Page 43 of Silk and Sirens

“I can’t be spilling all my secrets now, can I?” I met his gaze. “I want something in return.”

“What about my father?” Caden asked, his voice so cold it felt like frostbite across my skin. “Why did you have him arrested?”

I turned my head fully to face him, my back straight and my tone calm. “I like to hold people accountable. It’s just convenient that my revenge fits into the bigger picture.”

Caden’s brows pulled together, but, before he could comment, Sebastian growled, “What the fuck do you want, Aeris?”

“Protection.”

Langdon let out a sound like a snort.

“Don’t you have an entire spy network at your disposal?” Caden asked, his voice low and cutting. “Like the blond you were getting a little too comfortable with at Hex?”

I froze in my chair, blood turning to ice in my veins.

Shit.

I swallowed hard, forcing my expression to remain neutral even as blood roared in my ears. “I need those that work at Atlantis protected,” I said calmly, trying to conceal how unsettled I was. “As well as my sisters, my nephews … and Fletcher,” I added at the last minute. “It needs to be subtle. Anything obvious and my handler will notice. I can’t risk that.”

Caden seemed to stiffen, so subtle I only caught it because I was so attuned to his reactions. “Handler?”

Sebastian’s head cocked to the side, and, in that instant, I understood why he was feared so much. It wasn’t his size or the scars that slashed across his face like he’d fought some great mythological creature—it was his presence. Like that of a great titan, his power and influence seemed not learned, but ingrained. “What’s stopping us from killing you right here, right now?”

I drew in a slow, steady breath and met their eyes one by one. “We all know that if I don’t walk out of here unharmed, every scrap of information I’ve gathered on you will be automatically sent to multiple agencies worldwide, including your competitors. Enough to send you all to prison for life, and that’s if you’re lucky.”

I let the silence stretch for a beat, watching the weight of my words settle over the room.

“Put that protection in place, and I’ll help you bring down the woman behind your recent bad luck. Selene Blackwater.”

“The Blackwaters have no power,” Caden said, crossing his arms. “Not since their patriarch croaked in prison.”

I drummed my fingers against my knee, trying to contain the restless energy building inside me. “Selene’s been working in the background for over a decade, creating a shadow network within the city’s organisations. She has plants amongst the Russians, Irish, Hunts, Arifs, as well as others. Not to mention all the compromising information she’s gathered through me.”

“But she hasn’t infiltrated us,” Sebastian said, a statement more than a question.

I took my time replying. “No, which is why I’m here.”

“So you’re a spy,” Caden added. “This is a double cross.”

I ignored him, instead keeping my attention on Sebastian. “Without me, she will destroy you. She has the influence and the ability. She’s already given away your routes to disrupt your distribution, and she’s even hired people to try and hurt your wife.”

Sebastian’s expression darkened.

“She won’t stop until she takes back what she thinks she’s owed.”

“And what exactly does she think she’s owed?” he all but growled.

“Entitlement,” I said quietly. “For the empire her father left behind … and the power she couldn’t hold onto. Taking you down would gain her the respect needed to be an authority amongst the Underworld.”

“And you’re conveniently here to help us.” Sebastian’s nostrils flared, his seat screeching beneath his weight. “How can we trust you?”

I crossed my leg over my knee, my stomach twisting. “You can’t. But you don’t have a choice.” Resisting the urge to nibble my bottom lip, I sat straighter in the hard chair. “We have to play this smart, trick her into believing she has the upper hand until you’re confident you’ve wiped out everything she has against you. If you kill her too early, everything will be released and you’ll be picked apart by every vulture across the continent looking to make a name for themselves.”

“We’ve always been a target,” Sebastian said flatly. “That’s nothing new.”

“This is different,” I stressed. “Killing her now will create a war you cannot win. She’s had years, decades even, to plan this. And if her first move fails, she already has another, more aggressive plan in place.”

“What do you suggest?”