Chapter Six
Aaliyah
S ighing, I clap along with the rest of the crowd as the curtains close and the lights go up. Thank the gods, it’s finally intermission. I’m not sure how much more I could’ve survived.
I’m currently at the River Hill Opera House, a place that Harrison Griffin frequents. There’s literally no other reason I’d be caught dead at the opera. Henri would call me an uneducated swine if he heard me talking like this, but it’s just not my thing. I’d much rather spend the night at a rock concert.
My eyes move to the box next to mine where Harrison is standing from his seat. Now’s my chance, and then I can get the hell out of here.
I push to my feet and exit my box, trailing behind Harrison as he walks with a pretty blonde on his arm. She’s at least half his age, probably just barely legal. But she’s not my target. The man she’s with is.
Harrison Griffin is forty-two and a successful businessman. He owns some kind of tech company that I can’t even begin to understand. Unfortunately, he’s been recently funneling money to some shady businesses. The skin trade, gun dealings, and even some illegal drug development. Based on the information the guild provided, he’s not directly involved with any of it, but he is a big donor to all three. Killing him means cutting off his funding.
Will it stop any of it by killing one donor? Absolutely not. But it’s a start.
With any luck, the guild has others working on dismantling all three from the bottom up. Is that too hopeful of me? Maybe, but a girl can hope.
Harrison stops at the bar, ordering himself another drink without checking with his date if she wants anything. Douche.
But this will make my job easier. I can get to his drink before he’s even holding it.
Moving up to the bar, I lean against it and allow my ample cleavage to practically spill from the top of my dress. I bump against Harrison lightly, and he turns to me with a sneer before his eyes drop to my tits.
They are pretty spectacular if I do say so myself.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, batting my eyelashes up at him, while one of my hidden arms moves toward the drink the bartender just sat on the bar. Dipping my finger into the liquid, I force the poison from my skin and give the drink a little stir. Luckily, no one notices the liquid moving on its own. “I didn’t mean to bump into you. I’m just so clumsy.”
“It’s quite alright, dear. No harm done,” he says to my chest, eyes never lifting away from them until his date whines. “I hope you enjoy the rest of the opera.”
Yeah, right. Like that’s going to happen.
“Thank you. You, too.” I watch him walk away with his now-poisoned drink, happy with another job well done.
“Can I get you something?” the frazzled bartender asks, and I wave her off.
“No, thanks. I changed my mind.” Without a backward glance, I follow Harrison at a safe distance. As much as I’d love to leave, I do need to make sure he’s dead before I head home. There’s nothing worse than thinking you killed someone and them surviving.
When Harrison is stopped by an older couple, I look around for some place to sit while I wait for the show I know is coming. Instead of finding a seat, I find three familiar faces speaking in hushed voices—Archer, Naomi, and Tyson.
What the fuck? Do they know each other?
I’m not sure I even want to know, but their gazes shift to me as one, and I curse. I guess there’s no way I can avoid them now, is there?
Deciding to get it over with, I stalk over to them but make sure to keep Harrison in my line of sight. I don’t want to miss his death, after all.
Turning to Tyson first, I ask, “Are you stalking me too?”
Confusion fills his face, but his attention is pulled from me as someone calls out, “Is there a doctor? I think he’s having a seizure.”
I fight back a grin as I see Harrison on the floor, body convulsing until he stills. Even as someone rushes over, exclaiming that they’re a doctor, I know it’s far too late. Another target dead at my hands. I shouldn’t get such joy out of my kills, but what can I say? Certainly not that I’m only human because not a single part of me is human.
I guess I’m just a killer through and through.
“Damn it,” Tyson mumbles, barely audible. Then something about someone getting to him first? Honestly, I can only make out every other word, so I’m not actually sure if that’s what he said.
Tyson turns back to me with a sigh. “What’s this about stalking?”
I point to Archer and Naomi. “Well, the two of them are stalking me, which I assume you know since the three of you were in a pretty heated conversation. Are you in on their plot as well?”
“I have no fucking clue who the two of them are.” He pins the demons with a glare. “I caught them trailing you and told them they needed to leave you the hell alone.”
“Yeah, that sounds plausible. Fine. Say I believe you, then why the hell are you here?”
“I enjoy the opera?” It comes out as more of a question than a statement. I smile at the blush creeping up his neck.
Oh, the big, badass shifter likes the opera. I will admit to being surprised, but I also don’t think he’s faking the blush. Maybe he really was telling them to leave me alone, which only leaves me with more questions.
“Even if they were following me—which I don’t find surprising as they’ve been stalking me for days—why do you care? We shared one dance that could’ve possibly been more if you hadn’t just left me abandoned on the dance floor with no explanation.” Hurt and anger flare in me as I remember the humiliation of him just walking away. It shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did, but here we are.
Tyson’s head snaps up, his eyes latching onto mine. They’re filled with fire—literal fire—before I see his beast peaks out at me. My body is frozen as his gaze ensnares me.
Mine. Mine. Mine, a voice growls inside my head, bringing a frown to my face.
What the hell was that?
I’m thrown off enough to break free from his eyes, shaking my head.
“You know what? I don’t even care.” I glance between the three of them. “How about all three of you leave me the hell alone? I don’t need any complications in my life. Just. Leave. Me. Alone.”
Spinning on my heel, I storm away from them. So what if it weirdly feels like I’m leaving a part of my heart behind—which makes zero sense.
I don’t know what just happened back there, but I want nothing to do with it or them. Let’s just hope Tyson listens better than the demons, who I’m sure are already hot on my heels.
Once again, I find myself wondering how my life has come to this. What did I do to deserve not one, not two, but three stalkers?
Let’s just hope they eventually listen, and I don’t end up having to come up with a more permanent solution to getting them out of my life.