Page 62 of Empress of Ruin
“I see. And is it safe to assume that you haven’t accrued a lot of goodwill?”
“You know quite well that I don’t play nice with others. Not in earnest.”
“Okay.” I nod. “Thank you for explaining that to me. I think we’re all done.”
“If you ever repeat what I’ve told you, I can’t protect you,” Killian says seriously. “I gave you this information because you asked for it and you deserve it, but this binds us on a level that supersedes physical. Or anything else.”
I lower my gaze, pressing a hand to my forehead as the realization sets in. Killian didn’t tell me all of this just because Iasked, he told me because it’s another way to control me. It’s another thing preventing me from leaving.
Part of me is upset, the other part of me is unsurprised. There might even be a bit of admiration thrown in there. Everything—everythingKillian does is calculated. It’s intentional. It’s ruthless.
I admire him for his ruthlessness as much as I disdain being on the wrong side of his ambitions.
But whyamI on the wrong side of it? He’s proven he has no intention of killing me. He’s given me a career I oncedreamedof. I’m his captive, yes, but… only because I’m fighting him.
Is the fight really still worth it?
He made a sex tape of you and gave it to his greatest rival, knowing full well it’d probably eventually get leaked, Lyra,the voice of reason cautions.
Yes, and then he had it discredited and labeled as AI. Even ran a campaign around it using it to prove the dangers of reckless uses of AI. He’s fucked up, but he’s also fixed his fuckups to the best of his ability.
And I can’t keep denying that, wrong as it is, I do love what he does to me when we have sex. I’m not a fan of other things, but… maybe they can be changed.
If I can’t go anywhere, if I really am stuck with Killian—which seems to be the case—Ishouldmake the best of it.
But, given our history, I don’t know if I truly can.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Killian
One of the perks of being hurt is that I get to see a new side of Lyra. I always pegged her as a natural caretaker, but I haven’t yet had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of her care.
If she weren’t here, I’d be out of bed and working in my office—fuck the doctor’s orders. I might’ve lost some blood, but the wound is ultimately just an unpleasant scratch; it shouldn’t stop me from moving around.
When I wake up to Lyra bringing me a breakfast tray in bed, however, I quickly change my mind and decide I can work from here.
“Did you put this together?” I ask.
“God, no.” she shakes her head. “I don’t even know how to work half the appliances in your kitchen. No, the chef put it together. I just brought it up.”
Shealsobrings me my laptop when I ask her to, fusses over the arrangement of my pillows, and that evening, changes my bandages. All tasks that I’m perfectly capable of my own—perhaps with some extra effort—but I’m enjoying her softness. Maybe I should get injured more often.
On the second day, I’m unable to stay in bed, so much to Lyra’s adorable consternation, I move to the office. Besides, I have meetings to take. The first point of contact is a man I have little desire to deal with, because he’s fully capable of betraying me… but he also has the services I need.
“Mr. King,” Cain greets, picking up the call. “It’s a pleasant surprise to hear from you.”
“Is it?”
“Sure. If you’re about to cut me a nice check. Who do you need dead?”
“Actually, I’m calling to inquire about other services you might offer. A friend of mine recently suggested that you have a man with great talent in the digital realm. I need to find evidence of something.”
Cain pauses for several long beats. Finally, he says, “Who told you this?”
“I’m not at liberty to disclose.”
“Then I’m not at liberty to doshitfor you. My organization currently offers one service.”
