Page 59 of Consort of the Crime Queen

The aftermath down on the lawn outside the house is even more horrific than I anticipated. I force myself to look at each fallen form, friend or foe. They deserve that much. Yuri is by my side, and I think he's relieved they're all dead.

I am, too. I hate the idea of skewering someone clinging to life, just because they chose the wrong side. And I have to face facts: I am never going to be like Hadria, or Lyssa, or even Mario or Yuri. I am never going to be able to kill coldly or even pragmatically.

If my life is in danger? Yes. Probably.

If Hadria's life is in danger? I already know I'll act on instinct in those circumstances. I would do anything, sacrifice anything, to save her—just like she would for me.

But I won't ever be like the true warriors of the Styx Syndicate.

And I think…I think that's okay. I've much preferred the last few hours in the war room, helping bind wounds and care for my people. Because they are my people, now, as much as they are Hadria's. What happened tonight was awful. Terrible. And I will have nightmares about it for the rest of my life. But it has bonded the surviving Syndicate members into something much more than a group of mercenaries.

They are beholden to each other now in a way they weren't before. They have become brothers and sisters through blood. And I think those bonds will only grow and strengthen over time.

Yuri and I have just finished checking pulses and covering faces when headlights cut through the early morning dusk. The sun is rising at last, but this unexpected visitor makes me tense, ready to flee or fight.

"Get behind me, Suzy," Yuri says, but then a familiar figure steps from the car.

"Mrs. Graves!" I gasp, and I start running toward her.

The older woman surges forward to meet me, grasping my hands with quiet strength. "Aurora, dear, what happened here?" Her voice is low and urgent.

"Nero," I say. "He…" Her hands tighten on mine. "He's dead," I tell her. "Hadria killed him.

"Oh, thank God!"

I nod along with her, tears threatening to spill again. "But what are you doing here?" I ask, as we mount the front steps and enter the foyer.

She looks around at the carnage and goes pale, but true to the woman I've known in my time here, she pulls herself together quickly. "Oh honey, half the city knows something dreadful happened here last night. They're just averting their eyes as usual." She searches my face anxiously. "And where are my girls? Are they..." She can't bring herself to finish the question.

I smile as reassuringly as I can but my voice almost cracks when I tell her about Lyssa. Mrs. Graves looks distraught, and then I have to add, "And Hadria went to confront her father one last time—but she'll be back, I know it. We'll work everything out, I promise."

Mrs. Graves looks immensely troubled. "Oh, no. I wish…Oh, God, forgive me. The last time my Sarah left the house, we argued terribly. I can't lose another daughter that way, with her last words heard from me said in anger."

My heart aches for her pain. "Hadria could never hold a grudge against you," I say gently. "As soon as she returns, you two will make things right between you again. I know you will." Mrs. Graves still seems upset, so I change the subject. "Lyssa might be awake now. Let's go and see her."

At Mrs. Graves' eager nod, I lead her up the stairs toward the war room, now a makeshift infirmary. Yuri trails behind us, and I'm grateful to know he's there. As I swing open the door to the war room, the coppery odor of blood hangs thick in the air and Mrs. Graves gives a little gasp of horror.

Lyssa is lying on a cot in the corner, awake now, gritting her teeth as a medic stitches up a vicious gash across her shoulder. Her face is bone white with pain but she manages a weak smile when she sees us.

"There you are, my dear," Mrs. Graves murmurs, immediately moving to Lyssa's side to smooth her sweat-and-blood-soaked hair back from her forehead. She continues stroking Lyssa's hand soothingly. "Everything will be alright. I'm here. I'm here for you."

Lyssa visibly relaxes under Mrs. Graves' caring touch. I slip away quietly, leaving them in peace, and duck back into Hadria's study for a moment to steady myself.

Alone, I sink into her chair and finally release the emotions I've been suppressing. Silent sobs wrack my body as the stress and horrors of the last twelve hours crash over me.

After a few minutes I take some deep breaths and dab my eyes dry, washing my face in the attached bathroom until the puffiness fades.

I can't fall apart. I need to be strong, as strong as Hadria and Lyssa and the rest of them—but in a different way.

I know my role here now. And as I walk back out to check on the injured, I vow I'll do my very best to be the Syndicate's sunshine, to help chase away the darkness lingering after last night's violence.

I straighten my spine and lift my chin, projecting confidence.

Time to get back to work.

CHAPTER 29

Hadria

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