Page 110 of Perilous

“Because your request was a bad one. It was stupid. It was shortsighted. It would have hurt theLegion. You fucked up this time, Luc. And I saved you. I’m not looking for anything in return. I just want you to know the truth and hear it from me.”

Luc starts to chuckle. “Wow, that bitch’s pussy is laced with something because you’re talking crazy. Fuck, maybe I should go give her a try, huh? Stick my tongue in her cunt and see how it feels.”

“As you please,” I say, my jaw growing extra tight.

Luc nods.

I respect theLegion.Without theLegionthere is no existence.

With Annika, all I’ve done is just add to my existence, and there is nothing wrong with doing that.

Luc studies me. “You love her. You kidnapped her and fell in love with her. This isn’t so much revenge and redemption as it is…love.”

“And your point?”

“Strip it all away, Perilous. Fuck love. Fuck feelings. Fuck everything. This is about what that prick has done to us. To theLegion.”

“He’s broke,” I say. “Dead fucking broke. And he used theLegion’s allure to help himself. You were his collateral. When that became something he could not produce, he decided to use his own daughter to hold them back for a little bit longer.”

“And why is that, Perilous?”

“He was going to steal…” The words trail for a moment. “This is fucking deep, Luc. I’ve done a lot for you. For theLegion. And even recently, I’ve taken beatings for mybrood.”

“My brother has your back in all of this?”

“Yes.”

Luc’s jaw tightens. “You disobeyed an order, Perilous.”

“I faced my punishment.”

“You faced a beating.”

“And another.”

“Just now? That was for fun. That was for me to enjoy.”

“Is theLegionokay with that kind of violence?”

“Are you threatening me with some kind of blackmail?”

“No, Luc. I made a promise to the woman I love. To the woman I claimed. I intend to keep that promise. I’m looking at you, Luc. You’re our leader. You make the final decisions. I respect theLegion.I honor the throne. And I know what must be done in thePerg.”

“You’ve thought this through.”

“I’ve already started to handle it. There’s a dead girl in her apartment and that needs to be cleaned up. I slit her throat. I put a knife into her heart.”

Luc swallows hard.

“See, she was fucking Holom. She was also my claimed’s best friend. Gets really deep and really fucked up. Who knows what Holom told her, right? She was part of the plan to have Annika kidnapped and trafficked. I stopped that. I handled it, Luc.”

“So now you’re in a position to ask for favors?”

“It’s not a favor. It’s a ritual. It’s the respect for thePerg. For theLegion.”

“And it just so happens to revolve around you and the girl I wanted you to kill? But you refused to kill her?”

Now my jaw flexes tight as I know I cannot respond to that statement. I will never win Luc over. Not that I’m here to win him over.

---