Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
They were all dressed in deep shimmering blue. Each carried a basket filled with an assortment of items—brushes, makeup palettes, and delicate shoes. The last two women both held this one gown that was so brilliant it looked like it was made of sparkling water.
Wow.
Fast, the women formed a line on the side of my bed and then bowed their heads.
And I didn’t have to guess that they were scared I could feel it. It was in the way their hands trembled when they set their baskets down, in the shallow, quick breaths they took, and in the way they kept glancing at Song for reassurance.
One of them, a young woman with soft tanned skin shivered as she stepped forward. Her head was still slightly bowed, but she forced herself to meet my gaze.
When she spoke, her voice shook, “Good afternoon, Mountain Mistress.”
I stared at her in shock.
“Y-your bath is ready. We c-can take you there.”
The others kept their heads low, and their shoulders curved inward like they were trying to make themselves smaller.
I’m not a monster.
Swallowing, I held up my hand. “Thank you and you can call me Monique—”
“No.” Song shook his head. “They can’t.”
I frowned at him. “Why not?”
“If Leo heard that, they could die, and if Lei heard it, he might take it as disrespect toward you and kill them too.”
I blinked. “But—”
“They all saw what you did last night, Mountain Mistress. The East. They saw you pour out the heads onto the ground. They saw you kill even more men.” Those words landed like a blow. “All of the East saw the footage this morning. Everyone in Paradise City too.”
My stomach dropped.
The blood drained from my face. “No. I didn’t want anyone to see that.”
“All the news outlets have been playing it throughout the day over and over. You’re trending on social media.”
The women flinched and bowed their heads even lower.
“Lei. . .saw?”
“He did.”
I hugged myself. “And my sisters?”
“I talked to Min and Suzi. Chloe and TT didn’t see it, but Jo did.”
“No. Oh God. My cousins saw it too—”
“Of course. Rowe Street Mob needed to understand—”
“I didn’t want anyone to see—”
“What would be the point of killing so many men if it is a secret? Besides, that was your initiation.” Song rose from his chair. “You are now officially the Mountain Mistress. There will be no debate or discussion.”
My bottom lip quivered.
“When you step into a room, they will bow. When you rise from the table, they will rise too. Regardless of if Lei is with you or not.”
“T-the East didn’t have to see that.”
“They did.”
“No.”
“They needed to see that Lei didn’t give you the title because he loved you. The East had to know that you earned it.” Song sneered with pride. “That you took it with blood and violence.”
My throat went dry.
“And understand this,” Song handed his cup to one of the women and she put it up. Then, he straightened his blue shirt as if preparing to head off. “This feast tonight will not only be a battle that will rock history, but. . .”
“But what?”
Song’s gaze didn’t waver. “It will be your debut as the first Black Mountain Mistress of the East. The most important Black woman in Paradise City, possibly more important than even Kashmere Jones ruling the Killer Crows.”
I widened my eyes.
“Because you have the Mountain Master’s heart and the East in a chokehold.” A dark, deadly smile spread across Song’s face. “You will also be the second woman to ever hold this title. And yet, you will be the first woman to take that title with deadly force.”
The air froze around me.
“Legacy, Mountain Mistress.” Song pointed to the women. “Look at them.”
I did.
I gazed at their small, trembling forms and the way they avoided my gaze as though I might lash out at them.
“They cannot call you Monique. They are not your friends. Your buddies. They serve you because you deserve it.”
I swallowed.
“You’re not just a killer to them. You are now something else entirely. Something terrifying and very powerful.”
I put my view back on Song.
“You are their Mountain Mistress. Their fierce protector. Their loving leader.”
I felt like I was about to pass the fuck out.
Song winked. “And there is no going back.”
With that, Song turned around and left.
Oh shit.
Chapter nineteen
The Birth of Obsession
Lei
I stood in front of my bedroom window.
The vast expanse of glass stretched from floor to ceiling, framing the East.
It’s starting.
Below, the Palace grounds teemed with life, a spectacle that seemed almost otherworldly.
The crowd stretched far beyond the Palace gates; a sea of faces turned upward toward the towering estate.
From this height, I couldn’t see their expressions clearly, but I didn’t need to.
I could hear them.
“Welcome, Mountain Mistress!”
“We love you!”
“We support you!”
The crowds swelled in every direction, and their voices rose in a rhythmic chant.
“We love you!”