Page 63 of Forbidden Empire

Aidon was losing it at Ares, flipping through the maps like a maniac.

I couldn’t hear a thing, but wow, his body language said it all. He looked like he wanted to shatter the whole place.

I wanted to take every ounce of his frustration and just, I wasn’t sure, erase it.

It was on me, all of it.

He was losing his mind because I’d managed to get myself abducted by this absolute psycho, and it was all my fault.

I should’ve bailed a long time ago. Instead, I got cocky, screwed around, and now this was my mess to deal with.

Rhea, now more than pissed at my silent treatment, stalked over until she was right in front of me.

She leaned down, got all up in my face, and grabbed my chin, forcing my head up so I had to look at her.

I clenched my teeth and met her gaze, making sure to glare at her with every ounce of loathing I had. I might not have said a word, but I wanted her to know just how much I hated her right now.

She curled her lips into a slow, wicked grin, then dragged her fingernail along my jaw, taking her sweet time. Standing, she leveled a look at me, gaze sharp as a knife.

“Aidon might be ruthless, but even he has weaknesses. And you, pretty little Esme? You are his greatest weakness of all.”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. She was so sure of herself.

She seriously underestimated Aidon, and yeah, she was going to regret that.

Big time. Probably soon.

I was almost tempted to feel bad for her.

Almost.

The storm brewing inside me threatened to crack me open.

The fury I wanted to let loose on Rhea was at a full rolling boil now.

Whatever pain Aidon would inflict on her, she'd brought it on herself. I almost wanted to laugh at her stupidity. Challenging him so openly, leaving breadcrumbs like she was daring him to follow.

She had a death wish. That was the only rational reason for all of this.

Rhea hadn’t the faintest clue of what kind of monster she’d poked, what sort of cold violence was tucked behind all those designer suits. He was going to destroy her. Rip her into pieces.

The craziest thing? She thought she would be the one to win. Even better, she seemed to think I’d be right there, helping her do it.

Talk about delusional.

How had she honestly survived this long being so clueless?

“If you think I’m going to help you destroy Aidon, you don’t know me at all,” I finally said.

Rhea's smile stretched wider, her crimson-stained lips parting to reveal perfect teeth as she threw her head back. The laugh that erupted from her throat bounced off the walls, harsh, grating, unhinged, the kind that made the hair on your arms stand up and your fight-or-flight instinct kick into overdrive.

My stomach twisted up.

“Oh, Esme,” she said, breathless and shaking her head like I’d told the world’s funniest joke. “You’ve got me all wrong, darling. I don’t need your help. Least of all to destroy Aidon.”

She looked down at me, clicked her tongue, then bent down again, way too close, staring hard into my eyes.

“I just need you to be his downfall.”