Page 65 of Secrets of the Six

Shit.

Being in the Otero house has made me soft. And if there's one thing I know from living on the streets as long as I have, is the second you show weakness, you end up hurt. I won't be the one bleeding in the street wondering how I got to this dark and lowly point. If that means I have to toughen up and swallow the prickles of guilt over snapping Rogelio's heart in two, so be it. Once the truth is revealed, he won't be offering me forgiveness. No, he'll seek my head. Such is the way of trifling with the rich and powerful.

Rogelio climbs out of the carriage and extends his hand to help me out. As I descend from the horse-drawn buggy, he presses a gentle kiss against my gloved knuckles. "I will be seeing you sooner than socially appropriate. Consider me yours, Elena."

I smile up at him and allow him to kiss me once more before he slips back into his carriage and takes off into the night. I tug my fur stole tighter around my shoulders as I walk through the front door, held open by the butler.

Since the house is quiet, I assume most of the servants are asleep and with any luck, Doña Otero is also slumbering and will interrogate me over tonight's outing in the morning. Not wishing to tempt her popping up unannounced, I rush upstairs to my bedroom and wrench the door open. Hopefully Lupe will be quick to help me undress so I can soak in a scorching hot bath and contemplate my murderous thoughts and plans for Señor Montenegro. A scheme which Remus Kane won't muck up this time.

As if just thinking his name summons him, the moment I close my bedroom door, he steps into view startling me.

"Damnit, how the hell did you get here before me?" I hiss. The knife hidden up my sleeve already in my hand, ready to strike.

"Your reflexes are quite impressive," he says, unmoved by the threat of my weapon.

"You didn't answer my question." I press, brows furrowed.

"It seems Rogelio took the long way, while I made my way here via shortcuts."

A vague answer, but at the end of the day, it's not a battle worth fighting. I set my dagger on the nightstand and pry off my earrings. "What are you doing here, Remus?"

"Waiting for you."

I unclasp the necklace Doña Otero lent me and place it neatly beside my weapon. "Where's your lady friend?"

He shrugs and leans against my dresser, hands buried deep in his pockets. "Not sure. And I really don't care."

"Is there a reason for you being here this late?" I hate to admit I am hoping he's here to revisit our kiss, but then he says, "We're meeting with the others. I've come to escort you." And the flame of desire flickering in my heart is doused, bringing me back to reality.

I slip the headpiece off and add it to my growing pile of jewelry and brush off his comment. "Well, that's unfortunate, because I don't intend to go anywhere with you tonight. I'm going to get out of this dress and sit in a nice warm bath."

"As tantalizing a visual as that is, I'm afraid it will have to wait. We have business tonight."

I perch my ass against the lip of the nightstand, folding my arms across my chest. "Contrary to what you might believe, Remus Kane, I don't work for you, so you can't boss me around."

As if I've thrown a gauntlet at his feet, his steely brown eyes narrow and he accepts the challenge. "Seeing as I'm the one who persuaded Otero to hire you, I think I have some say in your comings and goings."

"What an adorable thought. Wrong, but adorable none-the-less." I stand and twist, so my back is facing him. I pull my hair around to my chest, leaving my back completely exposed. "Now, if you insist on being here, make yourself useful. I have no idea where Lupe is, and I want to get out of this dress."

"Otero gave Lupe the night off."

How odd he would know Lupe had the night off when I'm the one who lives here. She didn't say anything when she dressed me this afternoon of being absent tonight.

"And you know this how?" I peek at him over my shoulder. A frown mars my face as I study his body language, searching for any clear signs of deception, but come up empty. He's relaxed, amused even, which doesn't bode well for me getting out of this dress with proper aid.

Remus shrugs lazily, though I am positive there's mischief afoot. "About the same time Otero informed me I'd be playing watchdog at the opera, I purchased Lupe tickets to a play she's been wanting to see in the Night District. It just so happens the last performance was tonight."

"And you purchased these tickets for her because…?"

He pushes up from his relaxed position and stalks toward me until he's standing directly behind me. My breath hitches when he begins to unfasten the back of my dress one button at a time. I don't dare glance back at him, keeping my sights pinned on the ugly painting of a vase filled with roses on the wall in front of me.

"In anticipation of a moment like this, Vibora." He slides his hand around the front of my neck and tilts my chin up so I will meet his hazy and fiery gaze. "And it seems my intuition was right," he whispers, and I practically melt into a puddle on the floor.

I swallow hard and I know he feels the motion beneath his fingertips. "What do you want from me, Remus?"

Remus is silent a moment, but cautiously, reverentially, he slowly leans down to kiss me and even though I want to feel his lips crash against mine, to see how far the boundary between us can be stretched before it snaps, I turn my face away and clear my throat.

In a perfect world, we still wouldn't be together. Happenstance has brought us together now and, in the end, if we both survive, we'll go our separate ways. He will be Cassius' right-hand man, and I will be… what will I be? Still a criminal, albeit a criminal living in an expensive house in the Golden District with no one to share it with. Perhaps I could convince Lupe to move in with me. I've grown quite fond of the old woman's nagging.