Page 247 of Psycho Pack
"A deal, then?" I prompt, keeping my voice carefully neutral.
Nikolai drums his fingers against the table again, that unsettling smile still playing at his lips. "We still haven't discussed the terms."
"Name them," Plague replies without hesitation.
I watch as Nikolai's scarred lips twist into a cruel smile. "I'm in," he says, "on one condition." He pauses for dramatic effect, clearly enjoying the tension. "Your informant better deliver. And considering Reinmich's...enthusiasticapproach to prisoner interrogation, that's quite the gamble."
Plague stiffens beside me. I catch the slight twitch in his jaw, the only outward sign of his distress, but he remains silent.
"What's your price?" Thane demands impatiently. Always the blunt instrument.
Nikolai's smile widens, revealing his stark white teeth and the twin sets of incisors he's had filed into to fangs. That's new. A Vrissian fashion I never quite understood.
"Simple," he purrs. "Ifyoufail—when you fail, in all likelihood—I collect your corpses. The bounties on your heads will more than cover my losses." His eyes gleam behind those red lenses. "And if by some miraclewesucceed and Reinmich falls... I want access to the arsenal."
"You can't be serious," Thane growls, his massive frame tensing. "That's enough firepower to level an entire nation."
"Precisely," Nikolai replies, spreading his hands. "Why else would I risk my men on such a foolhardy mission? The potential reward must match the risk, yes?"
I watch the others exchange glances. Even Ivy looks troubled, though she maintains her mask of indifference admirably.
We all know what Nikolai could do with that kind of firepower.
The chaos he could unleash.
But what choice do we have?
Besides, once we take down the dragon, we can deal with the snake.
"A moment to confer," I say smoothly, rising from my chair.
The others follow suit, and we huddle together a few steps away. Close enough to keep an eye on Nikolai, far enough that our whispers won't carry.
"We can't give him that kind of power," Thane hisses. "He's a madman."
"We don't have a choice," Plague replies in a whisper. "Without his forces, we don't stand a chance. And if we fail..."
He trails off, but we all know exactly what he means.
If we fail, we'll be too dead to care what Nikolai does with our bounties.
Wraith's wary growl confirms he's thinking the same thing.
"Besides," he continues, "even Nikolai isn't suicidal enough to go up against Surhiira."
"You fuckin' hope," Whiskey mutters.
"Tick-tock, my friends," Nikolai calls in a menacing tone.
"Plague is right," Ivy says quietly. "We have to do this. If he gets out of line, we'll just kill him."
Wraith growls in agreement.
It might be the three-day edging I've just endured, but my cock twitches painfully in response to her words. Our fierce little omega is never more beautiful than when she's plotting murder and mayhem.
Maybe if I play my cards right, she'll eventually deign to inflict some on me.
We return to stand by the table and Plague steps forward to address Nikolai. "We accept your terms," he says with that clinical detachment that always makes him sound more dangerous, even more than when he's trying to be.