate these unlucky girls so much?” Evander asked.
“Why do you love them so much?” Sirius snapped back.
Another staring contest started. If they lunged at each other, I wouldn’t know how to stop them. In fact, I wouldn’t want to. Let them fight. Who cared?
Then Evander stepped back from Sirius’s space, snatched his jacket from a chair, and headed towards the door. “We aren’t going to do it. And this is final.” He donned the jacket and strode away. His heavy footfalls rang out.
The front door slammed shut hard enough that a painting on the wall rattled.
“Stubborn prick,” Sirius muttered, leaving the room. “I’ll talk with the others and find a way to change his mind,” he tossed over his shoulder before I could ask what truth Evander was keeping from me.
A sudden surge of helplessness flared inside me. I couldn’t leave Evander’s house. I couldn’t help Charlotte, and I couldn’t stay with Evander.
I dragged myself to the bathroom and employed Evander’s modern bath system. After the hot bath and a few cups of tea, the sun had lowered on the horizon, and the day was bleeding into a fierce sunset.
Maybe after Evander’s temper had cooled down, he’d see reason, and I’d convince him the plan was the right one. If I talked to him without the constant venom coming from Sirius, Evander would understand. Besides, he’d be ready to intervene. I wouldn’t be left alone with the incubus.
Sitting on the couch in the sitting room, I stared out of the window. My first edition of Jane Eyre lay untouched on my lap. It seemed that even with engaging books, I wasn’t interested in reading.
The fire fizzed in the hearth, the only sound in the quiet room. I was here reading, when Charlotte was who knew where, going through who knew what. The only glimmer of hope was that if Bertie had killed her, I would know. Bertie would make sure the agents would find the body.
The noise
of a key rattling in the front door tore me from my dark thoughts. I sprang up and rushed to the foyer, my bare feet silent on the wooden floor. “Evander.”
Hit by the light of the sunset, a red glow gleamed on Evander’s hair when he entered the sitting room. Blood trickled down his forehead, and I rushed to him.
The anger and the frustration of the last hours evaporated. “Are you all right?”
He wiped the blood and nodded. “Only a scratch.” He removed his jacket and limned it on the couch.
When he went to stride off towards his bedroom, I took his arm. “We need to talk.”
“Yes.” He pivoted towards me, lips pressed in a firm line.
I’d meant to confront him about his fiancée, but knowing what the bureau decided about my plan was more urgent. “What did Jasper decide about my plan?”
His jaw twitched. The muscles under my fingers contracted.
“Evander?” I pulled his hand. “Tell me what Jasper said.”
“Jasper and Damon agreed with me, but unfortunately, Van Doren thinks that using you as bait is a good plan.” Bitterness dripped from his voice. “Apparently, Jasper, Damon, and I are the only one who thinks it’s too dangerous. Asia.” The breath he sucked in strained his waistcoat. “Please, don’t do this. I can give you enough money to leave the country, to flee the incubus. You can start afresh somewhere. You could go anywhere you like. You could go to the Colonies.”
“What are you talking about?” I released his hand. “I’m not a coward. I won’t leave my friend alone when she needs me the most. No one will help her. Not the bureau, not the police. I’m the only one who cares.”
“That’s not true.” He took a step towards me. “I care. A lot.”
“But not enough to tell me you were taken.” The words were out of my mouth before my brain could stop them.
He grew still and paled. “I’m sorry. I meant to tell you.”
“But?”
“I never found the right moment.”
“You kissed me.” I hated the whiny note in my voice. “You touched me,” I added in a whisper.
“Damn.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “It’s not . . . I know it looks bad, but it’s not what it seems.”
The Royal Occult Bureau Page 16