Chapter 36 : Pretty Poison

Ayda's POV "Do you recognize her, Niko?" I eyed Sebastian, wearily wondering how he'd gotten on a first-name basis with not just any boogeyman of Eventide City but the king of them. Nikodemus Karras—Nightshade Karras, The Prince of the Underworld, The Scourge of Cerberus—was not anyone's casual acquaintance. Knowing the man's face meant one of three things: One, you were a mark of his, and he was coming to collect (which usually meant a person's imminent departure to cross the River Styx). Two, you were under his protection, and he wasn't very cheap (he was a businessman at the end of the day, a merchant of death, and he always made sure to get his pound of flesh) Three, you had the misfortune of bedding him before you'd found out what his true identity was. In my case, it was—indeed—all three. The regularity in which all the above happened was frankly upsetting, but Niko was hardly one to kiss and tell. I had a feeling Niko was going to break that c