Centuries of Sin : Book III

“Are you going to kill me?” Jonas tightened his grip on Elizabeth’s shoulder as he stared down at her. “I think you should come with me.” Her heart was pounding, and a chill went through her as he pushed her back towards the staircase. It felt like she was walking to certain death, but she had no choice. At least she might find out what happened to Sawyer before she died if she did as they told her. They stopped outside of Francesca’s bedroom, and Jonas opened the door. She didn’t want to go in. The bedroom looked like a prison cell to Elizabeth. Francesca’s choice of brutalist decor in almost exclusively black with brushed chrome was not at all welcoming. Francesca was sat on her couch. She looked like she was relaxing there and it made Elizabeth feel sick to think she was able to sit so casually when she had probably killed Sawyer hours before. “Sit down.” As of she had any other choice. She walked nervously over and sat on the uncomfortable-looking chair opposite Francesca. When Jonas sat down next to Francesca it felt like they were about to interrogate her. “Is he dead?” She had to know the answer. She was almost certain that he was, but she needed to hear it. She wanted to know why. “He wasn’t dead when I left him.” “What happened?” “He attacked me.” There were too many things she needed to know. Francesca wasn’t giving her any information with these stupid answers. “Why did he attack you?” “I did something he considered unforgivable.” There wasn’t a scratch on Francesca to indicate she had been injured at all. It wasn’t a good sign. “I guess this is where you tell me I’m no longer welcome here and that I can’t be trusted if I leave.” “This is where I tell you that Nathan is no longer in charge. I am.” “You? I didn’t think that women were accepted as Alphas.” “I took down Tobias and Nathan. If anyone argues I won’t have any trouble showing them I deserve to be in charge here.” “But what about Jonas? They’re going to see him as weak if you’re the one who’s Alpha.” “You don’t know what those people will say or do. Either they follow me, or this pack is done after hundreds of years at the top. Luckily my brother hadn’t done something as stupid as telling everyone the truth about Selene - they will follow me without question now they think there will be another Alpha to replace me eventually.” “Why now? He would have given all this up for you if you asked.” “I did ask.” “That’s what was unforgivable? She thought back to the way he had been when he left her. Until yesterday she would have said Sawyer wouldn’t ever think his sister asking for power was unforgivable. But yesterday… she wasn’t so sure he would have been reasonable to her challenging his authority. “No. It’s the reason he was alive when I left him.” “Where did you leave him? If he’s not coming back I need to go with him.” “He didn’t come and find you. Either he is dead, or he doesn’t want you to go with him.” That felt like a punch to the gut. Either he was dead, or he didn’t want her. “What happens to me, then? I was only tolerated because of him. There is no reason for you to keep me alive.” Jonas looked across at Francesca. He had known what her immediate thought was, but he didn’t know how she would actually respond. “You can’t leave.” “You think I will expose your entire world if you let me go.” “No. I know you wouldn’t do that. But you’re more use to me alive than dead.” “So I just have to live here as your prisoner because I might somehow prove useful in the future?” “You can look at it that way if you want. Or you can be grateful that I do see you as useful enough to keep here.” “I always knew what you were. But I didn’t think you would turn on us like this. I never expected you to hurt Sawyer.” “You have not got any idea what went on last night, so do not try and make out that I am a monster.” Elizabeth wanted to scream. She had no idea what went on because Francesca was being cryptic about it. “If he comes back for me…” Francesca laughed, and Elizabeth wondered if this had just been another lie. She had lied about seeing him last night, so why would she be telling the truth now? “Go back to your room, Elizabeth.” She looked into Francesca’s eyes and knew that arguing was dangerous. She wasn’t even going to risk going back to Elle. She had no real answers, only more questions. But she wasn’t ready to hear the answers to those, even if Francesca was willing to give them. As soon as she had gone Francesca relaxed. “You didn’t have to scare her like that.” Jonas rested his hand on her back, but she winced and shrugged it off. “Don’t.” “You’re injured. Let me see.” “It’s nothing.” Their conversation wasn’t going to progress far beyond that. Jonas knew that. It didn’t stop him worrying about her, or wondering exactly what had really happened. She had refused to answer him, either. “Francesca, was he really alive when you left him?” “I didn’t kill him. I told him to leave.” “What the hell happened down there? I know you don’t want to tell her but surely you can at least tell me.” “He has been using drugs to manage to act even remotely like an Alpha while I have to fight to suppress my instincts every time we are around people so I don’t show him up.” “And what exactly is it you did that got him to attack you?” “He was off his face on coke, Jonas. It’s not exactly hard to get someone to fight when they are using that stuff.” “And you saw it as an opportunity to take what you feel is rightfully yours.” “Yes. Because being in charge here is what I was destined to do.” “I thought you didn’t believe in destiny anymore.” “I don’t believe that vision I had was destiny. I think I was just screwed up on psychotropics and insecure about my brother. I do believe that I am supposed to be Alpha here and that he will see that eventually.” “Do you think he will come back for her if he does?” “Six months sober and I let him see her again.” “Let him? You do know where he is, then.” “Of course I do. I thought I could kill him, but I just couldn’t. He will be far happier with me in charge, and six months is long enough for people to accept that things are a lot more stable with me running everything. I’m not a monster, Jonas. I saw an opportunity to take control, and I took it. But I’m trying to help him and he is never going to get better if he is locked in a room with her and trying to play Alpha whenever he comes out to sulk.”