Kiss of Crimson by Samantha Coville (best love story novels in english txt) 📕

gain a place at the table, to be your equal instead of your inferior?”

“Now, now, I never said anything about you being my equal, did I?” The smile withered on my boss’s lips. “You will, always, remain inferior to me, Arden, never forget that.”

“Of course, Monseigneur Jardin.”

I stared down at my feet, the perfect picture of subservience.

It was the only way I could be sure of walking out of Jardin’s office in one piece.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he crooned, his voice silky soft, deceptively so. I could hear the poisoned steel behind each damn syllable. “You know how I feel about people looking away. No, look at me, Arden Olivier.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly lifted my chin. “As you wish, sir.”

He clucked his tongue softly, watching me with those dark eyes. “Perhaps my words were too harsh. I merely meant to say that in many ways, you will never surpass me. And that is by design. I have lifted you up and you must never forget that debt you owe me.”

“Of course, sir.”

“After all, were it not for me spying you in the gutters of New Orleans, who knows what you might have become? You might have remained that rat-eating ghoul, eventually falling prey to the human hunters who roam the ports.” Jardin’s gaze turned almost… paternal. “But you did not. Instead, you took the hand that was offered and now, you are my right-hand man. You are my most cherished of confidants and I want to reward the loyalty you’ve given me for half a century.”

He put a hand on his chest and grimaced.

“Yet, when I want to give you a gift, you look at me as though I am handing you a bomb. Such gratitude you show me.”

I inclined my head to one side, but kept my eyes on him. “Forgive me, sir. I am grateful, truly I am.” The words tasted like burned oil on my tongue, but I had no choice but to say that, to justify my distrust of the man who had indeed brought me to the high society of vampire life. “I am not used to the good things in life. I keep expecting the other shoe to drop, or so to speak.”

“Don’t be silly,” he replied. “You are under my protection and you have given me fifty years of service. I only want to reward that kind of service with something no other master can give you. How would you like a piece of the business?”

What in Hades’ name…

“A piece of the business?”

“The blood trade… it is expanding. I think there is room for competition.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “After all, is it not the humans who have that quaint saying… something about competition breeding success? Or is the other way around.”

“But…” What the hell was Jardin planning? “What about the Kaminsky raid? If you think there is room for competition, why did you order us to take his entire stock?”

Jardin’s eyes widened.

But it was an act.

“I did order that, didn’t I?” His laughter was loud enough to rattle in my ears. “Let’s just say that Kaminsky wasn’t the right kind of competition, hm?”

There’s a human saying: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

But there’s also another saying: easy come, easy go.

At least, I thought that was the correct phrase; human sayings can be so confusing sometimes.

If Jardin was offering me such a boon, surely it was because it’d benefit him more than me.

“What must I do to receive such a gift?”

“Oh, nothing much,” he said flippantly. “Do what you do best. Charm the girl.”

I stared at him.

Was that really all he required of me?

“That’s it?”

“Break her,” he said so matter-of-factly, it was almost appalling. “Or not. It’s up to you. But if you were to take over Madame Leona’s territory, I will do everything in my power to assist you, to bring about this change. With you taking Leona’s customers, and me with mine, we can rule this part of the country, you know.”

His smile turned crafty. “Indeed, if we play our cards right, we can turn this land into our own personal playground. After all…”

He sipped from his goblet. “We have all the time in the world, do we not?”

“I see.” My mind was whirling, but I couldn’t possibly get off this mad carnival ride. “You want me to infiltrate Madame Leona’s business. Ingratiate myself to her.”

“And her daughter.” He tapped the side of his nose. “The way to Leona’s heart is through her daughters. She tries very hard to show indifference to them, tries to pretend as though they are but a commodity, but I’ve seen the truth in her eyes. She hasn’t had centuries to learn how to lie with her eyes, you know. No, she cares very deeply for them, despite what she might say or act. Mark my words, if you get her daughter, you get her.”

I shifted uncomfortably in the leather armchair. “Leona won’t take this transgression lightly. She has a formidable army. Almost rivals ours.”

He waved a hand in the air. “Pah! She is but a woman. No, her defenses will crumble easily enough. Under a two-pronged attack of you and me, she will not be able to fight us both off.”

It was an utterly diabolical plan.

And if I had the support of someone like Benedict Jardin… Leona Hart’s territory was all but mine.

“We would be partners.” He stood up and strode to his liquor cabinet. Pouring me a generous serving of the same ruby liquid in his own goblet, he handed it to me. “Of course, you would answer to me. But trust me, if you are an ambitious man, as I suspect you are, you will agree to this venture.”

This was it.

Jardin was practically offering me the world on a golden platter.

I’d have to be an idiot to turn him down.

It was all I had aspired to be, that moment when I saw a pristine white glove extended towards me as I wallowed in the gutter