Page 87 of Mystic's Sunrise

“And who was glued to her side?” Ashlynn went on, savoring every word. “Mystic.”

That name scraped against my memory as I tried to put a face to him.

“That ugly bastard never left her room for days,” she said, voice dipped in mock sweetness. “Didn’t matter if she was awake or out cold—he was there. Like some scarred-up fucking guard dog.”

My jaw clenched. Hard.

She saw it. Smiled like a cat who just batted a wasp’s nest.

“Guess some girls go for the broken soldier type.” She tilted her head, those venom filled eyes glittering. “All that pain. All that brooding silence. You know how soft girls eat that shit up.”

I slammed the glass down, cracking it on the edge of the desk. If I didn’t need this bitch I’d kill her right now for pissing me off.

“She doesn’t wanthim,” I growled. “Shepitieshim. Zeynep has a soft spot for the weak. That’s all it is. He’s a fucking monster—face like a goddamn nightmare.”

Ashlynn shrugged, calm as ever. “Maybe. But my sources from the inside tell me he’s still glued to her side.”

I stood then, slow and deliberate, pacing behind my chair, needing to move before I broke something—or killed this bitch.

“She belongs tome,” I said through gritted teeth. “She’s mine. I made her. Protected her. Pulled her from sure death. Mystic’s just trying to get close while she’s weak. She’s so fucking beautiful any man would try, but Zeynep loves me.”

Ashlynn leaned forward, voice low.

“Then you better move fast. Because I heard he’s been real protective. No one gets close unless he says so. Some say he’s already claimed her.”

That sank deep, coiled around my spine like a fuse waiting to be lit. I turned back to her, staring her down. “You want to burn the Devil’s House? Prove it.”

Her lips curled. “How?”

I stepped around the desk, getting in her space, close enough to smell her perfume, sweet and heavy like every bitch in this fucking place.

“I want a layout. Schedule. Entry points. I want to know who drinks until they can’t stand, who talks too much, who might be greedy enough to sell out their own.”

Ashlynn grinned like she’d just been handed a box of matches and told to go wild.

“Done.”

“One more thing,” I said, voice cold. “If you so much aslooklike you’re playing both sides, I’ll gut you and send your teeth to Spinner in a box.”

Her grin widened. “I’ll die before helping those bastards.”

I stepped back, letting the tension linger.

“Good,” I said. “Now get out there and start proving you’re not a waste of my time.”

Ashlynn rose slow, steady, brushing invisible dust off her dress like she hadn’t just poked the devil and lived to smirk about it.

“Oh, and Drago?” she said at the door, turning just enough to meet my eyes. “If you think she’s not looking at Mystic… you’re already losing.”

She disappeared before I could throw something.

But her words stayed.

Like rot.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

THE ROAD STRETCHEDahead, empty and endless.The rumble of my bike was the only sound filling the silence, steady beneath me, grounding me. I’d ridden this highway a hundred times before, but this time felt different. Everything felt different.

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