I arrived ho soti before dawn and slipped in through the back with my keys.
Candice was in the living room, finishing up the morning vacuuming, when she spotted .
"Back already?"
I sighed. The trip took entirely too long—and not long enough. Collapsing into a chair, I gathered myself for a mont before speaking.
"I'm going to need to disappear for a while," I said. "I'm trying to be done with Gotham, but Gotham isn't done with ."
"What happened?" she asked, setting the vacuum down and taking a seat beside .
"Let's just say my abilities kind of run in the family," I muttered. "My biological father was this super-powerful ta who may or may not have started a secret society. That sa society killed him. Now, they're after ."
"Jesus," Candice breathed, pulling into a hug. "Kind of puts so of my problems into perspective."
I withdrew gently. "What kind of problems?"
She hesitated. The words tumbled out with a strained smile, her body soaked in fear.
"I found out the reason why my boss hired ."
"He's handsy," I said, trying not to let the anger seep into my voice. "And you don't want to take care of it."
She nodded, exhaling with relief. "I didn't know how to tell you."
I smiled. "It's fine. You don't need to fight your battles. But the offer still stands."
She gave a tight squeeze. "You're going to make so girl very happy soday…"
"Assuming I don't get myself killed first," I added.
"I didn't say that…" she admitted with hesitation.
And I laughed.
"But you were thinking it."
Reading people was a side benefit of high perception. I started noticing it when I hit 50, but now it was practically invasive. I could sll fear, taste doubt, and spot lies without even knowing how I knew.
It was how I knew Mom was nervous.
"When do you leave?" she asked.
"I don't know yet," I said. "But I don't plan to drop out of school. The official cover should be ho-schooling, and I'll complete all the assignnts and schoolwork to make that even mildly believable."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you even bother at this point."
"It's sothing to do," I admitted. "And it shouldn't be hard to manage. It's just schoolwork."
Besides, it'll be a welco distraction from the work that cos next.
I needed to call Shady Slim. If anyone had contacts in underground smuggling, it was him.
I was open to moving anything non-lethal. Art, corporate secrets, rare weapons, paintings… even people, provided they checked out.
I had the capital to start recruiting, and an entire planet to scour for the right talent.
Ideally, they'd have ta-powers, but I almost preferred it if they didn't. Once I was certain the Block Buster Serum was safe, I could strengthen them all.
Might not even need a Binding Vow to keep them loyal at that point, but I was still going to make the ask.
On the way back, I've also been thinking tons of about Selina Kyle. She targeted collectors and elites from around the world, and then sold her acquisitions to the highest bidder.
That kind of notoriety bought you clout. And clout gets you into rooms you have no business being in.
Experintal weapons, biological enhancents, and magical artefacts...I could get it all and grow so powerful, the sorcerers wouldn't dare cross .
But all that ca later. But for now, I had to focus on the ports and borders.
That's where I'll find the competition.
POV: Lily
So this is Austin?
I raised a brow, irritated, as I surveyed the street before . People bustled past, skyscrapers clawed at the sky, and the sun beat down like a curse. I was dressed in black, shaded beneath an umbrella, trying to keep the too-bright sun away from my pale, pale skin.
It used to burn on contact. Now, it rely stung if I stayed out too long.
Pile the skin defect atop the cancers I'd developed at ten, and I'd practically had one foot in the grave when she found and saved .
Artisan was my everything—vows or no.
"You lost, darling?" a voice asked from beside .
I turned. The voice belonged to a tall man with a smile that was a little too wide and a glint of calculation in his eyes.
He fancied himself a predator.
"Just taking in the new city," I said. "Austin is a lot hotter than I expected."
"British, huh?" he noted. "Miss the milder weather?"
"Was the umbrella and my ash-white skin not a dead giveaway?"
He laughed. "Quick as a whip. I like that in a woman. What do you say I show you around? We could start with my favorite restaurant."
"Tempting," I humd, "but only if you show a local school first. I'm supposed to start there next week."
The man blinked. "You're a student?"
"And old enough," I emphasized. "Is that going to be a problem?"
His grin widened a touch too far. "I won't tell if you won't."
"Excellent," I said.
It would be a pleasure killing him.
POV: Julius
With a light sprint, I vaulted up the walls of Flannegan's three-story ho, stopping just outside Finn's bedroom window.
He was asleep—and, like the dumbass he was, had left the window open.
Easing it further, I slipped inside—masked, of course—and shot the sleeping giant with a tranq dart.
It took so searching, but I found the stash beneath a few loose floorboards under his bed.
Over 30 vials. Enough to last him months of rigorous training.
Not nearly enough for .
I needed more venom. A lot more.
If only I hadn't burned it all down… the bar, the labs—everything.
During our little chat, Hector let it slip that there were other lieutenants like him. n who were hedging their bets. But none had taken the initiative to cut the venom like he had.
They were likely out, or selling it at insane markups. Either way, it wasn't sustainable.
No. If I wanted a proper supply, I had to go straight to the source.
Santa Prisca.
I grumbled.
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