Page 90 of Vengeance and Vipers

His eyes find me. He looks bored.

‘I don’t have anything else. I’m wearing the clothes from the closet in the roomyougave me. If they aren’t to your liking, then I invite you to find me some additional options that are more in keeping with your desired aesthetic!’

I turn on my heel, ignoring him when he calls my name.

Fuck Julian Maddox. He can kiss my pert, human ass!

ChapterFourteen

MADDOX

Ihave to stop myself from going after her, apologizing for my awful behavior.

‘This is for the best,’ I mutter to myself, gripping the armrests tightly.

She’s getting too comfortable here.We’regetting too comfortablehaving her here. Lines need to be drawn. Boundaries maintained. That’s why I let her have the task of planning the masque. It will give her something to do so she stays out of our way over the next few weeks. It also pushes her back into the category of ‘employee’ because things were easier when I could keep her at arm’s length, and it’s getting harder to do that. I’m hoping this will help.

I pour myself a measure of brandy and knock it back in one. The clock says it’s barely 11:30. I’ve now started imbibing before noon, and I blame Julia Brand.

Letting out a groan, I stand up, willing away the uncomfortable hardness between my legs even as I can’t get the vision that elicited my current state out of my mind. Jules standing in front of me in her wet clothes, her dusky areola clearly visible under the thin, sodden material, her nipples hard from the cold. How I wanted to rip that dress off her, throw her down on the rug before the hearth, and warm her up even as I ravaged her.

I sit back down a little shakily. I thought we could wait until the Iron I’s have left, but I’ll need to feed sooner. If I don’t, I won’t be able to stop myself from succumbing to our houseguest. And, if I do that, then not only will I be an abhorrent host, but a hypocrite as well after how I dealt with Axel and Jayce for giving in to those same impulses in the Mountain.

I take out my phone and message my favorite club manager, one I trust implicitly. Typically, we stay quite removed from most of our businesses. We’re silent owners, absent majority stakeholders. But there are one or two establishments we’ve been known to frequent where we’re referred to as ‘VIP guests’ only. We’ll need a conjure or two to change our scents and appearances, but it won’t be too difficult so long as we keep our wits about us.

I get a ping and let out a sigh. Tomorrow night is on. I let the others know on the group chat and then get to work, dealing with yet more of the issues that accrued during our incarceration. Less than a month until the ball, and all of this will be settled once and for all.

I bring up the cameras that Paris has already installed, finding Jules easily. She’s in the Parlor, staring out the window. I know she likes it best in the library, but I can’t have her in here with me even if she is only reading in the nook I had built after she left.

The devil only knows what valuable nuggets of information she’d soak up while my guard was focused on business associates.

There’s a knock on my door. It’s Iron.

‘I’ve taken a look at tomorrow’s guestlist, and eight o’clock would be better. Fae VIPs are due around ten,’ he says.

I nod. ‘Fine. Let the others know about the change.’

My phone rings, but he doesn’t leave.

‘Was there something else?’

‘Yeah.’ He comes in and shuts the door. ‘What are we doing with Jules?’

I blink at him. ‘What do you mean?’

‘When we go to the club. We’re all going, right? You’re not thinking of leaving her here.’

I hesitate. I hadn’t really thought.

‘With Alex and his crew?’ he continues when I don’t speak. ‘After what happened with Jane, it’s not a huge jump to assume they might be wanting some friendly payback. I mean, we were ready to kill Korban and take her if Alex and the others were dead.’

Friendly payback in our circles can be anything from a prank to a slit throat, so I think seriously about what Iron is saying. ‘On Jules? I doubt they’d see her as a target. I’ve already made it clear to them what she is and why she’s here.’

‘You did?’ Iron shifts. ‘Why?’

I frown. He looks angry but quickly schools his features.

‘It’s just that they already know too much about our clan business,’ he elaborates. ‘Anyway, even if you don’t think they’re a threat to her, do you really want to leave her unguarded? You know how slippery she is. Without supervision …’