Tempest swore under her breath.
I grinned and did the most infuriating thing I could think of.
I slid my hand to her ass and squeezed.
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. Shit, she was going to kill me later, wasn’t she? The question was… would it be entertaining? Yes. Yes it would.
“But she’s so tempting,” I said easily. “Weird you named her Tempest, don’t you think, Dante?”
Dante’s smile was a deadly force. I wouldn’t wish that sort of politeness on my worst enemy. “Weird you think I won’t slit your throat just because she said yes to you.”
I met his gaze without blinking. “You could try.”
Tempest elbowed me hard in the ribs. “Enough.”
Dante’s eyes flicked between us. Calculating. Measuring. Then he waved a hand. “Get out of my office before I actually do something I regret.”
A dismissal. We didn’t wait for further permission.
Once the door shut behind us, Tempest shoved me into the hallway wall. “You used me.”
I smiled faintly. “You married me.”
“That doesn’t make me your cover.”
“It does,” I said quietly, “when everyone’s watching.”
She stared at me like she wanted to peel me apart and see what made me tick.
“You weren’t sick,” she said.
“No,” I admitted. “But they think I was. And that was the point.”
She exhaled sharply. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
I leaned in, just close enough that only she could hear me. “So are you.”
Her jaw tightened. “You think this makes me trust you?”
“No,” I said. “I think it makes them underestimate me.”
Her eyes flicked toward the party. Toward Cassian’s shadow. Toward the men who thought they knew exactly what I was.
Good.
Because none of them were looking at the right thing.
As we walked back, my stomach twisted again—this time for real. The poison hadn’t finished with me yet. But pain was useful. Pain sharpened focus.
Revenge required patience.
And Tempest?
She was going to be the most dangerous part of all. “We were in his office he’s going to either suspect you, think I’m on your side, or that something’s wrong. You don’t just go into my dad’s office without a reason and?—”
“You did,” I pointed out. “You didn’t even hesitate, you took me to a safe space, a place nobody is allowed to even visit, nobody but yourself. Maybe you should ask yourself why you would risk it for someone you’re using for revenge, someone you wanted to marry for your own purposes.”
She opened her mouth then slammed another glass vial into my palm. “Bottoms up. We have three more days before the meeting, don’t make me regret choosing you.”