RYLAND POVThe red wine I held in my hand had lost its savor and as I listened to the family yabber on and on about how my management sucked even tho they didn't use the term, it was starting to make me feel like murdering everyone in the room. The auction hadn't pushed through because of the cops raiding the venue... Vito had warned against it but I hadn't listened. It didn't matter, the video of Ares was my one masterpiece yet and the bid on him was already through the roof, and once I finalized his sale, I would earn the respect I had lost along with the money wasted in organizing the auction. But I had to stop the killing spree if I wanted to reign for a long time unrivaled. I couldn't afford to make too many enemies, especially now that my little sister and Hayden were still on the run. They could be planning god knows what and I wouldn't be aware of it until the last moment.I couldn't underestimate Lexis, she had killed her father without blinking an eye, even tho she did brea
JADE POV.Lexis swallowed, her fear saturating the air. It made my blood pump, adrenalin surging through my veins as I stalked her. All the ways I could shut her up for good played around in my head and something urged me on, telling me to just obliterate her and worry about the consequence later."Master..." Hayden's uncertain voice reached my ear forcing me to pause in my approach. Lexis was already at a corner, her face pale and wide open in terror. "Please don't kill me" she managed to get out. "I just want Ryland to pay for what he did to me. I'll give you all my support to be the new Don, you have my words. I will never go against you ever".I scoffed, then grabbed her face. She flinched violently and I let go quickly to see the nasty bruise on her chin where my thumb and my forefinger had grabbed."What the hell" she yelled, grabbing at her face in shock and trying to disappear into the wall.I stared at my hand, the strength in them fascinating. Was I as powerful as Dearil al
"You are wasting precious time Ryland Alvarez. Jade will be here soon, and that will be your end. Do you plan to die when you haven't even enjoyed the fruit of your hard work" "I will not run as a coward" Ryland bellowed, his fist shaking where he clenched them on the hands of his chair. Taking a deep breath, he unclenched his fist and then clasped them in front of his chest, a manic glint replacing the fear that had been in his eyes. "I will wait for her return, and by sunset, if she doesn't show up then your pretty little head will go for this unsavory prank that you've chosen to play with me".Skye rolled her eyes in frustration. "I am not playing a prank, Ryland Alvarez. We would have been gone from here since yesterday but you have allowed your stubbornness to get the better of you. Aren't you supposed to be a wise Don, well not that your track record is anything to write home about" she insulted and Rylands gaze hardened to slits, a warning written over them? Skye continued as
DEARIL POV."You humiliated your own father in front of all the other Alphas" Detinos yelled, the veins on his neck standing out as his anger saturated the air around us but I didn't care. I had tolerated them for the longest time and I'd finally had enough.I gave a non-committal shrug. "He had humiliated me countless of times, if I could take it, I am sure that he will be able to, heck, he might even outdo me since he is the most perfect father figure out there, am I right?"."What do you hope to achieve? Are you finally going to get revenge on us for all those years? Is that what all these Are about?" Detinos yelled, his neck straining as he stepped closer to me, his intentions to intimidate me shining through his eyes even though his movements were cautious. Despite his anger, he was scared of me, of what he knew I could do, which was the sole reason he was holding back when all he wanted to do was rip me to shreds.I matched his stance, my gaze piercing into his, "I am going to c
Vaughn stared down at his son, knowing that he wouldn't be able to escape this time. Giving up his seat just at his command had been a wake-up call of what power Dearil truly possessed and that if he was allowed to live, there would be no one that anyone would be able to stand In his way.The mafia girl had been the cause of everything. Who could have thought that a mere human, not even one that powerful could have such an effect on Dearil? She even succeeded in breaking his curse, which was something that Vaughn had been looking forward to fulfilling of it.If he had just killed her that night in the woods when he'd come across her, everything that was happening would have been avoided. He should have known better! Vaughn blamed himself for not realizing that a girl that had such an influence over Dearil on their first night of meeting was someone not to take seriously. Her eyes had been fierce, she had looked ready for battle and yet he'd merely ignored every sign that she wasn't ju
ONE-MONTH INTERVAL. JADE POV.I was the ruler of the empire I had always wanted. The world was at the tip of my fingers so why did I feel miserable all the time? Miserable and angry. It was an everyday battle not to bite the head off of everyone I came in contact with. But I was careful, they couldn't know that I was not as stable as I presented myself to be. Cleaning up Ryland's mess had not been easy, but after all the years that I had used to build up their trust In me, I had won them back in no time, of course, I also used some of my new strength and the power of persuasion I found out I possessed. It came in very handy on some occasions and others, I just used force. It still made me see red that Ryland had gotten away, that too using dark magic. I did not believe in anything supernatural before, but I wasn't even human anymore, so I was more open to the option, and his conniving with a witch did not seat well with me. I had watched the videotape of their encounter over and o
RYLAND POVLiving with the witch for a month was both heaven and hell. Hell, because every second that went by I kept hearing of all Jade's achievements just on the eve of her return, and heaven because, despite Skye being a witch, she treated me like she saw me. She treated me as an equal, and never used her divine power on me to do her bidding after that first time that she had intruded on my life. It was just the both of us against the world, and as the days rolled by, I found myself falling into a routine that I was starting to enjoy. We woke up, went into the woods to gather whatever it was she needed for a potion, came back, made breakfasts, ate together, and talked while she shared her stories of conquest.Those alone time made me notice things about her that I never noticed in other Human beings. There was also a darkness that lurked within her, a darkness born out of pain and it coated every action she took, even her smile.And the knowledge of that pain made me want to do e
JADE POV The casino was crowded, which showed that the business was going well, and as I did a sweep of the building, I could make out the numbers of the high players that were in the establishment. It was our busiest season and as I walked in, accompanied by two of my most trusted guards, looks were thrown my way, some in fear, some in awe. My eyes raked over the faces of each of the high rollers in the casino, and at the pretty women who were draped over their arms, almost like a part of their accessories.They acknowledge me as I passed by each of them and I offered a small smile that I was sure looked more like a scowl. It was a hassle to show emotions that I didn't really mean, especially if it was at lots of them, but they were a major piece of my money-making enterprise, hence the courtesy. The security here was top-notch because I wanted all the players to feel safe while they played to their heart's content.The bouncers I employed all looked sturdy and I reveled in the kn