Page 104 of Wicked Truths

“Eww, not me,” Lyric says vehemently. “I’m just here because we wanted to be sure you’re okay with our plan to buy Angel off.” She looks at Marcus. “We came up with a number we’re comfortable offering her. The stipulations include no further contact with any of us. Angel is difficult to deal with under the best of circumstances, but she understands the ramifications of breaking a legal contract.”

“You’re going to pay her off?” Marcus tilts his head, nodding to Angel. “Isn’t that exactly what she’s after?”

“That or the small boost it gives her to be back in the limelight.” Jamen shrugs. “There really is no telling with her, but it’s my best guess that she blew through the millions Donovan and I gave her when Lyric needed out from under her thumb—”

“You paid her off when Johnny…” Marcus growls, shaking his head.

“Listen,” Jamen says, taking a step toward Marcus. “It burned my ass too, but I made a promise to Damian years ago that I would do everything I could to look after the two of you. Angel had legal control over Lyric. Taking her to court would have been a fucking shit show. I was named guarantor of Damian’s estate until Lyric reached maturity, but we needed Angel to sign the papers to send Lyric to the UK. Yeah, Angel got a payout, but the benefit was that Lyric gained freedom from that house. Sometimes you have to make concessions to balance between good and evil.”

“It does feel a bit like letting the villain win, doesn’t it?” Liam swaggers over, tossing an arm around Marcus’s shoulder.

“I don’t fucking care as long as she stays away from me,” Marcus mutters, shoving Liam off, but he smiles to offset the move.

“Truthfully, I think the vengeance comes from the fact Angel and Johnny get stuck with each other.” Lyric disentangles from Rook, heading over to Marcus. She tosses an arm around him, giving him a hug.

Marcus sighs but pats her back. “True enough.”

“They’ve always been majorly toxic. I give it a year. They’ll eventually destroy each other.” Lyric shrugs. “Problem solved.”

Rook steps forward, holding out an arm for his omega. “Shall we take this into the conference room? Both sets of lawyers are waiting.”

My eyes fly to Marcus’s. He nods, and a slow smile breaks out over my face. My impulses don’t love seeing another omega that close to my bonded alpha, but it’s good to see Marcus building a tentative relationship with his sister.

“This is going to be miserable,” Jamen grunts. “Whatever, make sure they sign.” He looks at Rook, but it’s clear he’s talking about us. “I want them on our main line up for this coming summer.”

Marcus laughs. “We’ll just have to see if you made a reasonable offer for our excellence.”

“I’m surrounded by smart asses,” Jamen mutters. “I think you’ll find the contract quite satisfactory.”

* * *

I’m not the only one with shaky hands when we hear the contract terms. It’s more than generous without locking us indefinitely. We spend a while with the label lawyers going over the highlights while my lawyers make notes of concessions and addendums we want added.

Rook and Lyric look extremely bored during the entire two hour meeting. We’re finally nearing the end when Sullivan points at something on the page.

“What does this mean about touring?” Sullivan asks, shoving the paper at Rook.

“The world is changing. We’re adapting with it.” Rook smiles, shoving the paper back. “We’ve got the arena here. My dad intends to open two more within the next three years. A Miami and a New York amphitheater.”

My brain is so fried that I stopped reading along with them ages ago.

The lawyers mostly hammered out all the details over the couple of days that we recuperated at the apartment.

I cuddle back further into Hawk’s chest.

I offered him my seat a while ago, and I think we put the weight limit on the chair to the test, but so far it’s held.

“But what does that mean for us?” Liam asks, stretching back in his chair.

“That’s why I’m here.” Lyric wiggles in Rook’s lap, but she looks at me. “You’re an omega. You’ll need breaks every two and a half months. Heats aren’t just inconvenient because of the heat itself. You’ll need a week or so before it starts to get back to your home base and nest, then you’ll have the week for the heat, and also the week after.” She makes a face. “The last week is actually the one you’ll probably be feeling the worst. It’s not just the heat itself.”

“That’s true,” Hawk murmurs, nuzzling his cheek to mine.

“Right.” Marcus waves a hand like he’s waiting for the rest.

“We’re essentially asking for five months of touring a year,” Rook says, pulling Lyric back into his chest. She turns her face, burying her nose in his tattooed neck. It’s such a sweet moment I’d take a picture if my heart wasn’t racing.

Hawk pats my middle, and it helps center me in a way that’s difficult to explain. It’s clear he’s picking up on my emotions in the bond.

---