to catch the perpetrators behind a fighting ring, and I’d rescued Shifters held captive. I’d also had a hand in capturing all the nefarious players who’d paid to play, thanks to Keystone’s quick thinking. I’d survived two fights—one of them a death match—and this was how I was going out?
The car came to a stop, and the driver exited the vehicle. When my door opened, my head flew back.
“Don’t leave behind any evidence,” she said, getting out on the other side. “I want you to clean the back seat when we get home and put this car into the garage and out of view. Replace the interior if you have to, but be discreet.” Her voice fell out of range.
The driver dragged me out of the car, and my head flopped forward so my hair curtained my view. He immediately lifted me into his arms and carried me a short way. I smelled freshly cut grass as it hissed beneath his shoes, and I could see the blue sky through my hair.
“Dump her bag before we get home. I don’t want her things in my possession,” Lenore continued.
My bag! My boots were in there—the boots with the tracking device. Why did I have to go and change into my sneakers? Because I planned on walking home, not getting carried to my death. How would Keystone ever find my body? Tears welled in my eyes when I thought of the last time I’d seen my father. I couldn’t bear to think of him going through this all over again. Never having closure.
“Be sure you pay the caretaker extra for his cooperation.”
Extra. Despite Lenore rambling on about coincidence, this hadn’t been a chance meeting. She had planned this. Perhaps she had Christian watch over her to keep us apart. But what if she’d made him an offer? One he couldn’t refuse?
The driver placed me in something soft and padded, and it took a minute to realize I was in a coffin.
Lenore hovered over me, the sunlight in her hair. “It took me a little time to learn about you, Raven Black. Or should I say, Raven Graves? Your poor mother was so young. I thought it was only fitting that you two were buried together, so imagine my surprise when I found your headstone next to hers. We paid the caretaker to exhume the coffin—it’s amazing what humans are willing to do for money. I’m curious about the burned remains inside. I removed it, of course. I’m not a monster. You really went out of your way to fake your death, didn’t you? What a grim irony that this is where you ended up after all.” She locked eyes with me. “Speak, Raven. You can’t move, but you can speak.”
A growl escaped my throat. I wanted to tell her exactly where she could go and what I was going to do to her when I got out, but at this point my only chance might be reasoning with the wench. “You gave me all that advice. Don’t you want to mentor me? I thought your purpose was to empower women.”
“Not you, Raven. You’re the last person I want with power. All those women and men you arrested today were bad apples—unfit for leadership. Oligarchs run this city, and their time is coming to an end. There are stronger women who will assume their roles, and I’ll see to that. In another life, you could have been one of those women. But right now you’re the only thing that stands between me and what I want.”
“Christian? You called him weak.”
“And he is. But I know how to manipulate him. You don’t. You squander that power, and that simply will not do.”
“Why not kill me? You could send Keystone the body. Otherwise, they’ll be looking for me.”
A smile touched her pink lips. “This is so much more suspenseful, don’t you think? I don’t like blood on my hands. Never did. That’s why I didn’t kill Christian. You won’t die either, Raven. Well, probably not. I’ve never buried a Mage before. I’ve heard even bones can regenerate, but maybe that’s just an urban legend. As long as you still draw breath, there’s still hope. A Mage doesn’t have to breathe. It won’t be comfortable, but that’s not something I can help. My burying Christian made him who he is today. You don’t deserve to die, and someday you’ll thank me for this. You’ll see that the only way we truly grow is to suffer.”