Page 20 of King of Ashes

"The Phoenix you knew died with Mom and Dad in the fire. Along with any mercy I might have had for the Keans."

Blaise shakes his head, disappointment etched in every line of his face. But I can't bring myself to care. I need this hatred. It's all I have left.

“Dad wouldn’t torture innocent staff or humiliate women in front of an audience."

"Innocent?" I bark out a laugh. "They worked for the Keans. Protected them. Protected her."

"And what, exactly, did Keira do?" He steps closer. "Besides make the mistake of falling for you?"

My gaze slices to his. How did he know about us? We’d been a secret. “She never fell for me. No. She used me to help Hampton destroy our family. There. Do you still feel sorry for her? She killed our parents.”

“Are you sure about that? We thought the same about Jenna.”

“This is not up for discussion.” I move past him, but Blaise catches my arm.

“This won’t do, Phoenix.”

"Watch yourself." I wrench free. "Don't forget who's in charge here."

"That's right, you're in charge. She knows it more than anyone."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's a woman in a world in which women have no power. All she has is her dignity, and clearly, she'll be damned before she'll let you take it. The question is why are you willing to sexually assault?—"

"I did not?—"

"You threatened it. In front of your men. There are lines, Phoenix. Lines that others might cross, but not us. We swore we'd never be like that."

“I don’t remember you backing off your sexual campaign against Jenna.”

“I've seduced information out of people." He runs a hand through his hair, and I suspect he still feels guilt over his treatment of Jenna, the woman he now calls wife. "But I've never used sexual humiliation as a weapon. That's not who we are."

The truth in his words stings. Our parents taught us better than this. Even in our darkest moments seeking revenge, they would have expected us to maintain some semblance of honor.

"She makes me crazy." I press my palms against my eyes. "Every time I look at her, I see everything we lost."

"No." Blaise's voice softens. "It’s more than that. This isn't just about our parents anymore, is it?"

My silence answers for me. The memory of young Keira, innocent, passionate, mine, collides against the reality of who we've become.

"I want to break her." The admission tastes like ash in my mouth. "Make her feel as destroyed as I did when she betrayed me."

"Has it worked?" Blaise asks. "Did threatening her make you feel better? More powerful?"

I think of her blank stare, the way she shut down completely. That wasn't victory. It was resolve. She was going to take the punishment without giving me the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

I meet Blaise’s judgmental glare. “If I were to walk down and put a bullet in Hampton’s brain, would you lecture me about honor?”

“Hell no. He took our parents. Our lives.”

“So did Keira. I loved her, Blaise, and she used it to burn our lives to the ground.”

For long moments he just stares at me. “I hope you’re right. Because if you’re not, you’re no better than Hampton.”

“Get the fuck out.” I point toward the door.

He shrugs and does as I order, leaving me to stew alone with the shitshow whirling in my brain.