Page 25 of Twisted Desire

“What?” Nik cuts in, his voice sharp as a whip. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

He shrugs. “I figured you couldn’t do anything about it until you were here anyway.”

“Why didn’t you contact us when you found out about these facilities?” Monica asks, speaking for the first time since we got here.

Jackson doesn’t look at her. “I don’t owe you anything.”

“There’s your foolish light fae arrogance,” I snap, standing. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to this shit. We don’t need—”

“Actually, youdoneed me. You’re running out of time. In case you hadn’t noticed, fae are still disappearing.” Before I can cut in, he continues, “I’m willing to help,” he pauses, “but I want something in return.”

“You son of a bitch,” Nikolai growls.

Jax frowns. “Easy, Kol. That’s your aunt you’re talking about. It’s dangerous to speak ill of the dead.”

“It’s dangerous to double-cross us,” I snap.

“I’m doing nothing of the sort. I’m offering a trade.”

My jaw is clenched so tight I have to force it open to say, “What do you want?”

“A facility,” he says simply.

“What?” Allison chimes in.

“When everything is said and done, when you’ve completed your mission and brought down The Experiment, I want one of their facilities. Fully stocked.”

“Why the hell would you want that?” Oliver demands.

Jackson spares him a short glance. “Since news broke about these people who are turning fae human, there has been talk. Some faewantto be human. If I have a facility, I have the means to offer that to them.”

“At a cost,” Nik says in a dark tone.

Jackson grins. “Of course.”

“I should’ve known you’d pull something like this.”

He shrugs. “I’ve given you my terms. Take it or leave it.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “The Experiment is as big a risk to you as it is to us. It would be in your best interest to give us that list.”

He yawns. “I can take care of myself.” His gaze shifts to Nikolai. “Do we have a deal?”

Nikolai glances at me, raising his brows. He wants me to decide.

Fucking hell.

“You can have one facility, but there will be conditions to be worked out. You don’t just get free reign over the shady shit they have going on in those buildings.”

He stares at me. “I have no intentions of turning fae against their will. They have to come to me if they want what I’m offering. It’s a simple transaction.”

I shake my head. “It’s not. Not when you can’t guarantee that the transition will work, or that they’ll even survive it.”

He shrugs. “They’ll know what they’re signing up for. I know how to cover my own ass.”

ThatI believe.

“So,” he clasps his hands together and repeats, “do we have a deal?”

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