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When I can’t take the silence any longer, I start. “Okay. Talk please. What does Benny do?”
“Benny is the fucking cloud in the sky. He’s one of the most notorious hackers in the twenty-first century. He is part of the reason why The Kings are so untouchable, and before him, was his dad and so on…”
“But he’s a Vitiosis?” I question as Bishop drives us toward the airport.
“Yes,” Bishop murmurs. “Brantley’s cousin. Bailey’s brother…”
“This is so messed up,” I mutter, leaning my head back. “Tell me more.”
“Have you ever heard of the seductress?” Nate asks.
“Yes.”
“Well, Benny is that in male form. He can make every woman fall to their knees from his charm, and men too, which he does. Often. But everything is calculated with him. He’s like The Riddler and The Joker all in one. He has no heart, a big cock, and the scent of sex to lure people in. He’s an assassin, but of the highest caliber. He can find anyone within seconds, kill someone without being present, and do so without batting an eye.”
“Sounds deeply disturbed…”
Nate scoffs. “You have no fucking idea.”
“I wanted him to get Peyton because no one could find her. He wouldn’t do it at first. Said he didn’t want to fuck with a Stuprum. He had a lover who was a Lost Boy and your mother killed him. Long story short? He hated Stuprums. I said you were different. You had depth and heart. He still didn’t believe me, so I brought him to the ball. He was taken with you instantly, but said he recognized something within you that was similar to him…”
“What’s that?” I ask, hypnotized.
“Your charm and charisma and sexual aura—his words not mine, obviously. Weird motherfucker.”
I clear my throat. “So why did he come for me the second time?”
“Because he’s not stupid. So far on the other side of that spectrum, you have no idea. He knew not to trust someone who was similar to him, so he wanted to meet you again. I don’t know what you did that second time, but it moved him. He found Peyton instantly and had her shipped to Perdita.”
I smirk. “Take me right to Perdita.”
On the plane, one of two, we’re almost landing on Perdita when Nate glares at me, his jaw clenched.
“What?” I whisper. “Stop looking at me like that.”
My skin shivers, probably from all of the torment.
“Like what?” he asks.
When I don’t answer, his hands come to my knees and he spreads my legs apart. “I need you.”
“No,” I snap, gazing out the window.
“No?” he questions, smirking.
“No.”
“I’ve got too much anger for this kill. I need to let some out.”
“I can’t go into this broken and battered with a sore ass, so deal with it,” I snap, still angry at him over what happened at the cabin.
“You’re angry at me…” he announces, but his voice is like silk, brushing against my skin with tender syllables.
“I’m not.”
“Hey!” His voice is soft, but I don’t answer.
His hand comes to my chin and he forces my eyes to his. “We will talk after this.”
“About what?” I search his eyes.
“Us.”
I bark out an ugly laugh. “There’s nothing to talk about and I’ve come to peace with that.”
He squeezes my chin and I flinch, my eyes going to his. “Fuck your peace.” His thumb presses over my bottom lip. “You’ve done good, baby.”
I feel my insides warming to him again, the problem is that my thermostat is faulty when it comes to Nate. “How so?”
“We’ll talk. Okay?”
I hesitate.
“Answer me, Tillie, or I will fuck you in the back room and make the pilot circle until we’re done.”
“Okay,” I whisper, exhausted. “We will talk.”
We land, and Nate takes my hand as we all move off the jet. We didn’t need an army like the last time, because apparently, I do own this island. I’m still not comfortable with that fact, but I don’t bother to fight any of them on that front anymore. I’m focused, and here for one thing. Once that’s done, I can think of the others. Like why Nate wanted me here in Perdita to begin with and what the fuck is with Daemon’s book. What is he trying to tell me? I can feel his thoughts inside my head sometimes, and when it happens, I feel like I’m going crazy. I’m terrified to go to sleep at night, just in case nightmares meet me there on the other side. Where does our mind go when we’re sleeping? Pretty sure mine visits hell, judging by the people I see in them. A dark limo is waiting for us and we all pile in. Bishop, Nate, Brantley, Cash, Eli, Ace, Hunter, and Jase in ours, while there’s another two SUVs behind us, waiting.
“Is Hector in that SUV?” I ask, not meeting any of their eyes.