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The snarkier version of her dead husband snickers. “Of course, not. In addition to. House Erebus will join Nocturnus and have their own seat.”

My role in this twisted family grows more interesting by the second. Perhaps the devil looks out for me. Surely it’s not the gods. They forsook me at my birth. No, a more sinister energy has always carried me. I gained a dark queen, a fortress, and enough gold to pad generations full of wealth. And now I am being offered this power? These people are either stupider than they look, or they underestimate my thirst for destruction.

“I was told that only a founding family member can be offered such an elite position.” Best not to appear too eager for that is when desperate dogs bite.

Atreus and Lucy exchange a look. “Yes and you are the abandoned child of Willa Harker and her devil. You know, I remember when she was pregnant with you. She had terrible nightmares. Such a shame. Anyhow, that makes you a descendant of a founding member and thereby eligible.”

I turn to my raven-haired beauty. “Do you agree to this?”

“With all due respect, Lord Erebus, we aren’t concerned with my niece’s opinion.” Atreus chuckles.

My breath warms in my mouth, a fiery blaze. I steel my gaze onto Atreus and picture him burning. Sweat beads on his temples, his face reddening. “Her opinion is my concern. And I will not accept without hearing it.”

Lucy grips her husband’s arm. “Are you all right, my love?”

His face bloats under my gaze. He gasps for air. “Fine. Arkana… may speak,” he rasps.

Priscilla hisses. “Enough, Bell. Release him.”

I blow out a deep breath. “Do you understand who you’re making bargains with?” I have no patience left for pathetic men.

Vale and Cage start toward me, but Lucy pushes them back. “We do, Lord Erebus. Forgive my husband. Please.”

Arkana squeezes my arm. “You are what elders should be, my love. You will show my brother how to serve the ravens with true honor.”

I break my grip on Atreus’s mind and smirk as he stumbles back. I know Arkana wants to believe I didn’t kill her father, but deep down I still fear that I did. I didn’t want him to unmask me. I was bitter and angry that I had no one to represent me in the ceremony. I was hateful. And I didn’t know that I would love his daughter so deeply. Arkana knows this too. Even if she won’t admit it.

“Fine. But I have one demand before I will accept,” I snap.

He despises me. I can see it in the way he glares back at me. He hates me with every fiber of his being. But if he ever hopes to see Nocturnus control the ravens, then he needs the son of the devil on his side. “And what would that be, Lord Erebus?”

I clench my fists. “The two initiates you sent to our bedchambers on the night of our wedding… I want them in my custody to do with as I see fit.”

Priscilla groans. “Oh, not this again. They were doing their duty of insuring the wedding ritual was completed. Must you take it so personally?”

“They wanted to touch me, Mother. How can you stand there and claim that it was their duty and not some sick perversion of theirs to molest Icarus Graves’s only daughter?” The vein in her neck throbs. She still suffers the humiliation from that night. I will not allow that to continue.

Priscilla shakes her head. “You insolent girl! How dare you accuse Nocturnus initiates of such crimes. They have bled for our cause.”

“And now they will bleed for mine,” I snap. “Deliver them to me or there’s no bargain. Oh, and just so you know, I will get to them anyway. But if I have to go fetch them myself, I will make sure to drop parts of their mangled corpses on all of your doorsteps.”

Atreus nods. “An eye for an eye. Is that what you want?”

I grit my teeth. “A soul for a soul. Arkana must never be touched by anyone but me.”

“Very well.”

“Atreus, no!” Priscilla cries. “What message will this send to the other initiates?”

“We will say that they went against our wishes and took advantage of the situation. They will be punished for attempting to molest the daughter of an elder.” He snickers, spitting out the last few words like venom. He still believes she deserved to be probed by those men.

“Yes, the daughter of an elder, and the wife of one as well,” I remind them.

Finn bursts out laughing. I had forgotten that vile creature was even in the room. “I shall pass my wife around to my initiates like a party favor. They will like me better than you, Lord Erebus. Women are loyal like dogs, and they should be treated as such. I want their screams, not their opinions.”

I feel Arkana shudder against me. “If you wish to turn your future bride into a whore, that is your business. Stay the fuck out of ours.” I have met my share of whores. If he’s not careful he will create a monster instead and end up getting stabbed to death in his sleep.

“We will hold the ceremony tonight, here in the ritual room in the catacombs of Graves Estate. A bargain will be made and the Erebus bloodline will join Nocturnus. However we must agree to never reveal his true lineage. The devil has placed many curses on our people. The others will not approve of us making his son an elder.”