Page 11 of Beastly Armory

I’ll devise a plan to deal with her after I get some food and sleep.

Sneaking to the kitchen, I grab leftover eggplantparmesan. Vegan, of course, at Cal’s insistence. At least our chef prepared it well. Aside from disrupting Alpha’s life, I’ll order a steak tomorrow to make up for it. I sigh when I spot my brother’s dirty dinner dish lyingnextto the dishwasher, then put it inside with my own. Do men never learn?

Walking up the stairs, my body feels the weight of the activities from the evening. My bathroom is generous in size and just what I need before bedtime. The steam rolls off the large clawfoot tub as I slide in, deeply inhaling the eucalyptus scented salts while I dim the lights with the remote control. Another button allows me to select gentle rain sounds on the ceiling speakers. Hopefully, I can fall asleep without bother tonight.

Unfortunately, the television in my brain only shows re-runs of Max. Max’s muscles flexing as he plowed into Janna. Max’s neck twitching as he watched me lick Duke. Max’s thick, perfect cock. Max’s deep brown eyes penetrating mine as I came.

Diving a hand into the bubbly water, two fingers slide onto my clit as my thoughts focus on my lion’s stare, his jawline, his desire for me. Not enough pressure. The attached spray handle has always worked wonders with the water on full blast. Holding it over my sensitive flesh, I hump it while inserting two fingers inside. Max fucked me tonight with Janna’s mouth. It was obvious whose tongue he wanted on my pussy. Thinking about him licking his lip, gazing at me while fucking Janna, my inner muscles clench around my fingers. My back arches against the porcelain while I cry out, “Maaax.”

No. No. No. I do not want him. He’s just another stipulation I don’t need. I can do this on my own. Besides, he is from the enemy clan and Strauss forbids intermingling. If three families vote against him on the senate floor, he’s done for, but he’d probably destroy the city before he let that happen. So, we war against each other. It’s always been this way.

After drying off with a soft, white towel, my naked skin slips under my silky sheets. Before I fall asleep, I reach into my pants pocket on the floor and dig out my good luck charm, rub it three times, and whisper to myself. As exhaustion takes me under, I remember bright summer days playing tag with friends and my lion. Back when our parents made things seem safe for us. Not this apocalyptic nightmare we now know.

As children, it was difficult to understand what was actually happening when our mother and father would lug us over to someone’s basement. Whether it be the Freidenberg’s cold stone or Donovan’s white-walled tomb, us kids were never allowed to talk about the adults’ clandestine gatherings. They were just fun play dates, with us safe behind the high walls of whatever manor we were visiting for the day.

Now, with a better knowledge of the history of Gnarled Pine Hollow, I know these meetings were extreme rarities for the clans. Ones that would have gotten our families into a lot of trouble with the consort if he ever knew the three heads were together outside of the senate boardroom.

The next morning, I dress and grab a banana from the kitchen counter before heading to the entry. Our butler, Giles, wanders through the main hall. His stiff tuxedo makes my eyes roll involuntarily. “Heading out, Miss Von Dovish?”

Trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice, I say, “Yes, but I don’t need help. Just going to take the Victor out.”

“I’ll have the chauffer pull it around now, Miss.” I could just walk over to the garage, but our chauffeur needs to feel important. He also loves to drive my cars, no matter how much it irritates me.

My blacked-out Aston Martin pulls up, and I hurry out the door to slide into the driver’s seat as the chauffer jumps out. The engine purrs when I dart down our lane and onto the main streets, heading toward downtown. A few of our people wave as I pass downtown’s squared green glass tech district, but I’m going too fast to acknowledge them.

Throwing it into a quick parallel park, I get out and lock up, hurrying in the direction of an old storefront underneath worn brick apartments just on the outskirts of West Side’s center city. Some trash rolls over my feet before I can make it to the entry, and I try to snatch an old newspaper blowing in a gust of late autumn air, but miss. Feeling in my back pocket, I stuff two hundred dollars into Jim’s paper cup.

“Thank you, Miss Livy.”

“No problem, Jim.” Things are becoming worse around town. There used to be a middle class that afforded homes. Now, there’s just us, some people likely paid off by Strauss, the workers who can get into small apartments within the city limits, and hordes of people like Jim. I know what needs to be done and seem to be the only one willing to do it. We have to be able to protect ourselves from the tyrant running the city before he decides to simply end us all.

The glass door chimes when I push on its metal bar. Dust flares up with the wind, causing my lungs to ache and produce a dry cough. Our new employee, Jane, looks up from behind the counter, her green eyes wide and bright.

“Oh, hi, Livia!”

“Hey, Jane.” Glancing around, I don’t spot Cal.

“Your brother is at the other location. He gave me full rein here today… solo.” She smiles shyly. She is nice, but a little vanilla and wholesome, like I may break her if I tell her she left a decimal out of place. The only thing that makes me question her veracity is the flame of red hair that rests atop her head. Maybe that’s prejudiced, but it makes me think she’s zestier than she lets on.

“Actually, I’m not looking for him. Just here to check the inventory.” Pointing a finger to the back, I pass the rows of computers and accessories, heading to the black velvet curtain leading to the warehouse. I call it ours, but, really, I’ve never worked on a computer for a day in my life. Nor would I know the first thing about how to.

What Idoknow about is shipping techparts and putting the mushrooms or other hallucinogens in with the supplies. It’s how our family makes money from other families outside Gnarled Pine Hollow, as well as within. It also keeps the populace happy. If they can’t have nice things, at least they can get high.

Wandering to the third row of metal shelves, my fingers dance over the switch at the same time my thumb pushes in a button. The structure turns, and a room opens in the wall. Concrete crumbles in the path where the doorway leads. I guess she hasn’t left in a while.

Shuffling inside, I am greeted with a small apartment that I haven’t visited in some time. It’s still messy and too dark, only lit by one yellowed lamp and the blue lights from the bank of screens. A curvy figure sits in front of them, her black hair in knots on top of her head. She pushes up her thick cat-eyed glasses and sits back slightly, grabbing a chip from a crinkly bag on the desk.

“What do you want, Liv? I’m busy.”

“Hello, Echoes. I want to know ifyouknow why Alpha told on me.”

She rotates her chair toward me, shoving at the bridge of her fallen glasses. “Alpha did not.”

Raking my tongue over my teeth, I consider. If Alpha didn’t, then who did? Before I can ask, she responds, “I did.” My mouth opens to argue, but she continues. “I mean, I didn’tmeanto. Cal got in… as usual. He saw me in there, in the Crimson Angel’s security and lights system. He’s the one who turned them back on.”

My head hangs. After tossing a foul-smelling Northview University sweater onto the unmade bed, Ithrow myself across the orange plaid futon. The trash can is overflowing with takeout boxes, some piled on the mini fridge it sits next to. There’s a sink full of dirty dishes near the hidden door. I don’t evenwantto look at the toilet in the corner of the room. She really needs to get out more.

Once I scan the room, I allow my eyes to meet her piercing black ones. “Did you tell him anything?”

---