Page 32 of Beastly Armory
“And is that it?” Neither Max nor I relax.
“There’s just… You know I have so many weapons. Well, Livia here knows.” He nods his head at me. “It’s tough because I have so many more than I know what to do with.”
Max’s jaw clenches. “Go on.”
“I’m sure you would like to restart your family trade.”
“Yes, that is the plan.”
“Well, I’d be happy to part with fifty percent.”
Quickly, I start doing math of how much thirty percent of his fifty percent would be.
“Okay… and what is the catch?”
“Oh, there’s nocatch. I just want something in return.”
My multiplication stops as nausea creeps into my belly.
“What do you want?” Max asks quietly.
Strauss retreats a step and turns his back to us. Downing his liquor, he sets the glass on a marble top end table. When he spins around, there’s a flash ofsadness in his eyes, a squint in his brow, before it’s gone just as quickly as it appeared. “Arianna.”
Max gristles next to me, his entire body going rigid as if that was the key word needed to poke the bear. Before he can move, though, I say, “It’s a deal.”
Nine
MAXIMILLIAN
“What the fuck, Livia?” My rage turns on my supposed partner.
“It’s a deal, Strauss. He’ll do it.”
“Like hell I will.”
Strauss’s face lights up like a kid as he laughs. “I don’t want her fortrade, Freidenberg. I need to produce an heir. It’s time I settled down before I reach forty. And what a better one to marry than the beautiful,youngFreidenberg princess.”
“He’ll allow it.”
“No, I won’t.” Snapping my head at her, I ask through clenched teeth, “What the fuck are you saying?”
“Can we have a minute?”
Despite keeping my eyes steady on Livia’s face, I see Strauss stand and walk into the adjoined conservatory out of my periphery. Once he shuts the doors, the notes of the song he was belting when we stepped inthe room haunt the air again. I want to fucking kill him. I could, very easily.
“What. The. Fuck. I amnotgiving up my sister to a monster.”
“Hush. Max, please, please listen and trust me. Strauss loves her?—”
“Strauss loves nothing. You’re crazy.” Giving her my back, I face the fireplace, but she latches a hand on my shoulder, and I let her turn me around.
“Listen! Strausstruly wantsher. I read it on his face. It’s our in with him—” I try to interrupt, but she continues. “Stop. It’s our leverage, but there isno way in hellI will let him touch her. I wouldn’t do that to anyone, let alone your sister, Max.”
My eyes narrow. She’s being clever. I don’t know what her aim is, but I don’t trust her. The Von Dovishes are snakes, and I would be stupid to trust anyone here. She’s talking as if she cares about me, about my family, but she could just be playing me. Holding my hand in the car like she wanted me. After a careful moment, I say, “You sound like you have a plan.”
“I do. We need the weapons. He wants Arianna. We’ll get what we need and promise his marriage to your sister.” An involuntary growl almost erupts from my chest, but she continues. “Shh, stop. We willpromiseit, but she won’t be able to marry him.”
“Why is that?”