Page 64 of Hupotasso
‘Understatement of the century.’
I wonder if she hopes Falcon will flip out and kill Jag and I when he finds out.
I gasp as I think this.
It’s bad enough that I’m not pregnant yet, which according to Jag was an issue for the heir to a noble house. But if Falcon killed me against The Families wishes after his very public bloodbath the first time he went on VBG… if he killed Jag, another nobleman…and if the public got wind of it, this would surely bring double, triple, disrepute to the royal houses…. this could be enough for Falcon to lose his title.
Which would then pass onto Viper.
And he’s such a fucking reprobate; from there it’s only a matter of time until the whole seat collapses.
I turn and study Asumpta, and she looks up from her weapons and catches my eye.
I think she knowseverything.
48
I watch her hesitate to enter the room like she’s entering the lair of a monster. And why wouldn’t she think that?That’s exactly what I’ve been to her all these months.
Nothing more than a monster.
My chest feels tight as our eyes meet, and I swallow hard. I’d put off having this conversation for weeks, ostensibly while I’d secured Mother’s safety and destroyed every vestige of the families that Spider had lined up for my trial in The Games.
As I suspected, he’d bitten children decades ago from the best and brightest families in every country. He would have rivalled even the best selectors in his choices. He'd been thorough.
But then, so had I.
I’d sent each girl to their ever-lasting rest, along with the rest of their families, innocent or otherwise. I couldn’t take any more chances that he had other minions out there, other sleeper cells just waiting to be called on to attack my house.
Still, I recognised the entire time, all those weeks that I was hunting and killing, that I was just putting off the inevitable with Angie, through cowardice and confusion. It had taken me this long to order my thoughts. And maybe I’d needed a little push. She’s flying to the US hospital to see Mother tonight, an expected royal engagement that’s being eagerly awaited by the human press following the announcement of Mother’s ‘heart attack.’
I know the first thing Mother will ask her is if we’re reconciled.
I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want Angie to be able to say, ‘yes.’
‘But is there any way she could ever forgive me for what I’ve said and what I’ve done to her? I doubt it. I’ll spend a lifetime trying, many lifetimes, if she’ll just give me another chance.’
“You asked to see me?” She mutters from the doorway where she stands stiffly, the door still open as though she’s prepared to flee at the drop of a hat.
“Yes,” I reply quietly, sitting down to try and make her feel less threatened. “Please, come and sit. Close the door. I need to talk to you, Angie.”
She raises an eyebrow at my use of her name and walks carefully into the room, lowering herself gingerly to the deep, velvet chair opposite me, but sitting on the edge as though still ready to bolt if necessary.
“I’m not going to touch you,” I murmur. “I just want to talk.”
“Then talk,” she snaps.
I raise an eyebrow at her response, but I know I shouldn’t be surprised. I’d hate me too if I were her. Hell, I hate myself for how I’ve acted over the past months.
Ever since Mother’s revelation I’d raged and second-guessed everything. There were still many unanswered questions. Why did her blood taste so forbidden? Why did Spider kiss her wrist? Which royal agreed to Attracta’s entreaty and facilitated Mother’s plan, and why?
So many questions.
Yet aside from those, I’d had to acknowledge and replay over and over in my mind the number of times I’d abused my wife. And all the while she could have stopped the torture at any time by revealing my mother’s secret.
‘Why hadn’t she?’
“Angie, Mother told me something after she was stabbed.”
