Page 63 of House of Ruin
Anger rose inside Alecto and something else… Was it jealousy?
Alecto wasn’t sure, but the thought alone of Blaze sleeping with Galia made her feral.
“Sorry to disappoint,” Blaze said, smoke streaming through his parted lips, “but your personal whore on call is retired.”
The room was silent for a moment while Blaze and Val stared at each other.
“Andro, you take the day shift,” Val finally said. She rose to her feet and walked over to the stairs. “Alecto’s after you.”
There seemed to be a lot of tension between Val and Blaze.
It wasn’t the best time for that with murders and their House being a suspect, but Alecto couldn’t help but gloat, secretly hoping her plan was working.
II. CURSED HEARTS
25
The magic was in the details. Or so did Hell Galliano write in her diaries about the art of seduction.
Alecto took a long bath with her favorite salts and essential oils. She lathered her long hair with her favorite coconut shampoo bar and then lay in the steaming bath for thirty minutes while she waited for the hair mask to sink in.
After the bath, she dried herself and used her favorite body butter, made by Jolene, making sure every single inch of her skin was soft and silky smooth.
Then she picked the daring red lace thong with a matching bra—because italwayshad to be matching—and hid it beneath a black turtleneck and a plaid skirt.
No need for fishnets.
The planter with the sprout of fire ivy Blaze and she had managed to will into existence idly sat on her windowsill and watched Alecto light the black pillar candles scattered around various corners of her room—three on her writing desk where she did the majority of her schoolwork when she didn’t go to the library, a few more on her nightstand, and then a whole bunch next to the fireplace that only served as decorative piece these days.
Alecto even went as far as to smudge a piece of palo santo wood, leaving the smoldering piece next to the window so it would continue filling the room with its seductive smell.
When six o’clock rolled around and Blaze knocked on the door, Alecto was ready.
“Black, no sugar, no milk or creamer” was the first thing he said, holding a cup of steaming coffee to her.
Wordlessly, Alecto took the cup from him, stepping to the side as he strolled in. There was another cup in his hand, and from the trail smelling of cinnamon and something sweet, Alecto guessed it was his ownversionof coffee.
Of course, someone as rotten as Blaze would need something so sugary to sweeten him up.
“You came prepared,” Alecto noted, eying Blaze, who had no trouble settling comfortably on her windowsill, next to their failing Herbalism project.
“Always, baby.”
He cracked the window open and lit a cigarette, his black eyes on Alecto.
There was no way to tell so far whether he had noticed anything she had done. Blaze’s face was unreadable, the dark circles underneath his eyes looking stark in comparison to his pale complexion.
Alecto walked over to him before settling on the armchair next to the window and sipping on her coffee.Men are rather simple creatures. Be close to him, look at him as if he’s the most important person in the room, and he’s going to fall on his knees for you, read one of the passages in Galliano’s diary.
“I’ve asked Jolene for the spell that’s supposed to help us grow the ivy,” Alecto said.
Blaze arched a brow. “And she gave it to you?”
“Of course.”
“Must be nice to be so loved.” A dark smirk bloomed on his face. Finally, a reaction.
The urge to argue was sudden and burning inside Alecto’s chest. Easy for Blaze to tease, when he was always everyone’s top choice, the golden fucking boy. But Alecto pushed the bitterness away.
