Risk (A Mageri World Novel) by Dannika Dark Read Free Book Online Page A

woman, but Hannah’s progeny.
    “Mr. Hunt, tell me who did this to you, and I’ll castrate them,” Hannah said, her voice sharp.
    He cringed and turned to his left, sensing a bright flare of fear radiating from Hannah—curiously stronger than the underlying energy of disgust. He guessed she was thinking their deal might be off.
    Silver stepped away to give them privacy when Hannah regarded her with a frosty gaze.
    Simon plucked a calla lily from a nearby vase and twirled it between his fingers. “Was it your idea to decorate the party with flowers that look like vaginas? Nice touch. You really set the mood.”
    A line formed on her brow. “Are we ready to talk business?”
    Simon lowered his voice. “What’s her name?”
    “Are you accepting my offer?” Hannah folded her arms and drew her thick eyebrows together. They were the one feature about her that stood out above all others. Most women plucked every little hair until they were left with nothing more than a surprised look on their face. Hannah embraced her follicles to the point where the few sparse hairs in the middle looked like renegade soldiers fleeing the camp.
    Simon scratched off a crust of dried blood from his lip and spoke quietly. “We’ll negotiate the price after I get seven days to assess her skills. Call this a trial period.”
    “Splendid. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities, Mr. Hunt. I’ll draw up the papers,” she said discreetly.
    “Papers?”
    “Yes. I document all negotiations in writing.”
    Probably written in her own poisonous blood . “Be sure to include a clause that I can back out any time at my own discretion. Don’t you dare try to lock me into one of your complicated contracts. Write it on one sheet of paper in plain English. And I don’t mean Middle English.”
    Hannah tugged at one of her diamond earrings. “If that is your wish, I’ll have them drawn up tonight. Stop by tomorrow morning, and we’ll begin immediately. Feel free to clean up in my washroom, and help yourself to the… appetizers.” Hannah waved her hand toward the bountiful offering of women in the room. “They’re only guaranteed for the evening.”
    “Keep them. I’m not a charity case.” Simon swaggered toward the door before turning around. “And Hannah?”
    “Yes?”
    “What is her name?” he ground out through clenched teeth.
    Hannah curled her red lips, as if uttering the word would bring her shame. “Ella.”

    * * *
    A s alluring as Hannah’s offer was, bribing those trollops to service Simon had been an insult to his manhood. He preferred the slow dance of seduction. Their dull energy wasn’t as sweet since they’d been bribed to throw themselves at him. It was as appetizing as a dead carcass to a lion in a zoo. A predator savored the hunt and the sweet taste of victory.
    Simon enjoyed women as long as they were between easy and hard-to-get. Anything on the opposite ends of the spectrum brought problems, such as relationship-seekers, and Simon didn’t engage in relationships.
    Ever.
    He enjoyed their company and moved on. The only woman he’d ever felt an emotional connection to was Silver, but that was on a different level because of their friendship, and he’d never been friends with a woman before. Simon was incapable of feeling love for a woman—not the way he’d often heard people talk about it. Not the kind he saw kindling between others. The closer he got emotionally, the quicker he put up walls.
    After Simon made it back to his apartment, he kicked off his boots, switched off the light, and crawled into bed. The sound of the drippy faucet in the adjacent bathroom lulled him into a deep slumber.
    Then the dreams came. Only they weren’t dreams, they were memories.
    Nightmares.

    Simon shivered from the frigid air that cradled him in the darkness. With each passing day, it sank deeper into his bones, invading the marrow and becoming a part of him. The metal collar around his neck cut into his skin, and the