Page 101 of Ruthless Ends

Auclair glances up from his reading as we enter, then eyes his other Marionettes on the ground before the doors close behind us.

“Valerie Darkmore. Camden,” he murmurs, returning to the papers in front of him. “Was that really necessary?”

“You don’t seem concerned,” says Cam.

“If I thought the two of you wanted to assassinate me, we’d be having a very different conversation.” Sighing, he leans back from the desk and folds his hands together on the surface. He’s right, I’m not here to hurt him. But considering the circumstances, his confidence in that looks a lot more like arrogance.

Or stupidity.

I eye his Marionette in the corner again. No matter how bulky and broad-chested he may be, I could have him on his knees in a heartbeat. My magic tingles along my skin as if in agreement.

But I think I’d be hard-pressed to find one of the monarchs who didn’t think themselves invincible, even after they’ve seen three of their own taken out, two of which had their bloody heads mounted on the wall like stuffed deer.

“What can I do for you?” he says.

“Actually, it’s what I can do for you.”

His brow pinches with a hint of wariness as I cross the rest of the distance between us.

“Can I show you?” I cut a line in my palm and extend my hand to him. “I just need a drop,” I add, and his eyes cut back to mine, then over to Cam.

I don’t turn to see whatever look Cam has on his face, but it eases the apprehension in Auclair’s, at least enough for him to offer his hand.

He shows no reaction as I make a similar cut in his palm, then press our blood together.

At least in this position, I have control over what memories I offer, what I let him see. It feels entirely different than having someone else rifle through my head.

And we don’t have time to pull punches or sugarcoat the situation—or for me to worry about his reaction to the choices I’ve made, if he deserves the amount of trust I’m about to give him. But the estate monarchs are becoming a dying breed, and he’s the only one with enough power and authority to bring this plan to fruition.

So I do the only thing I can: I show him everything—the past, the present, the plan.

Transferring the memories probably takes only a few seconds, but time slogs by as a glaze falls over Auclair’s eyes and I concentrate on what I want him to see.

When he pulls back, there’s a noticeable difference in the way he looks at me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear he looked…afraid. His eyes shift from Cam to me, his throat bobbing with his swallow, the unspoken part of my message coming through loud and clear.

I’m trusting you with this. But now you’ve seen what will happen if you betray that trust.

“How are you expecting to pull this off?”

“We all agree we need to get rid of Westcott, but only if the person who takes his place is an improvement. And that can’t be my mother, or my sister, or anyone else from the estates, for that matter. It has to be someone those people trust, someone who will speak for them. Who knows what it’s like outside of these regions and who will be a genuine voice for them.”

Slowly, Auclair’s eyes trail to Cam as I speak. There’s no mistaking the way he zeroes in on the blood deal mark. “How do you expect to accomplish that while you’re indebted to him?”

“I can break the deal,” I say.

Auclair inhales deeply and sighs as he leans back in his chair. “Half of the estates have been dying to kill Camden for years. No offense.”

Cam shrugs.

“If he steps into Westcott’s shoes,” Auclair continues, “I imagine he’d be seeing his way out in the same way Westcott does just a few days later.”

“That’s where I come in.” The door creaks open behind us, and Anya’s high heels click against the hardwood as she comes to stand at my side. I do a double take but try not to let my surprise show on my face. This is not what we agreed on.

Auclair purses his lips in thought as he steeples his fingers together on the desk. He looks from Anya to me to Cam. “I’m listening.”

“He needs to align himself with the estates,” says Anya. “Take over power with Westcott’s followersandsecure an alliance with us to show he’s willing to workwithus for this change.”

The hint of amusement in Cam’s expression quickly devolves into wariness.

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