Page 24 of Queen of Wrath

“Fate, luck, perseverance.”

There was a silent understanding between them before we were interrupted by another investor.

“Excuse me, but don't you run Ryklira?” The slender man with blond hair came over, looking at Achlys with wonder.

Achlys’s eyes shifted to the slender man as if she were annoyed by the interruption. “Yes.”

“That is epic. I bet you never get tired of torturing those rats whenever you want.” The man clutched his stomach as he laughed at his own joke.

“Rats?” Jax asked, feeling his hands balling into fists at his sides.

“Yeah, you know? Rats. Those losers that end up in prison for the rest of their miserable lives.” The man spoke with less enthusiasm once he realized no one in the group shared the same sentiment as him.

Anger flooded Jax’s veins, sending adrenaline pumping into his heart. He had to concentrate on keeping his claws at bay.

I should just shift and rip this guy's head off!

“There's nothing funny about what those people struggle through. If you saw the conditions they lived in, would you still laugh?” Jax was able to stop himself from shifting, but he wasn't able to swallow the words that were boiling up in his throat. “What if it’s your friend, or your child—someone you care about—locked up in that awful place? Would you still joke about people getting tortured?”

“Gods, Mr. Ransom. I didn't realize you felt so strongly about the poverty-stricken and the destitute.” The slender man held up his hands in submission. “I won’t say anything on the matter again.”

Jax let out a breath, expelling the pressure that’d been building up inside of him. He then looked over to Emma, who seemed surprised by what he had said—and maybe a little impressed as well.

9

LEA

“Miss Mirth. Mr. Ransom has requested you to go see him in his office.” One of Jax's receptionists came and got me from the lab room where I was working with Kiyan.

Damn. I had let myself get distracted by teaching Kiyan. He’d been picking up everything so quickly that I couldn’t help but be mesmerized simply watching him learn something and apply it perfectly almost immediately after.

“Alright, keep going with what we practiced. I expect proficiency when I return,” I said in a warning tone, but secretly, I was worried that he’d be teaching me this stuff by the time I came back.

He saluted me as if I was the captain of a ship. “Yes, ma’am!”

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed, following the receptionist to Jax’s office.

She let me in, and the smile fell from my face.

“Mr. Ransom is still in a meeting, but he'll be with you shortly.” She nodded her head, excusing herself before closing me in his office…alone.

My inner voice all but squealed, This is too perfect!

I waited to hear her footsteps walking away from the door before I began snooping around his office. My attention immediately shot to the cabinet in the far corner.

I knew that was where he kept his records.

My fingers rubbed against each other greedily, preparing to unmask anything unsavory he was hiding. They curved around the metal handle and yanked, but the cabinet didn't budge an inch.

Damn, it’s locked.

I glanced around the room, but knew there was no way the key would be anywhere accessible. “I guess it can’t be helped then.”

I pulled out my potion ingredients satchel and laid it out on the floor in front of me. It had been a very long time since I had to make a potion on the fly. I almost forgot how exhilarating it could be.

I need something to unlock—something that reacts with metal.

“Hmmm.” The rusted gears in my head began to turn.

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