Chapter 19

Ares couldn"t breathe, couldn"t think. His heart was beating too fast, and the room was spinning.

"Now that the rest have been taken care of, you and I have some important matters to discuss," Corven said, leaning back in his chair.

"Who…Who was she?" Ares asked, his voice breaking. "Why her?"

"Lucrezia has a very rare Truth magic inherited by her father, Claudius Pelas."

"The fucking chairman? The chairman is her father?" Ares demanded. He put his head in his hands. Oh gods, he had been such a fucking fool. She knew every time he lied to her. When any of them did.

"Yes. I can see you"re upset by this, Ares, but she is the best at what she does, and Claudius is an old friend. She got more information from this family in a week than I have in years." Corven tapped his long nails against the polished wood. "I"m sorry I have been so disconnected from what"s been happening in the family. You have cleaned up too many messes, and I would have made you my heir months ago if you had told me about any of them."

Ares looked up from his hands. "You are meant to protect your family. I was trying to help and not cause more stress for you."

Corven let out a long sigh. "My dear boy. You are the only one in this family with any honor left at all."

"What else did your spy tell you about me?" Ares asked. He couldn"t bear to even say her name. Had she told him about Ares having magic? About killing Mars?

"She sent me her report recommending you as my heir days ago. She told me about the attacks on her life and that Mars was the one to kill Kristofer. I"m sorry I didn"t kill Mars myself. I hoped without the influence of your father… I"m sorry, Ares. For everything," Corven said sincerely.

"Are you sorry about paying your spy to seduce me? Was that part of your fucking deal with her as well?" Ares demanded, his self-preservation non-existent.

Corven"s brows shot up. "Seduce you? Dear boy, if I wanted to hire someone to seduce you, I would have selected someone cheaper than Lucrezia Pelas. I don"t know what happened between you, but it was never a part of my deal with her." Corven got to his feet and buttoned his jacket. "Now, on your feet. We are expected at the council in thirty minutes, where I will present you as my heir. Your appointments and responsibilities within the company are on hold indefinitely."

Ares got to his feet. "Thank you, Corven. I will… I will meet you downstairs. I"d like to change before going to the council."

"Be quick," Corven said and smiled. "And Ares? Don"t wear white. I"ll be turning you into a full vampire afterward, and I know how you don"t like things to be messy."

Ares nodded and hurried out of the room. He took the stairs, running down the flights as fast as possible. He slammed on the door to the seventh floor and knocked on Zia"s door. He didn"t know what he would say to her; his anger and hurt were turning his mind to fire. When no one replied to the knocking, Ares kicked in the door.

The apartment was silent and empty. Not a scrap of Zia remained except the faint whiff of her perfume to mark that she had existed at all.

It was all just a job to her. The cold numbness returned in a wave, and Ares went to his apartment. He didn"t look at the bed that was still rumpled and smelled like her. He didn"t look at the dishes in the sink left over from their late-night dinner.

Ares changed his suit, combed his hair, and went downstairs to meet Corven.

"I don"t think I"ve seen you in shock like this for decades, Ares," Corven said from his chair opposite him. He poured a bourbon and passed it to him. "Have a celebratory drink. You won. If you had told me about all your extra doings over the years, this would have been settled a lot faster. You are going to be an excellent vampire, Ares. I"m glad it was you."

"Thank you, Corven. I appreciate that, and I"ll do my best to keep the Volso family strong," Ares answered, the cold still in his voice.

Corven gave him a piercing look. "You know, a woman like Lucrezia is a rare asset to have. A good patriarch always sees value in such tools and knows how to wield them. Don"t be bitter that she fooled you all. That"s her gift. Now, get focused. You have more to worry about than Lucrezia out-foxing you right now."

Ares didn"t know if that was true. Since Corven rescued him, Ares had spent his entire life working towards proving himself to him. He wanted to show that a boy from the slums could be the head of a powerful house. He had wanted to turn into a full vampire and rule his own empire.

Everything Ares had always wanted was to be laid at his feet. The moment of his victory had finally come, and he didn"t feel like he had won anything at all.