Captive of the Crime Queen by Persephone Black

Author:Persephone Black [Black, Persephone]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-26T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Aurora

I smooth the sleek black fabric of my skirt, my nerves making my hands tremble. Today—tonight—I'll be attending my first Syndicate meeting, about a week after Hadria first suggested it. The thought thrills me, even as anxiety flutters in my chest. I want to prove myself, to show Hadria I can be useful, that I belong in her world.

I want her to trust me.

In the mirror, I critically examine my appearance. My white blouse is pressed crisp, waist nipped in by a high-waisted pencil skirt. A far cry from the diaphanous wedding dress I wore on the day most of the Syndicate members last saw me. I sweep my hair up into a ponytail, like the kind Lyssa wears when she goes out to work, and I stare hard at my face. I've used a bright orange-red lipstick that I hope looks sophisticated, and only added a touch of mascara to my eyes. Anything more and I'd feel like a clown.

But anything less, and I'd look too young and innocent.

A knock interrupts my primping: Lyssa has arrived to escort me. The tall blonde sweeps into my room, eyes taking in every detail.

"Well, well, look who cleans up okay," she remarks. "Won't hurt to have some eye candy at the table."

I bristle slightly at the implication I'm only there for decoration, but Lyssa's biting humor is the closest she gets to a compliment. I'll take what I can get.

"And it goes with saying that you'll keep those painted lips sealed and your ears open," she adds pointedly. I nod, and she gives me a critical look. "You know, Suzy, I think Hadria's making a mistake with you. You might look like some delicate flower with nothing between the ears, but I think you know exactly what you're doing. If it was up to me, you'd be kept chained up in a dungeon somewhere, instead of allowed to roam free-range."

I lift my chin. "Good thing it's not up to you, then, isn't it? It's up to Hadria."

Lyssa stares at me for a long moment before giving that wild, strange laugh. "One day you'll sass the wrong person at the wrong time, Suzy. Pray it's not me. Come on."

I fall into step behind her. We travel the now-familiar hallways and stop before the imposing doors of the war room. For the first time, my eyes fall on the engraved insignia with new understanding: a three-headed dog wreathed in thorns.

Cerberus. Of course. The guardian of the gates of hell is the insignia for the Styx Syndicate. I have to suppress a giggle at the over-the-topness of it all.

But my giggle dies fast when Lyssa pushes those doors open, ushering me into the chamber again. Hadria has not yet arrived, but her lieutenants are gathered, absorbed in tense discussions. I easily identify the most senior members among them, the ones I've picked out carefully during my nightly observation of comings and goings. I don't know any last names, but I know by now their first and code names.

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