KADEIt continued for days, weeks even. He met his Unfortunate in the library. They kissed. They were intimate.Sometimes, they were loud. Other times, they were quiet. Sometimes they fell asleep the same way they finished; their skin slick with sweat, their limbs tangled. Other times, they dressed in silence and fled without so much as a thank you. More often than not, Kade was full of compliments and niceties, whispering things he shouldn't, and watched his Unfortunate's heart swell. On occasion, he was cruel and obscene out of frustration. He tried to put Nine in her place. She was his Unfortunate, not his lover. It never lasted long. He couldn't help but praise her, tell her how beautiful she was, how much he enjoyed her and her company, how bad he craved her when she wasn't with him, and how it was worse whenever she was. He called her a good girl, and she liked that the most. There was a line he needed to draw, he knew that, but it was the first time in his life he had someth
He clenched his jaw as she smoothed her hand down his forearm, encouraging him to turn in her direction. Irritation swelled deep in his soul, but he shoved it down deep, knowing better than to lash out. "Charlotte," he greeted her, forcing his jaw to unclench. He turned toward her. "Nice to see you." She wore a tight, emerald gown with a structured bodice. Her breasts were full and prominent, her lips painted in a burgundy lipstick. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show," Charlotte said, her voice a pleasant melody. "I was just telling my father about our lovely dinners." Kade plastered on a polite smile as Nine continued to fill her tray with more champagne flutes. Twice. He's had dinner with Charlotte twice. At one stage, he was looking at pursuing a relationship with her in order to forget the violet-eyed Unfortunate who plagued his dreams—nightmares and fantasies. Charlotte was nice enough. She was even-tempered, stayed out of trouble, and came from a wealthy fam
NINEDays pass, and I don't see him. At the party, I couldn't avoid him; he refused to let me out of his sight. Now, he avoids me as well as I avoid him. He writes me down for house duties, keeping me busy, and I don't know if it's punishment for volunteering my help without his permission. I make sure to steer clear of the library, despite every cell in my body begging me to go. He is in my veins like an addiction, but I know it isn't healthy. I know the feelings I'm developing for him are disastrous for us both. I need to keep my wits about me. I need to ensure the line between us doesn't blur more than it already has. On the eighth day, I'm in the Unfortunate bathhouse, alone, after a ten-hour kitchen and laundry shift. I reach for the taps and turn them. Cold water shoots out of the circular shower head above me, and I gasp as it drenches me. It wakes me up and soothes the tension in my muscles. In a few deep breaths, the stream turns from cold to hot. Steam billows, rapidly fil
I walk two steps behind Vince through the manor, and he never turns to see if I'm following. As he escorts me away from the Unfortunate quarters, it dawns on me that he has other plans. Swallowing hard, I clench my tunic at my sides and wring it in my grip. "You said you would walk me to my quarters…" I murmur, and he grins over his shoulder. "I am. You sleep with Kade in his bed, don't you?" I stammer, caught off guard. "N-no." "No? Do you want to rethink your answer or stick with your lie?" "I fulfil my duties in his bed. It's not where I seek relaxation or reprieve." "You fulfil your duties in my mother's library, mostly." He snorts, casting me a knowing smirk, and I feel the blood drain from my face. "That's right. You and Kade aren't as clever as you think." What else does he know? Kade and I haven't spoken about the assassination of his father since we had dinner on the balcony of his mother's office. If anyone else knew, surely we'd be dead by now. I slip under a mask of
KADEHe turned and rested against the door, his hands behind his back. He flickered his gaze over his Unfortunate, who had guilt written over every slice of her flesh. What did she do? Why was she with Vince? It took everything in him not to grip her small biceps and shake the answers from her. "You two are friends now, are you?"She pulled a face. "I'd sooner hang myself with my bed sheet." Nine turned and strolled into the sitting area, stopping only when the large, leather lounge was between them. He pushed off the door and wandered closer. He moved along the back of the lounge, and, with every step he took, she took one too, keeping the space, always keeping something between them. "I am only here because he brought me. I had no intention of intruding on your intimate moment with Miss Charlotte." "Intimate?" Kade huffed a gentle laugh. "Try again, Unfortunate." He had never been, nor intended ever to be, intimate with Charlotte. He didn't care about her or what they were doing
NINESwallowing, he pushes my hair off my shoulder, then glides his palm into the nape of my neck. I stare at him. I stare deep into his midnight irises. I know better than to be here, to allow him to make me comfortable, warm, and content. I lived the last eight days as an Unfortunate should, and he lived his as a Fortunate should. We didn't intertwine, not for a second. And it was the loneliest eight days of my life. Irritation flickers in my chest. How dare he groom me. How dare he make it so my life is mundane and miserable without him? How dare he make me crave his company and his touch. I lift myself a little higher, moving my face in line with his. I glance at his mouth, then back to his eyes. They flash, igniting a fire in the pit of my belly. "Careful, Unfortunate. You shouldn't tease the man who's spent the last seven nights fucking you in his mind." My ears burn, and I can't help myself. I kiss him. I glide my hands around his neck and move into his lap. I wrap my legs
NINEMy eyelids flutter, and I twist under the blanket, searching for a more comfortable position to sleep on Kade's bed. Beside me, he sleeps peacefully, but I can't. Every creak and groan of the manor startles me awake, and the intimidating shadows of the enormous room morph into Vincent. And Michael. And Henry. And Elizabeth. Fear and guilt eat me up, and hot flushes of anxiety crawl over me. I should feel safe. I should be at ease, but I'm not because I'm breaking the law, and Vince knows it. No matter how powerful Kade is, he can't save me from the structure and laws of society. Intrusive thoughts of Vince send dread hurtling through me, further progressing my anxiety. If Kade ever finds out what happened in the bathhouse...I shudder at the thought of what he'd do. I shuffle my head on the pillow, moving closer to Kade. He sleeps with a frown, and my lips quirk at the crease between his brows. I reach out and graze the pad of my thumb along it. It smooths out, making my hear
KADEHer answer was the justification he needed. She cared for him, and as long as he took care of her, she was loyal to a fault. She would do anything he asked; of that, he was certain. He couldn't say the same about many other people in Freeport, and if he wanted to climb the ranks, if he took over the family, he needed loyal people around him. "We made a deal, Unfortunate, that night on the balcony. You remember," he said to Nine, ignoring the drop of blood rolling down her throat. She opened her eyes, and he saw her resignation. It was the same look she had in her eyes in Michael's recording. Vincent ambushed her in the communal Unfortunate bathhouse. She did the only thing she could do; get through it, and it'd be over soon. Nine gave her head a minute shake, but it was unavoidable. Michael would die tonight. The knife tucked into the waistband of the back of his pants dug into his flesh, and he welcomed it. Since he was a boy, he made a habit of sleeping with a knife, and a g