Page 34 of The Fate of Black Hearts

The human woman sucking off Ian under the covers popped upright and threw the comforter back. “Who the hell are you?”

“It’s in your best interest to leave now,” Evie warned.

“Now, love…” Ian purred. “Perhaps we can have a little fun? All three of us?”

Eww.Evie focused on the human and let her glamour drop to half strength. Revealing her full inner strength might give the woman a heart attack. “Last warning. If you’re not gone in ten seconds, I’ll slash your throat and burn your body in the backyard. Or perhaps I’ll dissolve you in the washing machine with acid.”

The woman screamed, grabbed her clothes, and ran for the front door.

“Morbid, Evie.” Ian rolled his eyes as he stood from the bed and pulled on a discarded pair of slacks. In looks, Ian reminded her too much of Willem—angular, muscular, dark-blond hair with a hint of auburn. Like Willem, Ian preferred using debauchery, bribery, and occasionally killing to get his way in the world.

“Now that you’ve chased away my toy, are you going to take her place?” He gave her a lascivious once-over that had nothing to do with appreciation, or even the offer of decent sex. It had everything to do withI guess you’ll do.

She frowned in confusion. Ian Lanzo had never shown an ounce of attraction toward her in the many times they’d met before Willem left her life. He also seemed to have become more coherent and less confused than she remembered. There had been an incident a century ago that left him with memory loss. At first, it annoyed and angered him. Then he seemed to devolve to the point he often had episodes wherehe didn’t seem to have both oars in the water.

He's dead.Dom’s words echoed inside her head. If Ian was “dead,” then who was this look alike?

“I don’t have the patience for you in the bedroom. Put on a shirt. Where’s your staff? This place is in abominable condition.” She returned to the kitchen.

“I had an unfortunate and fatal disagreement with the housekeeper. The others I got rid of a few days ago. They kept annoying me.” He followed her into the kitchen.

He killed the housekeeper? Maybe Ian’s brain had taken a sharp dive from what had been relatively harmless confusion into psychosis.

“Are you here to accept the inevitable with me heading your family?” He smirked.

She slammed her palm onto the counter. “You arenotwelcome in my life.”

He gave her a bored expression, lit a cigarette, and puffed. “I’ve given our union some thought.”

“Our union?In what fantasy world are you living that you think I’d ever consider you as a mate?” Her eyebrows rose into her hairline as her blood pressure skyrocketed. She would kill him without a second thought regardless of their loose family connection.

“It’s beyond time I took my proper role as head of the family.” His words lacked conviction, but his eyes seemed curious about her reaction.

She narrowed her eyes. “What qualifications do you have to leadmyfamily?”

“It’s my rightful place.”

“According to who? The laws of seventeenth-century lycan society? Hello? It’s the twenty-firstcentury.”

“It’s my birthright.”

“Birthright?Interesting choice of words. What exactly do you plan to do asheadof thefamily? Do you think you’re going to sit on a throne and get catered to?”

“Sure.”

“Do you think there’s money to be had?”

“It’s my rightful inheritance that should’ve come to me as the logical male heir when Willem died.”

“First, the rules of male succession make Roman the heir. Not you. Willem has been dead for almost fifty years. Where have you been? You disappeared. What money do you think Willem had?” With a head shake, she laughed. “Your brother left me five sons locked into servitude to the king of England and a broken promise to free them. He killed Jonas and almost killed Flynn. All I inherited was regret.”

“They got themselves free. Who knows what those loafers will do now.”

Ian knew nothing of what any of her sons did or the price they’d all paid to be free of the curse that had bound them to the Crown. Some secrets stayed in the family.

Well, family that didn’t include Ian.

“Those shoes alone cost three thousand dollars.” He pointed to her black heels.