Page 46 of Lady of Darkness
His cerulean eyes twinkle as he cocks his head. “A while.”
My stomach does that stupid swooping thing again that feels like butterflies going wild in my guts.
“Are you hungry?” he asks, his voice low.
“A little. Are the other guys here?”
He shakes his head, pushing off of the door. “They went to their houses to grab some things. We’re all going to stay here until Acadia blows over.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
My nerves are fried, and being in his presence alone doesn’t help. It only sets them on fire all over again.
“They’ll be back soon. We have a dinner event in London tonight.”
I perk up at that. Since the day I tried poisoning them, I hoped they’d start including me in real work. If this is going to be my full-time job, surely I’d be doing more than exercising and reading war tactic books.
“With who?” I ask.
“Acadia.”
My face pales. “Seriously?!”
He nods, his expression unmoving. “Dead serious.”
“They want to have dinner with us after what they did?” I add, my voice shrill.
“I’m not sure what their motive is.”
I scoff with a rapid shake of my head. “It’s probably a trap.”
“No, I think it’s genuine. I suspect they either want to call a truce, or strike a deal.”
A chill works through my body. “What kind of deal?”
Theo takes another step forward. “In this business, we sometimes have to appease our enemies by forming an alliance.”
“They tried to kill me, Theo.”
He nods again, this time looking annoyed. “I know. And I want to burn them all to the ground for it.”
“So, why don’t you?”
Whew, when the hell did I become a cold-hearted murderer?
Theo’s lips twitch, as if he’s trying not to smile. “Because we can’t just go around killing everyone who tries to kill us. There’d be no one left.”
I clench my fists tighter as he stalks closer. “I don’t trust them.”
When he’s a few inches away from me, he reaches a hand out and places it underneath my chin, tilting it up.
“I will ensure you stay safe, little monster.”
I swallow. “Not–not just me. You guys, too.”
He gives me a monstrous smile. “Catching feelings for us, Lady Blackwell?”
“No, I–”
