Page 51 of The Mourning Throne
Lex’s voice cut through again. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Hold the fucking phone.”
Morgan sighed. “Which conclusion did you jump to this time, little brother?”
“What do you mean adifferentbuyer? She said her parents introduced you two. Are you telling me she like—what—lied?”
“Not at all. Like I said, I’ve been going to their functions for… years. Before the Sterlings had any idea of who I was. When I became a frequent buyer, so to speak, and my late night entertainment started running into theirs—that’s when they made the introduction.”
Lex skewered a piece of chicken and shoved it into his mouth. He didn’t look away once.
“May I continue?” Morgan asked. “They don’t sell drugs or run weapons. They trade in flesh. Not for sex, or anything gaudy. It’s less mainstream and more curated.”
Lex’s face twitched like his brain had short-circuited for a second. “Like eating people.”
“That’s one of the ways, yes. The market is much larger than you think. But, like anything in business, once a body is opened, it’s considered spoiled. There’s no resale value. It’s why they have functions: auctions, shows, exhibitions. It’s a fun time if you’re interested.”
“I’m gonna really regret asking this,” Lex mumbled, still chewing. “What did you buy exactly..?”
“My favorite cut is liver. Does that clear things up for you?”
“So you wouldn’t eat me. Got it.”
Once, he’d considered it.
Had planned to, actually. After he’d killed Lex.
But that was almost a year ago now.
Morgan chuckled, lifting a shoulder in half-shrug. “You’d never survive the intake process, Lex. They’d slice you apart and feed you to the dogs or the cleaning crew.”
“Thanks,” Lex grumbled. “Appreciate that.”
“That’s averystrange thing to be upset about.”
Lex didn’t answer right away. He stabbed at a piece of chicken twice, metal scraping against ceramic. The risotto had gone gluey, clumping on his fork as he shoved it into the corner of his plate.
“Would it make you happy if I went to one of the uh—”
“Functions.”
“—functionswith you?”
Morgan didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Not only because I know you’d enjoy it, but because I think it would be something else we could enjoytogether.”
The grin that broke across Lex’s face was immediate—sharp, brilliant, and blinding in its intensity. It lit up his whole expression, like someone had switched the current on behind his eyes. That vibrating happiness poured off him in waves, and Morgan felt himself smiling too.
It was such a small thing. A sentence he normally wouldn’t have added.
“Then do something for me,” Lex said.
There it was.
Every good deed was met withgreed.
“What else would you like?” Morgan took another drink of the wine, already bracing himself.
“Another video. Someone new.”
Morgan slammed the glass down. “You saidoneon the plane.”
