Page 61 of Sin and Salvation

There was plush blue carpet underfoot. Last time I’d walked here, I’d been in heels, not high tops. I crept past executive offices overlooking the city from what was practically the peak of Giraud Tower, aiming for the one at the end of the hall.

A mahogany door with the nameMAXIME GIRAUDwaited for us at the end. The blinds were drawn over his windows; I felt his power now, stronger than ever, a rotten undercurrent that made me wrinkle my nose as though I could actually smell it.

Crow drew back his arm, dark fire kindling in his cupped hand, and threw the ball of flames at the door. It exploded in a mess of charred wood and molten metal that had once been a knob.

Inside the office, Maxime whirled around, his face pale and furious. He held an armful of manila folders, a briefcase in the other hand.

“Ahh. Preparing to destroy the evidence?” Crow sounded satisfied as he strode into Maxime’s office.

My former owner backed up until he bumped into his desk. The sight of it made me stop in my tracks, fists clenched so hard my nails dug into my palms.

Too many times I’d been on that desk, letting Maxime do whatever he wanted to me. Seeing it was a thousand times worse than the memory.

Aeron nudged me, and I drew strength from him. Maxime would never abuse me again; when we were through with him, I’d burn the desk until it was nothing but ashes.

“Get fucked,” Maxime hissed, his eyes roving wildly between us. When they landed on me, pure hatred kindled to life in his gaze. “Especially you, Venus. I hope they spend every day raping you in Hell.”

I shook my head. “No. That’s what I escaped from.” I spread my arms wide. “Right here in this room, which I’m going to destroy.”

Maxime held the manila folders so tight he’d bent them nearly in half, scurrying around the desk to avoid Crow.

I knew that he kept all of his most secret files up here; in those folders was a body of incriminating evidence. He kept meticulous records, even if they could come back to bite him.

When I got ahold of them, I would personally ensure every journalist in Concordia had a copy of them. Maxime would leave no legacy behind, save one of disgust and disdain.

“If you kill me,” he said to Crow, “you lose. You’ll spend the rest of your days in a jail cell. Your little gang will be known as villains.”

Crow paused, the flames kindling in his palms following suit.

Maxime was right. None of my mates could lay a hand on him without being accused of murder; the trial would go to the heads of the Houses, and Maxime had enough of them in his pockets that the Black Hearts could be vilified, possibly driven out of the city.

“They can’t,” I said quietly. “ButIcan. If I let them look through my memories, not even the heads of the Houses could find I acted in anything other than self-defense.”

Maxime had grown even paler. Something like horror grew behind his eyes, and he dropped his gaze to the sorry plastic shiv I held.

“But I won’t kill you with this.” I tossed it aside. Now that my mates were here, I no longer required the freedom it represented. “I’ll do it with the magic you so desperately wanted from me. And when I’m done…”

I took another step, my power reaching out to wrap around Maxime’s, feeling for his sickly flame of magic.

“No one will ever find your body,” I whispered. “No one will remember you.”

My power snapped shut, catching him like a rat in a trap.

It wasn’t easy, nor pretty. There was a lot of screaming that dwindled into dry, retching coughs, and finally silence.

When it was done, a shriveled mummy had toppled across the desk, still clutching the folders with its shriveled arms.

“The evidence is intact,” I said. “When this goes to court, no one will be able to refute that he had it coming.”

Aeron shifted, wrapping his arms around me. “Venus… I thought we’d lost you.”

I closed my eyes and sank against him. It was over and done; Maxime would no longer torment anyone in this city. We held the motherlode of evidence against him. In a week, nobody would be able to hear his name without cursing it.

And I hadn’t been lying; I didn’t just want Maxime’s corpse to lay at the bottom of Lake Calleis. I wanted him brought beneath the city, and dropped into the lowest, darkest midden they could find.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I would’ve tried harder to reach you, but my power flickered out. He told me you were looking for Gian… that you’d left me behind. That I wasn’t important. I didn’t believe he was lying.”

I felt Aeron’s arms stiffen.

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