Deviant Games (The Controllers #8) - L.V. Lane Page 0,46

don’t have a forgiving bone in my body.” Despite my better judgment to keep my thoughts to myself—which wasn’t even fucking possible, I muttered. “She’s my world.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I envy her.”

I swiped a hand down my face, and a brief smile found my lips. “You’re not a total bitch. Just another viral victim fighting to survive.” Hope entered her wary eyes, but I felt my resolve strengthen. “Just so we’re crystal clear, I don’t give a shit about you or what you’ve had to live through. You’re about to become someone else’s problem.”

The elevator doors opened directly onto Lucian’s office. He wasn’t there, but the second elevator leading to his personal suite opened, and Lucian walked out.

“What the fuck is so important that you had to drag me out of bed?”

Once upon a time, Lucian would have been part of the club scene, probably with a couple of collared Beta pets draped across his lap or kneeling at his feet. He’d changed since Madelyn entered his life. His little pet-turned-mate was pregnant, like Lilly was.

Priorities had changed for both of us.

The office itself was classically styled and could have belonged to any wealthy businessman but for the windowed wall that showcased the club. Strobe lighting flickered over the seething mass of gyrating bodies, while the thumping music was not completely silenced by the thick glass.

There were levels within levels here, everything from elite dining to BDSM theme rooms.

Larissa had hung back. The wealth and wildness of the environment would have been a lot for anyone to take in. Still, as a former Uncorrupted guest, it would be pressing a lot of buttons. Not that I give a fuck about her mental health.

“I need a favor,” I said.

“Like fuck you’re getting a favor,” Lucian said. “Fuck off and annoy someone else. I’ve had a lifetime worth of your assholery.” He eyed Larissa suspiciously. “Who the fuck is that?”

“I need to hide her somewhere safe, and your building is like a fort… Other than that one time—” He raised a brow. “—but I’m going to assume you’ve sorted your shit out after that slip.”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed. “Weren’t you off on some super-secret black op? Who. Is. That?” He stabbed a finger at Larissa—again.

“Larissa Olsen,” I said. No easy way to broach this. “I want her ruined. A big, mean motherfucker who’s going to break the bitch’s ass.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lucian growled. “I don’t have a ready supply of bull-cocked Alphas waiting to defile terrified Omegas. Fucking insulting! What do I look like, a fucking pimp!?”

I met his furious gaze with a steady one. “I need leverage in case Governor Brach decides to screw me over again.”

“And you’re going to hide the most infamous Omega in the Empire for leverage against the Governor? Further, you want me to help you to do this? And ruining her? Really?”

I rubbed my jaw. Possibly, I hadn’t been thinking straight when I first made this determination. But I was here now, committed to this course of action. “Yes,” I said. “You owe me.”

He huffed out a breath and shot me a glare. “I don’t fucking owe you. After Lyus, you’re all out and then some. Also, she’s standing right there, listening to every word we say.”

I glanced back over my shoulder at the source of my bitterness. She remained next to the elevator, where she watched us with a forlorn expression. Most Omegas were beautiful; Larissa was a strange, plain creature, particularly small and unremarkable. Even in her choice of clothing in the functional A-line dress. I swear she all but blended into the wall.

I turned back to Lucian—I’d seen all I ever wanted of Larissa Olson. If I never heard her name as long as I lived, it would be too soon. “She can’t hear us from over there.” His office was palatial and made Lilly’s at the research center look pokey.

I rubbed absently at the center of my chest. I was eager to see my Lilly, desperate.

Lucian frowned around me. “I thought she was supposed to be a mind reader?”

“She is—I’ll owe you.”

“You already fucking owe me,” Lucian said, but this time there was calculation in his eyes. He was curious—this wasn’t in character for me. I wasn’t going to tell him, and I was certain Larissa would take the shame to her grave, which might be soon.

There was a long pause where I could sense the cogs turning in Lucian’s devious brain. I didn’t have a plan