Queen Takes Rose (Wicked Villains #6) - Katee Robert Page 0,58

isn’t dead is because his brother hauled him out a window. He still suffered two broken legs from the fall.”

I can’t help my satisfied smile. “Maybe he shouldn’t have fucked with Tink, then.” Not that she knew what I’d done. No one but Allecto did, and only because I needed her security clearance to get the relevant information on the man who’d tried to rough up Tink in one of the private rooms. He hadn’t gotten far before security stepped in, but Hades chose not to do anything beyond banish him from the neutral territory. That wasn’t enough of a punishment for me.

“My point,” Allecto continues, “is that Malone was perfectly within her rights as challenger to do what she did. It doesn’t make it less shitty, and it doesn’t make you less hurt by it, but no one in that territory sees things the way you do.”

“We’ve gone over this before.” My voice catches. “My mother is dead because of her.”

“Yes. And I’m sorry for that, but it doesn’t make a damn bit of sense to throw away your life for something that happened twenty years ago.” She pauses. “I know it doesn’t feel like twenty years ago, not with what happened last week, but that just confirms that you need to be here, with your people, not off on a reckless path of revenge.”

“If I wanted a lecture, I would have called Hades.”

“Great idea. Let’s loop Hades into this.” Her tone goes dangerous. “Hades who does not know about the decision you made regarding your mother.”

Guilt flares. “If he knew, he would have said no.”

“Yeah, he would have.” She huffs out a breath. “What happened? Obviously, something changed, or you wouldn’t be calling me right now.”

Now that I have her on the phone, I’m not sure I can verbalize it. It feels like too much a betrayal to my mother. I swallow hard. ”She’s not what I expected.”

“Considering you expected her to be a fire-breathing dragon, I’m not surprised.”

“I’ve read her file.”

“We all have. Stop stalling, and spit it out.”

“She’s just so human at times; not like a monster at all. It’s messing with my head.”

Allecto’s silent for a long time. Long enough that I have to bite my bottom lip to keep myself from babbling. Finally, she says, “It almost sounds as if you like her.”

“Don’t be absurd.”

“That’s not a no.”

“It’s also not a yes.”

She waits a beat. “That isn’t a no, either.”

I drag my hand over my face. “Liking her would be unforgivable. You know that. After everything she did, I need to hate her. I do hate her. She took everything from me, and she deserves to see consequences because of that.”

“Are you trying to convince me…or yourself?” She doesn’t wait for me to answer. “Aurora, you’re human. So is Malone. Is it really that surprising that she’s got nuance and that there might be stuff about her that you actually like?”

“Weren’t you ready to take her out so I wouldn’t have to?”

“Yeah,” she answers easily. “But that was to protect you, not because she’s a monster.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Yours. Obviously.” She sighs. “But cut yourself a break. No matter what your history, you’ve been drawn to Malone from the start. It’s not exactly surprising that there might be something more there.”

“There is not anything more there.” Even as I say it, I feel like a liar.

Another of those sighs, like I’ve disappointed her. “If you can’t kill her and aren’t going to change your mind, you might as well call off the assignation now. Hades will be overjoyed. He’s been stalking around here, looking half a breath from ripping people’s heads off. Everyone’s so scared of him, they’re on their best behavior, and it’s making my job too easy. You know how I hate being bored.”

She’s right. I know she’s right. If I can’t follow through on my plan, I need to get the hell out of here. I have no reason to stay without that driving me. And yet… “I’ll stay through the end.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Don’t you dare make that sound at me, Allecto.”

“Mmhmm.” She snorts. “Tell her that if she mistreats you, I’ll gut her myself, golden queen or no. But as long as she’s on the same page, I look forward to an invite to the wedding.”

“You are such an asshole.”

“Just because I’m an asshole doesn’t mean I’m wrong, and you know it.”

Except she is wrong this time. Ribbing me or no, there is no version of Malone and my relationship that