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He chuckled. “It’s the Wild Hunt, Miss Clay. The Corporation keeps tabs on its movements as a matter of course.”
“We don’t need your help.” There was no way I was letting The Corporation unleash its defenses in Wild Acres. It would be like inviting a tornado to help guard you against a hurricane. They wouldn’t care about casualties or collateral damage.
“Then what about the offer I mentioned before? You’ve lost loved ones. I can put you in touch. No strings attached.”
“No strings? I can connect with my parents, but I don’t need to turn over Aite?”
“Correct, but this is a one-time offer with an expiration date.”
“Why would you do that if the whole point of this meeting is to persuade me to turn her over?”
“We want you to trust us, Miss Clay. To show you that we are a force for good in the world.”
“And you’ll stop pestering me about Aite?”
“If, after your family reunion, you still believe we don’t have humanity’s best interest at heart, then you won’t see me again. If you’re persuaded by our magnanimity, then you’ll help us secure Aite before she causes permanent damage.”
It was the offer of a lifetime. Still, I knew what a deal with the devil looked like, and this had horns and a forked tail all over it.
“I’ll need more details before I decide. How would it work?” I was a goddess of the underworld. It seemed to me that if any deity could connect me to my parents, it should be me.
“As I mentioned, we have many tools at our disposal.”
“I’m not interested in the necromancy department, so strike that option from your list.”
He chuckled again. This time, it sounded more genuine. “We have several other options. I can think of a certain god right off the top of my head. If memory serves, he’s in Cairo at the moment, but it would be simple enough for HQ to extract him for this purpose. If not, there are other deities available.”
“Would I be alone?” I wouldn’t want anyone to bear witness to such a deeply personal moment.
“We can arrange privacy.”
“And you’d do this simply to prove that you’re not the big, bad evil corporation you seem to be?”
“Consider it part of our Community Outreach program.” He leaned forward. “But the clock is ticking, Miss Clay. The offer is only good until Saturday at midnight. Should you decide to take me up on it, simply text the number on the card I gave you. One for yes and two for no. Instructions will follow.”
“And if I forget to text on Saturday night due to my busy social schedule?”
“Then the offer is null and void. In perpetuity.”
Forever. “Understood.”
CHAPTER 11
Addison rushed to the front door as I entered the Castle. “Where have you been? You’ve been gone all day.”
I took off my coat and hung it on the rack. “I was busy. Had a meeting with your ex-boyfriend, Mathis.”
Lines stretched across her forehead. “How did it go?”
“He’s very charming. If he weren’t the representative of an evil corporation, I might consider dating him.”
Addison sucked in a breath. “You wouldn’t.”
I brushed past her. “Of course I wouldn’t. He’s gross.”
“And because you love that demon prince of yours,” she said in a taunting voice. I half expected her to break into the children’s song about kissing in trees.
“You don’t know the first thing about my personal life, so stop acting like you do.”
