Page 2 of Mastered by Them (Rose and Dagger #2)

Danica

I woke up an hour ago, but I haven’t gotten out of bed. All I can think about is Granddad’s voice when he told me he knows I want to help the family. Of fucking course I want to help the family.

But that doesn’t mean I need to marry Edmund Layton, the criminally hot criminal.

“Danica!” Rita’s voice echoes down the hall. “You have a delivery and you aren’t allowed to give it away this time.”

It’s probably from Edmund. I pull my pillow over my head. “I don’t want it.”

She knocks on my door. “Get your ass out here and open this package so I can be jealous. Danicaaaaaa…”

If I don’t go, she’ll keep harassing me.

I swear I’ve rubbed off on Rita since she moved in a few months ago.

I used to resent the hell out of her for taking what I’d hoped would be Leah’s room, but it all worked out in the end.

And now I have to respect Rita’s stubborn streak—mornings like this, she puts me to shame.

I climb out of bed, grumbling.

“I can hear you, you know.” She sounds like she pressed her face against the door.

I open it abruptly and sure enough, Rita stares back, startled. She recovers quickly, grabs my hand, and drags me to the living room.

Elias sits on the couch, pinned in place by a grumpy-looking Cackle. “If I try to move him, he bites me. If I try to pet him, he bites me.”

“Looks like you’re stuck.” I smile at him with false sympathy. Then I scratch Cackle’s ear and whisper, “Good kitty.”

Cackle purrs.

On the coffee table in front of them is another Baciarvita box. Rich, deep magenta sides and a shiny black ribbon.

Whatever. Let’s get this over with. Rita hands me a pair of scissors and I cut the ribbon before flinging it onto Elias’s chest. Cackle goes after the ribbon, claws extended.

Elias screeches.

Apparently creating chaos soothes me, because a calm comes over me as I lift the lid from the Baciarvita box.

Inside is a lavender bag, similar to the pink one Edmund sent last time.

But this time, instead of a lollipop, the charm is a dagger, its handle tipped with a rose bloom.

A card falls out and flutters to the floor, handwriting-side-up. Cackle loses interest in Elias to tackle it, but I swoop in and rescue the card before he can.

Danica, the Layton symbol is a rose and crown. The Aseyev symbol is a dagger and crown. Together, we are rose and dagger. —E

I can’t control the happy little flutter of excitement in my stomach, but I can ignore it. And I can still be mad about anything and everything.

Rita bounces on the balls of her feet. “What do you think?”

“He’s trying to buy my affection with this?—”

Rita shoves the handbag into my arms. Soft, buttery fabric feels like heaven against my skin.

“—with this amazing handbag,” I finish.

Rita smirks. “And it’s working.”

“No, no it is not.”

She holds out her hands. “So give it to me, then.”

I want to lash out like an angry hobbit whose magic ring is threatened. No . I put the bag over my shoulder, admiring its fit and weight. It feels like it was made for me. Shaking my head at Rita, I say, “It is my burden.”

Elias, lifting his shirt to examine the scratches Cackle left on his chest, says, “Great. Will you two move so I can finish watching Serial Darkness ?”

Rita rolls her eyes, but we scoot off to the side.

The doorbell rings while I admire my new bag.

“Another gift? Shit, Danica.” Rita shakes her head. “If you don’t want this guy, can I have him?”

I grumble as I answer the door, but the man standing on the doorstep isn’t a delivery guy. “Granddad!”

My immediate joy at seeing him dampens as soon as I remember everything that went down last night.

“Danica, please.” His mouth turns up in a smile, but it’s a sad one. “Let me explain myself.”

I take a deep breath and exhale. “Fine. Come in.”

Rita drags Elias out of the living room to give Granddad and me some privacy.

I face my grandfather. He looks taller. And he’s sturdier than he was a month ago when he was fresh out of the hospital. I’m glad he’s feeling better. It makes it easier to be mad at him.

Of course, all I have to do is remember how small he looked in his hospital bed, how ashen, how close to death he was—and then my anger fades. I don’t want to be mad at him.

Granddad picks up the gift note on the coffee table and sees Edmund’s name scrawled at the bottom. Gesturing at the empty gift box, then the new handbag on my shoulder, he says, “I see the young man is already trying to woo you.”

“Yeah, well. It isn’t going to work.”

“You like the gift.”

“Doesn’t mean I like the sender.”

“You’ve always been such a stubborn little hellion.” He offers me a fond smile, and his eyes are watery with emotion. “Danica. I know you’re angry. I should have explained ahead of time.”

“You think?”

He tsks . “We don’t need sarcasm, you and I. You don’t have to protect yourself with your great big shield. I promise I don’t aim to hurt you or make you sad.”

“Then why do this? Why tell me I have to marry this guy I barely know?”

He gazes at the gift note before dropping it into the Baciarvita box. “For what it’s worth, I saw the way he looked at you when he came to my house with the gift basket. If I didn’t think he liked you, I would never have agreed to the engagement.”

I want to scoff and mouth off with something sarcastic. But Granddad made a good point. I use sarcasm as defense. And right now, we need to have this conversation rather than shut it down.

Granddad gives me a serious look. He truly thinks Edmund likes me.

I think he’s mistaking lust for affection, but I’m not about to get into that kind of argument with my grandfather, nope.

He takes my hand in his. “Go through with the engagement. Please. If the Vorsong Circle moves into San Esteban, our family is in danger. You, your parents and your aunts. Dmitri. Rachel.”

He doesn’t mention himself, but I’m sure he’s the most vulnerable—any rival crime organization is going to try to hit the leader first, right?

And Rachel. She sobbed all night after those guys followed her around.

They chased me, too, after I spotted them at the construction site.

An unseen weight settles over my shoulders. It goes further down, pressing against my stomach. We aren’t going to be safe until this is resolved. And it could take years.

“Why don’t we just go to the police?”

His blue eyes soften. “Danica, we can’t.”

Of course we can’t. Because he’s a criminal. We’re all criminals. I’m a member of a criminal family, and I’m marrying into another one.

“Please, go along with this for the family, for a time.” He squeezes my hand. “If we can get Vorsong Circle to leave San Esteban, the marriage might not be necessary.”

I stare off to the side, at Cackle sunning himself in the window, his gray and black striped fur gleaming. “Fine. I’ll be engaged to Edmund. For a time.”

“There’s my favorite granddaughter.”

I don’t look at his face, but I can hear the smile in his voice as he says it.

He goes on, “The Laytons are throwing an engagement party for you and Edmund, so we’ll need to attend.”

“Seriously, Granddad? I’ve barely wrapped my head around the idea of an engagement?—”

“Danica, please.”

“Fine, whatever.” I can put on a dress and pretend for an evening, I suppose. For the family. For a time. Not forever. “When is it?”

His voice is soft, tentative. “It’s this Sunday.”