Page 44 of Consort of the Crime Queen

"You saved my life," I tell him, sounding just as shaken as he is. I try to smile. "My hero."

He gives me a weak grin, though his face is still contorted with pain. Lyssa, who has been studying the spreading pool of blood with interest, looks up.

"Hades needs to be informed. You—" She points at someone. "Go and find her."

I swallow hard. Hadria is going to be furious that someone made an attempt on my life right under her own roof.

Not five minutes later, the doors to the training room slam open and Hadria stalks in, gray eyes like thunderclouds. Her gaze sweeps the bloody scene before settling on me. Then she's at my side, hands all over me as she checks me for injuries.

"Are you hurt?" she demands. I shake my head mutely, trying not to lean too much into her touch. Just having her close steadies me, though my hands still tremble with delayed shock.

Hadria turns to Mario next, assessing his injury with a critical eye. "I already sent for the Doc," Lyssa tells her. "He'll live, but I didn't want to take any chances. He jumped in front of the blade for Suzy—uh, Aurora."

Hadria puts a hand on his shoulder. "You have my thanks," she says seriously. "And you will be rewarded." She turns to address the remaining, shell-shocked group. "Mario showed excellent work defending his fellow Syndicate member. I know the rest of you will, as well. Unity and loyalty are what make us strong."

They stand taller at her words. But while her tone is calm, I can feel the fury simmering beneath the surface. Someone will pay dearly for this betrayal.

Hadria draws me aside into one of the side rooms, out of view and earshot. Her thumb gently brushes the crusted blood on my arm. "I'm so sorry, Sunshine. I never thought you'd come to harm here in Elysium—especially under Lyssa's eye."

My heart twists at the regret in her voice. "This wasn't your fault, or Lyssa's either. How could you have known?"

She smiles sadly, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "You're too kind to me, as always." Her eyes darken. "But I can see it's past time that I moved against Nero and my father. They've gone too far this time."

"I'm just sorry I couldn't kill him myself," I admit softly.

Now Hadria looks startled. "That's not who you are, Sunshine." She brushes her thumb over my lips. "You made this place live again. Made my heart come to life along with it."

Overcome with emotion, with the events of the last hour, I cling to her. "I love you," I whisper into her shoulder.

Hadria exhales sharply. "And I love you." She holds me so tightly it's as if she fears I'll slip away. For a few blissful moments we just breathe each other in.

But in our world, tender moments rarely last. The infirmary team hurries in to tend to Mario and the harsh reality of the situation crashes back in.

Hadria is already pulling away, but she turns back for a moment, cradling my face in both hands. Her eyes are furious.

"I'll find out who ordered this hit. But one thing is certain—whether it was my brother or my father, they just signed their own death warrant."

My breath catches at the deadly promise in her voice. She kisses me fiercely before stepping away to speak with Lyssa again, her expression smoothing back into that implacable mask.

Her words from the other night come back to me, when she told me that she would abandon the Syndicate in a heartbeat if it meant my safety, burn the whole world down for me. And now Hadria will happily start a war to protect me, regardless of the cost.

Lyssa is already hauling the lifeless body away. "Did you have a chance to question him?" Hadria asks.

"No time," Lyssa says regretfully.

"No matter," Hadria replies. "I'm done holding back. Let the whole Syndicate know it's time, and get them to meet me in the war room in three hours. That goes for all of you, too," she says, raising her voice to the other recruits. "Congratulations. You've graduated, baptized in blood right here tonight."

They all glance at each other, and most of them can't help exchanging grins.

"Yuri—" Lyssa calls over to one of them "—give me a hand."

They heft the lifeless body and move it onto a plastic sheet, dumping the blood-stained mats on top. Maybe I should be repulsed by Lyssa's casual attitude as she orders another recruit to get a bucket and mop, but I'm simply grateful she was here to end the threat.

My moral code has become a slippery, ambiguous thing since coming to Elysium.

Hadria's hand circles my arm, gives a little tug. "Come with me," she says, and I'm more than happy to follow her out of the training room.

CHAPTER 22

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