and unbiased. It’s a fractious organization in need of an overhaul.”
“You’re speaking treason.”
“Outlining the flaws isn’t treason.” Lenore’s black eyes glittered with secrets. “You’ll have all the admiration you’ve always desired, without strings attached. This isn’t an offer; it’s a fact. Either you’ll rise to the top with me, or you’ll languish in fear and weakness. I now realize that money has never meant anything to you, but recognition has. Power has. When Viktor and I become a match, we’ll change this world, and those who stand with us will be a part of that change. Think about the possibilities. We can create new laws and banish old ones. And I ask nothing of you,” she said, her lips nearing his. “If you don’t want to accept my offer, I don’t hold that against you. I simply wanted to give you a choice. Either way, we’ll be working together. You can keep your heart, your soul, and your pride. You can even keep that unsightly beard. All I will ask of you is your loyalty and vision.”
His brows furrowed. “Vision?”
“The ability to see ahead. To see my vision unclouded. Falling for me all those years ago blinded you. Love is for amusement, but when it clouds your vision, it becomes an obstacle. This city betrayed me. The leaders at the time lied to me and tried to use me like a whore. You didn’t see that part.” She walked behind him and gripped the doorknob. “Decide which means more to you—catching a butterfly or catching a wave. The wave is coming, Christian. It’s an unstoppable force, and there will be a reckoning.”
Chapter 24
The cab driver dropped me off outside the gate, and it felt good to be home. The iron gates were twenty feet high and impossible to scale, and stone walls bordered our property. Because I didn’t have my card key, I pressed a button and Wyatt buzzed me in. The head of a Roman soldier glared solemnly at me as I walked beneath the archway. I flashed up the road until I reached the circular driveway in front. At night, Keystone was easy to miss from the main road. The candles in the hallways were spaced apart, offering just enough light to see but not to illuminate the inside of the mansion. Kira didn’t light up all the hallways, just the ones we frequented the most. When I reached the front door, someone had left it unlocked for me.
All homes have a unique smell, and though we lived in a castle, ours was no different. I sometimes caught a whiff of sautéed onions or the lingering goodness of baked bread from the nearby kitchen. But there was also an underlying aroma that I couldn’t put my finger on—a complex mixture of scents from the stone floors, the burning candles, and perhaps even the previous tenants. But to me it was the smell of home.
Wyatt was hanging out on the lower steps of the grand staircase. He raised his arm and poured a handful of Raisinets into his mouth.
I approached and rested my hand on the stone newel. “Anything good on TV tonight?”
Still chewing, he said, “I watched a fight that turned into an amateur sex movie.”
I gave him a lethal glare.
“Don’t worry, buttercup. It was too dark to see anything. I turned it off before I was scarred for life by Christian’s woody.”
“Woody?” I snorted. “What are you, nine? I thought men looked at each other all the time in bathrooms and locker rooms.”
He finished off the last of his candy and left the empty box on the stairs. “There’s a difference between hard candy and soft candy.”
“It’s all candy to me.”
“Well, someone needs to keep that candy wrapped.”
“Enough with the air quotes,” Blue said to Wyatt as she joined us from the dining hall. “You’re not even using them correctly.” She cast a critical gaze my way, and I noticed her bare feet. “Thought I might find you here. When I lost you in the subway, I went to see if Claude knew anything, but he had already left for work.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “Something came up. Does anyone know where Viktor is?”
“Reviewing the video,” Wyatt answered. “Just the first half,” he added with a deliberate wink. “He wants everyone to sit tight and keep our phones on.”
“Everyone being you and Shepherd?”
Wyatt adjusted his loose beanie. “Claude’s here. When you didn’t show up at the club, he went looking, and then Viktor called him home.”