Page 68 of Mistress A-0002

I nodded.

“Braddock?”

“Safe and on the mend. Body and mind.”

His tone sparked defensiveness. Mind.As if he knew.No, of course he knew. To delude myself was pointless now. They all knew. They had to. But that changed nothing. I’d still win this. The cost didn’t matter anymore.

“What of the girl? The slave Jett attacked?”

“Healing.”

“Good.” I glanced over to the blond. My breath was shaky through the spike of anger that came with his presence, and I hated that. “Can you get your goon to stop following me? The blonde Master over there. He’s everywhere. I’m sick of seeing his face. Are you so afraid of me?” I nearly smiled, and the amusement couldn’t help but make its way into the end of my question. “How many others did you send to follow me as well?”

Elec glanced to where I was staring. He didn’t speak, but he didn’t have to. I dropped my gaze to his chest, trying to stay composed. When my eyes lifted, Elec’s unguarded expression didn’t put me at ease. It was all threat. All decimation. Hate flashed, like what was in me, yes, but something more. Something that made me feel like the prey when I was clearly the predator. …I knew nothing. What was coming promised nightmares. An end, and this rouse he was putting on was nothing but a diversion to distract me. But it didn’t stop me. Heknew something. He had information, and I needed clues as to what the hell was going on.

“According to the outside news this morning, our circle is missing a very important man.” My eyes narrowed. “Quincy Mallory. How ironic. Pearl is Ethan’s chosen, and now her father is missing. Is Quincy here at the Gardens?”

Stoic. Hard. Elec’s gaze was eating me alive. Every second I could see even more through his mask.

“He was here. He’s dead now. Quincy was my present to Ethan. I’m sure if you’d like to see him again, Ethan would let you take a walk in his meat freezer. I actually helped Ethan prepare Mr. Mallory for his reunion with Pearl. You know how Ethan loves a good steak.”

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Was that look baiting? Taunting? Elec’s sudden smugness had to be for a reason, didn’t it? Did he know I had Quincy kill Claudia?No.I made that disappear from Quincy’s mind just like I did with Pearl’s. Nosey girl. That secret was safe, dead and gone just like my old lover was now.

“Well, great. I’m sure Pearl will appreciate his death after locking her away for all those years. He was a horrible father. Bon Appetit, I say.”

“Indeed.” Elec glanced to his assigned table but hesitated to head that way, instead pulling out a chair and sitting at mine. The action had Muriel’s head turning to me. I didn’t look at her. I kept my attention on the killer I’d caught a glimpse of as Elec lowered. “Quincy mentioned a name to Ethan before he died. Ethan didn’t recognize it, so he came to me.” Elec held my stare, the flat fury blazing through his eyes. “Have you ever heard of a man named Corbin Frasier?”

My heartbeat took over my sense of hearing as I stared into ice blue. Cold. Dead. Unreachable depths. Paranoia melted away and didn’t exist anymore. There was no suspicion or suddendelusions for me in our moment, only facts as I felt myself sink impossibly lower. Maybe to unreachable depths.

I swallowed back the colliding emotions, smiling as I lifted my glass, tipping it towards Elec. The cards were falling. The thread was unraveling. Did I really think Elec would never discover the truth? Well…no.

“Idoknow him.” I took a drink. “So do you.”

Confusion.

His look fed my power. It told me I still held the smallest ounce of control. My dear little creation may know the ultimate secret between us, but he didn’t know everything.

“What do you mean, I know him? I assure you I’ve never heard that name in my life. Who is he, Melissa?”

“Your tone. It’s very thick. Impatience isn’t a flattering quality for your role.”

“Who is he?”

“Is that anger I detect, Main Master?”

“You have no idea. Stop playing games. We’re beyond that now.”

A shadow seemed to fall over the table as Elec’s demeanor darkened to a pitch black. He leaned forward with consuming eyes. His pupils were dilated as he turned his full attention to Muriel. The dead language that left his mouth came out as a twisting of words. Weight was so heavy against me, it almost felt as if my skin was going to turn to liquid. I snapped to get him under my spell, crying out as he locked to my wrist. The pain was worse than ever. It had tears pooling in my eyes and me crying out.

“That’s not going to work anymore,Mistress. Who. Is. He?”

Muriel wasn’t moving. She wasn’t blinking. She sat upright but didn’t respond as I grabbed to her bicep with my free hand.

“What did you do?”

“What I’ve been trained to do, Mistress Two. Just because your slave didn’t come through the normal process doesn’t mean she’s immune to the training all slaves undergo. She may be yours,but she belongs to me.You see, if you won’t talk, she will. She won’t have a choice.”

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