Page 41 of Princess of Vengeance

Malcolm’s hand snakes around my waist, and he pulls me against his side as the other Syndicate members begin filing out. My skin burns where he touches me, but I force myself to stay still and accept his possessive grip like a good little wife.

“Congratulations.” Rafael’s smile is all teeth as he clasps Malcolm’s free hand. His eyes flick over to me in a measuring, calculating look. Like he’s trying to figure out exactly how the dynamics have changed with my sudden marriage to Malcolm.

Owen just gives a sharp nod, but keeps his expression completely unreadable. Cassandra murmurs something polite but coolly noncommittal as she breezes past with Imogen right behind her.

Elliot is the last to leave. The look he gives me could strip paint from walls—pure hatred barely contained behind the thinnest veneer of civility. “May you both get exactly what you deserve,” he says, and the threat in his voice is unmistakable.

Malcolm tenses next to me as he flashes his characteristically smug smile. “Thank you, Elliot. I’m sure we will.”

I try my best to memorize every detail as I watch them all leave. Their body language, their subtle glances—I know without a doubt that alliances are forming and reforming around us, but I’m still too new to this group to fully understand the nuances.

One thing is crystal clear though. In this viper pit, Elliot is the one who wants to sink his teeth into me first. Mostly likely followed by my husband as a close second.

The door closes behind the last of them with a heavy thud, leaving me alone with Malcolm and at least a half-dozen security guards who are armed to the teeth.

Malcolm’s hand drops from my hip only long enough for him to guide me toward the private corridor that leads to his elevator.

Fuck me. This is going to be my life now. His hands, his control, his rules.

“Come, my dear.” He’s slipped into his role as my husband with far too much ease for my liking. “You did well today. I think you’ll find I can make your life quite comfortable as long as you uphold your end of the bargain.”

The way he says it makes my stomach turn. I focus on keeping my steps steady, on not showing how badly I want to bolt down this hallway and never look back.

When we finally leave the sleek, dark building and step into the sunlight, he offers his hand to help me into the waiting SUV. I ignore it, climbing in on my own. If he’s offended, he doesn’t show it as he slides in beside me.

I look down my left hand as we pull away from the curb, to the ring that feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. At least the bastard didn’t tattoo me—small fucking consolation that it is—but the ring is almost as bad. It’s a constant physical reminder of everything I’ve willingly given up to be with him

I twist it on my finger, watching the diamonds catch the light. The urge to rip it off and chuck it out the window is so strong myfingers actually twitch. But I can’t. Just like I can’t do any of the other things I want to do right now, like wrap my hands around Malcolm’s throat and squeeze until the life fades out of those cold eyes.

We both stay silent for the ride back to his big, fancy house, and I ignore his hand again as he offers to help me out of the SUV.

“Stubborn.” He sighs, although there’s a hint of amusement in his tone. “You’ll learn eventually. They always do.”

I’m not sure who or what he means by that, but I’m sure as hell not going to ask. Instead, I turn to him in the foyer and blurt out the idea I’ve been turning over and over in my head on the way back from Noctura.

“I want to re-open Blood and Ink.”

He turns and gives me a look as if I’ve just spoken in a different language. “What? Why?”

“Since we’re married now, I feel like I should be contributing to the Dark Lotus Syndicate.” It’s a line of bullshit, of course, but I’m doing my damnedest to sell it. “I want to rebuild my organization and make it strong again. We both know I could be useful to your ambitions.”

“My ambitions…” A small smile plays at the corners of his mouth before he turns serious again. “Blood and Ink burned to the ground, if you recall. Unless you’re planning to operate out of the ashes?”

Of course the fucker knows about what Ambrose did to the tattoo parlor, even though I never outright told him what had happened that led to me calling in a votum after the fires. He’s probably been digging through every scrap of my life while he was hunting me down.

“My father owned another building.” I cross my arms, ready to dig in and turn this into a full-blown negotiation if I need to. “He used it sometimes for business. It needs work, but with theright resources, I could turn it into something.” I meet his gaze. “Unless you’d prefer your wife to sit around in this big house with nothing to occupy her time?”

That gets a genuine laugh out of him, although it still sets my teeth on edge. “Hardly. There probably isn’t anyone in Detroit who is more dangerous than my sweet wife with too much time on her hands. Although I must admit, I’m surprised.” He steps closer, and it takes everything I have not to back away. “I would have thought you’d want to distance yourself from your old life. Maybe start fresh?”

“Thisisme starting fresh.” It isn’t a complete lie. I’d be getting a taste of my old life, but in a completely new way. “New location, new leadership structure. But keeping the parts that worked.”

His eyes narrow slightly as he studies me. Several tense seconds pass, and I can see him weighing the decision. He’s smart enough to know I’m playing some kind of angle, but too arrogant to admit he’d probably feel safer keeping me here under house arrest.

I’m counting on that arrogance to get me through this conversation.

Finally, he speaks. “You understand that if you try to run, I’ll hunt you down.” His voice is soft, almost gentle, which somehow makes it more terrifying. “I did it once, and I can do it again. And next time, I won’t be so merciful.”

There’s nothing subtle about the threat. We both know he’s not just talking about me. He’s talking about the mercy he’s shown my men too. There’s zero doubt about what he’ll do to them if I step out of line.

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