MAISIE HAS NEVER felt so unhinged, so infuriated that she can't even think straight.
But let her try.
Those four words are stuck on a continuous loop in her mind, mocking her, fueling her rage. He was so damn casual about her threat, as if he actually believed he was untouchable, invincible. Did he really think she couldn't get past his defenses? A girl who was trained by Orion Nox of all people from the age of five, a girl who became one of those most notorious assassins in all of Antares?
He really didn't know a fucking thing.
Or maybe he did, but he chose to ignore it all. Like he could care less. That scenario would render her entire scheme useless — her whole plan was built on taunting him, making him so paranoid that he wouldn't be able to close his eyes at night.
All those murders, those little signs, connections between Saint Rowena's and the royals, the Flora and Fauna rally, Claudette's article. They were pointed straight at him.
She wants him to suffer. To spend his last days in agony, recalling certain memories that should haunt him but most likely don't. Maisie wonders if he even knows how to feel guilt, to feel fear.
But let her try.
Try? She doesn't try, she succeeds.
She looks around the apartment she trashed in a fit of rage — which doesn't look all that different from when it was occupied by four thieves — and lets out a loud sigh. Oddly enough, it's too quiet without Eleanor there to fill the silence with her motormouth. Not that she feels remorse for Eleanor's fate — after all, trusting people is always a mistake and mistakes must be corrected. Taking in a deep breath, Maisie grabs the purple cloak from the hall closet, puts it on, and is out the door without further ado.
✦ ✦ ✦
IT DOESN'T TAKE HER long to find her next victim.
Of course, he's not the one she wants but he'll do. Her true target — or rather targets, she hates Gabriel's entire family as well — is probably locked up tight, the guards taking her threat seriously no matter how uncaring the king is about the whole thing. But when the moon sets and the sun rises and there's still no sign of her, it'll lessen. And that's when she'll attack. That's when she'll finally get the revenge she's been after for a very, very long time.
Maisie follows her target — a stout, red-cheeked blond man with his arm around a stumbling, messy-haired woman who is definitely not his wife — into a shady apartment building. The apartment no doubt belongs to the woman, who is all bones and not much meat. It's not an uncommon appearance in the slums but Maisie has to wonder why this royal would pick a skinny slum-dweller when he could buy any other woman at one of the exclusive — and rather expensive — clubs he owns.
Drunken giggles and low murmurs drift down the stairwell as they climb and Maisie has to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Trailing behind them leisurely, her eyes suddenly land on a bit of graffiti on the wall to her right. Four more words, painted a purple color almost entirely similar to her cloak, adorn the wall but with these she experiences a much different feeling compared to the ones said by Gabriel. They don't fill her with rage, no, they give her a dark sense of satisfaction.
DEATH TO THE ROYALS
A laugh almost escapes but she smothers it just in time. How ironic, she thinks in amusement, considering what's about to take place.
She wonders how Orion will feel once he receives the news that she's killed yet another royal who isn't the king or his family. He had called earlier that day, surprising her with the news that he knew exactly what she was doing.
"Look Genesis, you've got jobs lined up. Azura and the others available can't handle jobs of this caliber so you need to finish up this Mauve shit and get home."
"Well I haven't found her yet, I need more — "
"You can cut the bullshit. I know you've been masquerading as this purple-cloaked maniac."
"You do?"
"You've been distracted ever since you started it. So I sent you to Cape Carnelian to finish it. Considering who you are, I'm surprised it took you so long to even try to get revenge. But time is running out, Genesis, so hurry up and kill the damn king before you do something stupid and lose your chance."
"Yes, Father."
As much as she hates Orion, she can't help but feel grateful for all that he's done for her. None of this would have been possible had Orion not been there — he trained her and now she could kill with ease; he enlightened her and gave her a goal to achieve; he gave her a home when she was snatched away from her other one.
The couple finally stops at an apartment and the woman opens the door without having to unlock it. "There's no lock," she slurs, shrugging her bony shoulders. "Wouldn't matter anyway, wouldn't keep" — hiccup — "anyone out."
"I feel so safe," the man says dryly.
Maisie can't help but think how perfect this entire situation is; they're in a building where screams would probably be a common occurrence, there's a door with no lock, and a drunken witness that she could knock out easily so Maisie wouldn't have to kill her. She couldn't have asked for anything better.
Once they go in, she starts to follow them, but stops in her tracks suddenly. An irritating thought occurs to her — no one would think to look for a royal here. The woman would probably just get rid of his body rather than call the police. No one would know what she did. He wouldn't hear about it.
Damnit. She'll just have to wait for him.
✦ ✦ ✦
IT TAKES OVER FIVE hours for the royal to finally make his exit.
It's getting dangerously close to dawn and she's itching to get this kill over with. Slumped against the wall of the alley next to the building, she inspects the bricks across from her, trying to count how many different colors of gum are stuck to the other wall. So far she's found pink, blue, purple, green, and orange.
Just as she lets out a soft groan, Maisie hears footsteps heading towards her.
This is it.
Jumping to her feet soundlessly, she pulls out her knife from its holder and adjusts her cloak, smiling widely. One, two, three seconds later and the man is walking past the entrance of the alley, whistling lightly, bouncing on his feet.
One, two, three seconds later and the man is pressed against the wall, knife to his throat. He doesn't make a sound as this occurs, he just stares at her, mouth hanging open, still as a statue.
"You see," Maisie begins, relishing in the terror written clearly on his face. "You're not one of my usual targets. You don't even have a daughter."
She presses the knife more firmly against his clammy skin, grinning as he whimpers. "Wanna know what you do have?"
Maisie leans in and whispers, "A spot on the royal council, right next to the king."
One, two, three seconds later and the knife is moving and the life is draining from his eyes.
"This is what happens to people who get close to the king," she sighs and lets go of his body, letting it fall to the ground with a muted thump. "They die."
Maisie reaches down and scoops up some of the crimson liquid with her fingers, smearing it on the wall with a sick sort of glee. When she finishes, she shuffles backwards and admires her handiwork.
DEATH TO THE KING AND ALL HIS KIN
✦ ✦ ✦
