Chapter 55

"You have your circle, and I have mine. Once we leave this bed, we're strangers again." Valerie's voice was cool and measured. "Someday, if you want to bring another woman into this house, I'll make room. But first—" She leaned close, her breath brushing Lucius' ear. "What happened tonight won't happen a second time." Shoved aside, Lucius only laughed instead of getting angry. "Valerie, when I said I'd never fall in love with you, did that make you angry?" She arched her brow. "And why should I be?" "Because of Sonia, perhaps?" Drunk though he was, Lucius hadn't lost all clarity. He knew how often Valerie had humiliated Sonia at The Golden Chalice. It wasn't just because of personal grudges—she held jealousy and resentment toward her younger sister. Valerie gave a sharp laugh. "That pathetic moron? All she knows is pulling petty tricks behind my back. The only place she belongs is on her knees, at my feet, waiting for me to toy with her. What else does she have worth flaunting?