Page 132 of House of Ruin
“I knew you were hiding something,” Val said once Alecto was finished. “I didn’t know what it was. Maybe I suspected it had something to do with Blaze, but I could have never guessed it was a secret revenge plan.”
Alecto wasn’t sure if she believed it. She took a sip of her coffee, enjoying the familiar warmth filling her. While it didn’t heal her broken heart, it still made her feel a bit better.
“I need you to understand something, Black,” Val said. Her undivided attention was on Alecto, as if others were not in the room with them. “You’ve proven yourself. You’re a valuable part of the Inner Circle.” Alecto’s heart fluttered in her chest. Those were the words she’d craved from the first day she’d stepped foot in Venefica. “Which means you belong to me. So it’s about time you get that shit out of your pretty little head. I don’t want you out of my way. I want you exactly where you are.”
They stared at each other for a little while.
It was a confession. Praise. Hugely valuable words coming out of Val’s mouth. Not something common. Something, very valuable. Something Alecto had been working hard to hear, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself.
So Alecto nodded. And so did Val. Silent acknowledgment of understanding between them.
“So, are you happy with the way the party turned out?” Andro asked Val.
She nodded, tracing the snake on the side of her cup with a finger.
“Where are you keeping Bea?” Jolene asked. “You have to give us something, Val. You disappeared with Blaze last night, and we haven’t heard anything about her. Or Cadre.”
For a moment, Val stayed silent. Just when Alecto was sure Val wasn’t going to answer, she finally did.
“Bea is in one of the cells underneath the black market,” Val said. Goose bumps skittered over Alecto’s skin. The Imp Queen’s territory. “She’s gonna be there until she tells me everything I need to know. Cadre is with her, until I verify he really didn’t know.”
“Bea is legacy,” Andro said, his voice low. “Her parents are going to come looking when they realize she’s missing.”
“They already know about Bea,” Val said. “I spoke with her mother and told her that Bea had betrayed her House, and for that, she’s going to have to answer. As you pointed out, Bea is legacy. So you can imagine how upset her mother was to hear that her daughter had fucked up her legacy.”
“And how about Cadre’s parents?” Alecto asked.
“Lucky for us, his parents are dead.” Val finished her black tea and poured herself another cup. “He’s the only heir, and there is nobody to come looking for him right now. So we have time.”
“Time for what?”
Val smiled. “Time to make sure we get the bad guys before they get to us.”
46
Blaze was grateful to be occupied with watching Cadre and Bea.
This way, he didn’t have time to skulk around and wallow in his thoughts.
Or his feelings.
Right then, a grunt came from the cell. Blaze got on his feet and opened the door to find Bea and Cadre still lying on the mattress.
He listened for a moment, but no more sounds came. Then Bea’s head lolled to the side, and she exhaled a heavy breath.
Footsteps echoed in the cell as Blaze walked closer. He nicked his finger, drawing blood, and then whispered a chant, casting another sleep spell over them both.
When Bea’s breathing evened again, Blaze turned and left the cell. He made sure the door was locked before he headed towards the stairs to get some fresh air.
Outside the building, he leaned on the concrete wall and lit a cigarette. The sky was angry today, dark clouds moving fast, thunder rumbling somewhere nearby.
Blaze glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was getting late. They were running out of time, yet Val and the others were still not there.
When Val had come into his bedroom early this morning and told him to go make sure nobody disturbed Bea and Cadre, she didn’t give much more detail.
But she had told him they would be coming as soon as possible and that once they were all there, Bea would have to be interrogated.
Blaze’s skin buzzed with anticipation and adrenaline.
