My mind still swirls like a tornado with everything that has happened recently, twisting until I want to scream. One thing stands out clearly, though, like a beacon of light. Turning round, careful to avoid the puddle of vomit now behind me, I face Loki, both of us still on our knees. I’m relieved to see that cuntface hasn’t followed him out, Willow either.
His brows are drawn together, and there are dark circles under his beautiful eyes, which are full of sadness and anguish.
Cupping his cheek, a move he leans his face into, I hold his gaze. “We will find a way through this, my love.” His breath hitches and his eyes fill with moisture when I call him that. It’s as if he thought I would have given up on him upon hearing this news. “Our fucking souls are merged, Loki. Nothing can separate them. Not cuntface, not Black Knight Corp., and certainly not Julian fucking Vanderbilt.”
His own hand comes up to cup my cheek so that we form an unbreakable circle. “But they’ll kill you, Pretty Girl,” he whispers, horror entering his gaze as it trails across my face. “If I refuse, you will not live long past your wedding day.”
A brief flash of fear lights up inside of me but quickly dissipates when I remember that we are not without power. In fact, we may have more than they do, now that I know about my inheritance.
“So we get them out of the way first,” I tell him, fierce determination filling me up and I straighten my back as if preparing for war. “Even if that means permanently removing them from the picture.”
His eyes go wide as he registers my meaning. And I do mean it, with all my heart. If we can’t remove the rotten core of Black Knight Corp. by legal means, then we will kill them. They’ve done terrible things, horrific things, without once getting their hands bloody as they force their own flesh and blood to bear the stains of their sins.
And as the saying goes, if you can’t beat them...then it’s time to get the knives out.
CHAPTERTWENTY
LILLY
It turns out Loki hadn’t even told the guys—stupid ballbag—and received a few punches when we got back to the dorm after our various gym classes until I managed to calm everyone down with threats of my own brand of violence, i.e. Her Vagisty going on strike.
Grumbling, we all sit on the sofas, a fire roaring in the fireplace, the crackling of burning logs a soothing sound. The soft beat of Sinead Harnett and GRADES singingIf You Let Mewashes over us as we clutch mugs of hot chocolate made by Kai, who used freshly shaved chocolate and warm milk. He usually puts some kind of whiskey in them, but I told him to leave it out of mine, my conversation with Willow playing in my mind. Kai gives me a considering look, but doesn’t say anything, doing as I asked. I should tell the guys, but I'm being a coward for now. I’ll wait until I take the test tomorrow.
I snuggle up to Loki, loving his vanilla scent mixing with the cocoa scent of my drink. His arm wraps around me, pulling me closer and grabbing my legs until I’m draped across his lap. I decided that she can’t have him, I licked him and he’s mine now, so she can just fuck right off. Hence the reason he’s here with me and not her, and I don’t give a fuck if she doesn’t like it. Plus, this is his dorm so she can’t exactly stop him being here anyway.
“I fucking missed you too much, Pretty Girl,” he murmurs, nuzzling the top of my head.
“Well, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself,” I sass back, loving the way his hand tightens on my shoulder and the growl that sounds from his chest.Got to love an alpha!
“Right,” Ash starts, gaining all of our attention. “Now that, thanks to Lilly, we have a majority share in the company, we need to start putting into place the removal of the current board.” His grey eyes are the colour of flint, hard and unyielding, and a fierce sense of satisfaction floods my body at his words. “Kai?” he asks, turning to look at Kai, who unsurprisingly has his tablet in hand.
“The easiest way to do it is to set them up. Frame them with a crime, one so bad that they’ll be locked away for a long time, and be forced to step down, giving up any rights, shares, and control of the company,” he tells us, his voice hard, eyes unforgiving.
“And the crime?” I ask, having an inkling of where this is going, but needing to hear it from his lips.
“Murder,” he replies, with no hesitation. “One of the board must die, the others proven to be the murderers, without doubt or question.”
Chills skate across my body, my fingers tingling as they grip my mug, unfeeling of the heat coming from the drink. I look round at the others, matching looks of grim determination on their faces.
“Then we’re in agreement?” Ash questions, asking the room. The guys all reply in the affirmative. “Lilly?” He turns to me, his face hard, but not without sympathy, a thoughtful expression on it. “Are you in?”
“Always,” I reply, my heart beating a solid rhythm in my chest as the weight of what I’ve just agreed to settles on my shoulders.
Loki’s grip around me tightens as Ash gives me a single nod with a gleam of what looks like pride in his eyes.
“Then it’s settled. Any ideas on when? Where?” he asks, and once again, Kai speaks.
“The annual summer fishing trip at Flint Lakes,” he says, looking up from his tablet. “It’s a male-only trip, no wives or girlfriends,” he looks at me apologetically. “So only your dads and my uncle will be there.” I can see the others nodding at his words, but an objection rises in my chest.
“I want to be there, to help,” I say firmly, sitting up straighter. “They’ve threatened my life, are forcing me to marry Ash, and have Loki engaged to that fucking cunt. I have a right to get justice, too. Maybe not as much as you all, but still.”
“You’re so hot when you’re being all bloodthirsty, baby,” Loki croons in my ear, and despite trying not to, I can’t help the grin that takes over my lips.
“We’ve corrupted you good, haven’t we, Baby Girl?” Jax comments next to us, and I turn to beam at him, too.
“Don’t worry, Princess,” Ash assures me, and I turn my head to look into his steel eyes. “You’ll get your pound of flesh.” I give him a sharp nod in return, his lips twitching in response. “So for now, we carry on as if nothing is happening. That means, Loki, that you continue with your wedding plans with Amber, keeping your distance from Lilly when out in public.”
Loki and I both stiffen at his words, and even though I know Ash is making sense, it still stings like needles scraping along my skin. But then, I think, maybe this is just a new challenge. One I can definitely rise to.