Page 89 of Princes of Sin
“Yeah, but–”
“Lot, this is ourjob.If there was no Citadel or Obsidian or whoever the fuck else is out there, we would be sitting around twiddling our thumbs. As long as they exist,weexist. There will always be someone to take down–someone to put in their place. We can whinge about it all we want, or we can actually fucking do something about it.”
She considers my words for a bit, the corners of her lips twitching upward. “So what are we going to do?”
I laugh. “I have no doubt you’ll come up with a way to take care of it. Right now, I’m just trying to fend off the worried, frantic texts from Harlow.”
Lottie chuckles, her face relaxing a bit. “Otto calls her Momzilla. Fierce on the outside like a brutal assassin, but a warm mother hen on the inside.”
“That sounds about right.”
A minute later, I get settled at my desk across from her. We took Crowne Tower over this week, moving the Lords’ stuff out and the Princes’ stuff in. Alaric had clapped me on the back when the movers were finished, and he gave Lachlan a stern nodbefore exiting with the rest of them, leaving us newbies to our own devices. I don’t even blame Harlow for worrying–it must be strange to have such an important job, and then one day you just hand everything over… it reminds me that one day, we’ll be in their shoes.
“I just realized we’ll never get vacations,” Lottie laments.
I huff a laugh. “Youdidvolunteer for this, little minx.”
“Actually, I did not. My plan was to infiltrate the order and murder all of you.”
I rub my mouth when I look over at her, and she’s smiling innocently. “Alright, you might’ve been able to kill me, and possibly Alex and Lachlan, too. But Otto? I don’t think you have it in you to kill Otto.”
She twists her lips to the side. “Fuck, you’re right. It would be like killing a puppy.”
As if on cue, Cocoa whines and hops up from her luxurious bed that takes up a third of our office spice. Lottie even bought her a diamond collar, and she has little socks that she wears because apparently her paws might get cold when they go on walks. All joking aside, I’m truly glad Lottie has Cocoa now. Having that part of her childhood has changed her in so many ways. She’s happier and she seems more content and comfortable with herself. Plus, Cocoa is an old lady, and I know Lottie is dreading the day she has to say goodbye for good.
It’s both a blessing and a curse.
So yeah, none of us says anything about the collar or silly socks.
We’re just glad our little darling has a companion.
Cocoa trots over to me and nuzzles my legs. She seems to like all of us, but she’s taken a particular liking to Lachlan. I suspect it’s because she knows he saved their lives, and she’s appreciative of him. Personally, I do enjoy seeing him beingfollowed by her constantly, and the way he’s a total sucker for her. He even hides treats in his pockets.
“I’m glad you didn’t kill us. And I’m glad this all worked out,” I muse, running a hand over Cocoa’s soft fur.
“We’ll probably all be killed by Obsidian or some other entity. The Lords–thePrinces–can’t go on forever.”
I turn my gaze on her again. “Why not? We appoint the next heirs. Who’s to say we won’t continue on?”
“Every empire falls,” she replies, giving me a sad smile.
“Not us. Never us.”
“Stubborn arse.”
“Get back to work. We have people to kill, fingers to sever, and poison to administer.”
“Obsidian is going to rue the day they entered my radar,” she murmurs, going back to squinting at the computer and frowning.
“I’m sure they’re shaking in their boots.”
“They better.”
I’m still smiling when Lachlan walks in, followed by Alex and then Otto. They each take seats at their desks, and it strikes me then just how damn lucky we are.
Sure, there will always be someone else ready to eliminate us. We are omnipotent, after all. But at the end of the day, at least I get to do it with my best friends.
A notification pings on my computer, and it’s an email from Lottie.
