Chapter 14
CALISTA
Most men describe Evelyn White as a witch.
I’ve always thought a bitch would be more accurate.
“Calista, my dear. How lovely of you to join us.”
Evelyn gives me a wide, fake smile that has my knife itching to slash it right off her face.
“I see this occasion was not enough for you to dress up this evening.”
Her eyes linger on the loose fit of my halter top, the baggy material offering the barest glimpse of side boob. My black skinny jeans are dark enough to kill, the heels of my Louboutin boots sharp enough to match.
“Evelyn. Still dressing up the grey hair, I see.” Sighing loudly, I take the champagne flute from her hands and finish off her drink, “Must be draining, constantly trying to find new ways to cover it up.”
“Not as draining as being the most disruptive person in the room, I’d imagine.”
I smirk, offering the empty flute back to the hostess, “Someone has to keep things entertaining around here.”
“Mm, I suppose so.”
A soul-piercing scream has the room falling silent. Stumbling forward, a young man falls to his knees and starts clawing at his throat.
“Then again,” Evelyn smiles, watching her guest start to foam at the mouth, “I’ve always been rather good at entertaining.”
Blood pours out of a paper-thin nose, the remnants of the guest’s delicious meal discarded on the ground beside him.
“Cyanide?”
I muse out loud, watching the show take a turn for the worse when the man starts throwing up bodily fluids all over the speckled tiles.
The cleaners here must be incredible.
“Venom, actually.” Tilting her head, Evelyn watches the show with a different kind of hunger, “Evie’s been fascinated with black mambas lately. Had a boatload of them shipped from Africa just last week.”
“Boys do need hobbies.” Clearing my throat, I turn away from the massacre and face the businesswoman, “Speaking of which, mother wants a new strain of Dragon Fire. One that counteracts the party drug effects and puts the user to sleep. Single pill, heavy dosage.”
“An eternal sleep or temporary?”
“Ten hours, max.”
“Specific requirements come with a cost.” She pauses, her hazel eyes glued to the man spasming on the ground, “Tell the Dragon to expect a significantly larger bill.”
My brow lifts, “No discount for an old friend? Your longest standing customer?”
“Last time I checked, the Dragon’s daughter has no friends. Just allies and foes but at the end of the day you always go home alone.”
Evelyn smirks, tearing her gaze away from the carnage and checking to see if her shot landed. Even if it did, I wouldn’t be able to tell.
The sensitive parts of my skin got removed a long time ago.
“Well, that is terribly upsetting.” Pursing my lips, I regard her with sympathy, “The White Castle is in such rough state already. I’d hate to see what happens when you lose your only customer.”
Hazel eyes narrow, “The Dragon is not our only customer.”
“No, but she is the main one. Encompasses over sixty percent of your total revenue, does she not?”
“Yes, but that does not mean-
“Not to mention the commission I so graciously negotiated for you and your brother.” Running my tongue along my teeth, I lick off the remains of Evelyn’s champagne, “Your spending accounts would cease to exist and the White household would have to declare bankruptcy for the first time in over a hundred years. Can you imagine what the headlines would say?”
I shake my head with a laugh, “You would be crucified. A witch burned on the stand. Well, a fake witch that is.”
“How dare you-
“How dare you insult the Dragon by offering the highest quota possible. If she knew the kind of games you were trying to play, she would put you on the cross herself.”
Flicking my wrist, my knife slides easily into my palm. A simple nick is all it takes to turn porcelain skin red, and for someone like me, the temptation is too sweet to resist.
“Remember your place, Evelyn.” Slicing into the back of her neck, I let the metallic liquid spill over the chain wrapped around my fingers, “Or this will be the last time you receive mercy from a dragon.”
Animosity flows with her blood, the waves of suppressed fury consuming the air between us.
“You have my apologies.” She spits out each word, “The Dragon deserves the best price in town, and it is our honour to provide as such.”
“So when I asked for specific requirements…”
“Consider them done.” Her face pinches together, struggling and failing to offer me a smile, “A simple favour for an old friend.”
“How wonderful.”
My free hand skirts around her corset, playfully dipping inside. Her lips curl with disgust when I give her massive tits a squeeze, my knife still caressing the back of her slicked-up neck.
“Unlike your friendship with the heiress, ours does not extend past business hours.”
She presses back against my knife, making it clear she’d rather slit her throat than spend a night with me.
Poor thing doesn’t know what she’s missing.
“Now, that is a shame.” Leaning forward, I press closer until our lips are almost touching, “I had exciting plans for us, Evelyn. But now I’ll have to satisfy myself by thinking of you when my head’s buried between another woman’s legs.”
The revulsion on her face almost makes it worth it.
Skimming my knife around her throat, I leave enough blood so that she doesn’t feel the chain break loose. The Hoffmann Diamond falls soundly into my hand, a hand which gets shoved away by the woman who just lost her necklace.
“You’re disgusting.”
I smile sweetly, “Watch your mouth or those will be the last two words you ever taste with that tongue.”
Evelyn sneers back at me, her venomous mouth already opening with a rebuttal.
And that’s when all hell breaks loose.
Screams ring out as Vector drives his fist into another man’s face. Blood immediately starts gushing, the retaliating blows looking weak and pathetic compared to the beast who’s just been unleashed.
Using the distraction to my advantage, I slip off the couch and disappear into the crowd. Testosterone explodes as men start shoving each other, pushing and punching until Evelyn’s party turns into an unsolicited mosh pit.
A snicker escapes my throat when I see a kid run at Vector with a butter knife. He grabs him by the throat, not bothering to take a breath before throwing him aside and continuing to pummel the guy on the ground.
“You’re lucky you got out of here so quick.” Whispering to the dead guy on the ground, I look at his poisoned body solemnly, “It’s turned into a right shit show.”
My morbid humour gets drowned out by the chaos.
Glasses and champagne flutes filled with venom-infused alcohol gets tossed around the room, the agonized cries growing louder as flesh starts to burn and mouths start to foam.
It is the best house party I’ve been to in years.
The scullery maid catches my attention. Darting past the prison bars, her mob of brown hair is a shade too light to blend in with the shadows.
I follow her into the closest cell, letting the click of my stilettos announce my presence long before she sees me.
“I-I know I shouldn’t be here but I was delivering the last plate of food-
The press of my fingers against her lips has her falling silent. Big blue eyes stare back at me, the tremble in her limbs giving away a woman who offers this world far more than it deserves.
“I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine.”
Releasing her lips, I notice her eyes drop to track the movement. The slight hitch in her breath when I take another step closer.
“I want to pay my condolences. Will you lead me to her?”
Understanding dawns on her face, “Nobody is allowed to visit the-
“It’s a matter of respect, you see.” Bending down to her height, I breathe into her ear, “To make sure a woman gets off the way she deserves.”
A pink tinge hits her cheeks, an adorable blush I can’t help but trace with a red fingernail.
“Will you help me?” A smile creeps across my lips, “Promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
A stuttered nod is all I get before she crashes her lips to mine.
Holding back a sigh, I thread my fingers through locks that aren’t as dark as I would have liked. Closer to a rich caramel then Tahira’s dark chocolate colour, my little Cinderella barely makes the cut.
I kiss her back, pressing her petite body flush against mine. She’s about the same size as Marlin’s girlfriend and that thought alone is enough to dampen my panties.
I wonder what Melody is up to right now…