Page 66 of Cruelly Fated
“Witnesses say that night, she participated in a hunting event. The club pays double to willful victims since there’s a risk of vampires losing control.”
My voice came out hoarse. “So the vampire followed her home?”
“The crime scene expert made an interesting note; he thought the body was moved. She wasn’t killed in the alley…”
My heart stuttered.She died during the hunt.
“Did they arrest him?” I asked, barely able to form the words.
“They haven’t confirmed his identity. The club is…extremely protective of its clientele. And word is they’ve had workers turn up dead before.”
Larry’s words about that girl who left his club echoed in my skull:They found her in the river.
I dropped my forehead into my hand, elbow braced on the counter. Rage and grief warred inside me. The injustice in Avari was suffocating. The city didn’t bat an eye at the elite, their wealth and status shielding them, while low fae like my mother lived—and died—for their entertainment.
“I’m begging you, Allie,” Marley said, his tone sharper now. “Leave Voltaire’s residence.Immediately.He is not to be trusted.”
My blood iced. If there was even theslightestconnection…
“Who owns Eros Nocturne?” I asked.
“The Voltaires.”
My stomach hollowed and I gripped the counter to steady myself.
“Thank you,” I whispered and ended the call, phone clattering against the marble.
I sensed Kyon’s presence. With narrowed eyes, I faced him. He stood leaning against the doorway, dressed in a navy-blue t-shirt and dark jeans, that dangerous scowl carved deep into his face.
“You heard?” I asked. Of course he had. His defensive posture was proof enough.
“Is it true?” My voice cracked, heat prickling behind my eyes.
“It’s my family’s business. One. Of. Many,” he said, each word clipped as if that explained everything. My brows lifted, disbelief blooming in my chest.
I got up and squared with him. “Is that your answer?”
I met his blazing gaze, those dragon-lit eyes, and my gut twisted. Fae gods, I had almost given in to him again. Almost ignored the radar that blared warnings not to trust a man with my heart.
“Did you know her?” I demanded.
“No.” The word came out on a growl.
Howdarehe bristle like he was the wronged one when it was my mother who lost her life?
“Was all this to make sure I didn’t talk?”
His arms fell to his sides, muscles flexing. “You approachedme, remember?”
I glowered at him.
“Why should I believe you?” I asked.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of my father’s empire,” he seethed. “I’m an enforcer. I follow orders.” His chest heaved, the rise and fall pronounced beneath his shirt.
I gripped the chair behind me, my eyelids blinking rapidly. “Maybe you shouldn’t follow orders blindly,” I whispered.
“You knownothingabout what I do or who I am!” he roared. A curl of steam rose from his nostrils. For a beat, he looked like the self-righteous dragon prince I had always imagined: regal, ruthless, and demanding obedience.
