“Good,” I said. “Now that I have your attention, let me tell you how it’s going to be.”
At my words, everyone’s eyes sharpened, and their mouths flattened out into hard, knowing lines. No doubt they thought that I was going to give them the same exact speech Madeline had and announce that I was taking over the underworld. But I didn’t want that.
I’d never wanted that.
“Now, unlike some people, I don’t give a fuck about being the big boss,” I snarled.
Snorts, scoffs, and disbelieving murmurs rippled through the ballroom just like my Stone magic had a few seconds before.
“I don’t,” I snapped again, my voice even colder than before. “If it were up to me, I’d walk out of here and never think about or see any of you ever again. But we all know that’s not going to happen. Because, like it or not, Ashland is your home as much as it is mine. We’ve all done bad things here, and we’ll all keep doing bad things. Because, like it or not, the corruption isn’t just going to disappear overnight. Neither are the drug dealers or the gangs.”
“What is this? A plea for the downtrodden?” Lorelei Parker snickered. “An after-school special?”
I glared at the crime boss, and her laughter quickly died down, although she lifted her chin and glared right back at me.
“Now,” I growled, “most of you have spent the last several months trying to kill me. As Madeline oh-so-eloquently described it, you sent your brothers and sisters in arms after me. She said it was for revenge, but we all know that’s bullshit. You all just wanted to prove your worth. You thought that by killing me, you could get everyone else to anoint you as the head of the underworld.”
Most everyone in the crowd shrugged, and I caught a few snatches of conversation.
“Can’t blame us for that.”
“It’s just business.”
“Too bad we didn’t succeed.”
That last snide comment came from Lorelei.
“I’m talking about you, Parker. And you, Ron Donaldson. And you, Dmitri Barkov.” One by one, I stabbed my finger at the underworld bosses I’d named before throwing my hands out wide. “Well, here I am, standing in front of all of you. I’ve frozen Madeline in her tracks—literally—and I’m willing to take on anyone else brave or stupid enough to try. Please, if you want me dead so very badly, make yourselves known. I’ve fought one duel tonight. Trust me when I tell you that I’ve got enough magic left for plenty more.”
A blatant lie on my part, but now was not the time to look weak or indecisive. No, now was the time to finally get what I’d wanted, what I’d always wanted ever since I’d killed Mab—a little peace and quiet. Even if I knew that it wouldn’t last long. Not in a place like this. Never in Ashland. But it was my home, for better or worse, and these hills and mountains were as much a part of me as my Ice and Stone magic and the spider runes branded into my palms.
But no one stepped forward to call me on my bluff, so I moved on to what I really wanted to say.
“As of this moment, you will all stop being so damn stupid,” I snarled. “Every single one of you will stop trying to kill me. You’ll stop sending men to my restaurant, my home, and everywhere else. And if any of you black-hearted sons of bitches even think about hurting one of my friends, then I will rain my cold wrath down on you and yours like you have never seen before.”
I looked from one face to another, making sure that they all got my message loud and clear. “Madeline wanted fifty percent. Well, this is what I want. Consider yourselves lucky that you’re getting off so light.”
“And if we don’t stop?” Lorelei Parker piped up again. “If we all keep trying? What will you do about it then, Blanco?”
I stared her down. “Then I will keep eliminating you—all of you—until I’ve made my point. I’d thought it would have sunk in by now, given everyone I’ve killed over the past few months, but apparently, y’all are slow learners.”
Lorelei opened her mouth, but I held up a finger, and she swallowed whatever she’d been about to say.
“I don’t care what you do,” I said. “If y’all want to get in a pissing contest to determine who rules Ashland, that’s fine. Paint the streets red with each other’s blood. Doesn’t much matter to me. I can’t stop all the crime in Ashland. No one ever could. And it’s not like I’m any better than the lot of you, with all the bad things I’ve done. But don’t involve me in your power struggles anymore, and don’t think that killing me is the answer to being king or queen of the mountain. All it’s going to get you is dead. Trust me on that.”
I didn’t point to Madeline’s still-frozen body. I didn’t have to. Silence descended over the ballroom as everyone shifted on their feet, wondering what came next. It suddenly occurred to me what they were all waiting for.
I sighed. “Y’all can leave now.”
But no one made a move to actually open any of the terrace doors, even though they were all still pressed up against them.
“Leave!” I barked out. “Now! Before I change my mind!”
That got the lot of them moving. Oh, they tried to maintain some semblance of dignity, but their movements became faster and faster. Doors were wrenched open, and they all practically trampled each other in their desperate desire to get away from me as quickly as possible. In less than two minutes, my friends and I were the only ones left in the ballroom.
As soon as the last of them were gone, I shuffled over to the marble stairs and collapsed on the lowest one. I groaned at how good it felt to sit still and not have to try to appear tough and strong and pretend that Madeline hadn’t done a number on me with her acid magic.
Jo-Jo rushed over to my side and took my hand in hers. The milky-white glow of her magic flashed in her eyes, and I welcomed the pins-and-needles sensation of her Air magic sweeping over me, repairing all my burned, blistered skin and healing the worst of my wounds. But my injuries weren’t as bad as this hollow feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. The one that told me that I’d used up all of my magic, more than ever before. I had no idea when it might return to me or how many days that could take.
Or how many plots might be hatched against me in the meantime.
Just because the underworld bosses had seen me kill Madeline didn’t mean that they wouldn’t keep coming after me. Oh, it might take them a while, but they all still wanted to be the top dog, and I was still standing in their way. So I would try to enjoy my respite for as long as it lasted.