Logi gulped at Marek’s question. The gravity of his misstep weighed on him. "She’s gone."
"Gone?" Marek asked with broad eyes. "That is not good! She’s not in the position to be alone; she might do sothing reckless."
"I know." Logi’s teeth clenched. "I promised Kraven I would keep her out of harm’s way, and now she’s gone. The seven gods know if she hadn’t already been caught." He looked away. "I’ve failed him."
"Don’t drag yourself down just yet. Think, Lo. We need that brain of yours if we’re going to survive this. We need a plan."
"I’m thinking!" he snapped, chest heaving. "I’m trying, I just—" He paused, unable to control the emotions beating him up. "Kraven’s is gone, and now Isadora. If anything happens to them, I—"
Marek grabbed his shoulders and forced Logi to face him. The silence passed between them as they stared into each other’s eyes.
Marek’s were stern and Logi’s were confused and scared.
"Nothing is going to happen," Marek said. "Not unless we do sothing. You hear ? Do not let this kill your spirit. So think Logi, we’re the only chance they have."
Logi blinked before nodding stiffly, ignoring the constriction in his chest. "You said you found a way to get to the top floors?"
"Yes, but it’s still too much risk."
Logi blinked. "What if we don’t need to get to the top floor?"
"What do you an?"
"We bring the top floors to us."
~♧~
Isadora gasped awake, she struggled to bring more air to her lungs, and in return her chest heaved, sweat beading her face.
She forced her body to sit, her eyes scanning the room and then the bed she was placed on.
She couldn’t rember what happened, it was all vague. And the more she tried to think about it, the more she realized she acted without thinking. She played right into Aric’s hands.
He was waiting for her to make her move.
The sudden creak from the door grabbed her attention. She swung her legs off the bed and stood to her feet, but then the realization seized her.
’My thigh isn’t hurting anymore,’ she thought, recalling the wound. Did Aric have her healed? Why?
She expected to be thrown in a cold cell or a torture room. The last thing she ever thought of was waking up comfortably in bed.
The coming footsteps snapped her out of her head. She reached behind for her weapon, but it was gone.
She panicked, though, from the corner of her eyes, she found them on the nightstand.
She grabbed one of them and turned to face the visitor. There were two Serpents standing before her, one holding a gown and the other a towel.
Their features weren’t concealed, and they were both females.
"The Warden sent us to you to give you care."
"Care?"
One of them faced the side, and Isadora followed her gaze to a barrel in a corner filled with warm water.
Isadora turned her dark gaze back to them. "Tell your Warden, I’m not playing his gas."
"He said you would say that." The other female Serpent said. "He also said each ti you refuse, more pain will be administered to the Reaper."
Isadora’s face drained of color at her words, her hand falling to her side instantly.
"Think carefully before you act, mannfae. Your actions determine the Reaper’s life. His words."
~♧~
Isadora was alert the entire ti, but all they did was bathe her. It had been a long ti since she felt the warm water against her skin.
But getting clean wasn’t sothing she wanted. She can’t do anything except obey their command.
When they were done bathing her, they got her dressed in a green gown, with the Serpent rune embroidery on the soft material.
She watched herself in the mirror, and the girl that stared back at her was soone she could barely recognize.
Her lips had lost any hint of a smile and lingered like a thin line. Her expression was unreadable too, and even she couldn’t decipher the emotions she felt right now.
She was far thinner than she was before, and her collarbone was becoming visible.
Her hand slowly reached for the bite mark on her neck. She looked away and swallowed back the tears.
Isadora remained still as the female Serpent did the knot of her corset.
When she was done, she stepped away and said. "You can take your weapons."
Isadora blinked confused but she did as told nevertheless. She grabbed her twin daggers and strapped them around her waist. Took her smaller dagger and settled it around her thigh.
When she finished, she adjusted her skirt properly and waited.
"Let’s go." They led the way, and Isadora followed.
She strode the corridors behind them, her eyes scanning the heavy decor and colors covering every inch of the place.
It was different from the entire floor. The rest of the floors looked like a prison. Exactly what a Fae like Aric would do, she wasn’t so surprised by it.
His followers lived in filth, and yet he lived like a king.
They ca to a halt in front of a door and opened it, giving way for her to step in.
Isadora wavered, her mind mulling over what lay in store for her the mont she walked through those doors.
Whatever Aric was planning, she had no intention of seeing it to the end. Lifting her chin, she walked into the hall, steeling herself for what was to co.
However, what she saw was sothing she least expected. There was a long table filled with all kinds of food, it was a feast, not an interrogation room. A fucking feast!
"Welco, I’ve been waiting," Aric said, seated at the head of the table.
Isadora pinned her dark look on a smirking Aric. Keeping her gaze on him, she cautiously stepped closer.
"What is this about?" she asked in an icy tone.
"Relax, Isadora, you’re too tense. I can feel your bloodlust from here," he mused.
She scowled deeply. "How do you know my na?"
"Your dearest friend told . Such a lovely creature she was, unlike the whores I have t she was a smart one."
A sharp pain found her chest as mories of Serena’s head drowned her mind. She had temporarily intercepted that image solely because it was too much for her, but Aric opened the can of worms.
She was this close to unsheathing her dagger. Not close, her hand was already behind, gripping the handle so hard it hurt her palm.
Aric eyed her, he did nothing but the look he had on said magnitudes, it was almost as if he begged her to do it. He wanted her to misstep and take the opportunity.
Isadora’s eyes stung with tears, her chest burning with both pain and rage. Gods! She wished she could get her revenge, however thinking about her reckless behavior that got her into this ss, her grip loosened, and her hand dropped to her side.
Even so, she kept her wrath on the surface but delivered an eerily calm expression that chilled the air.
Aric was srized, her look wasn’t just subtle, the bizarre air that clung to her made him speechless. She was nothing like the girl he saw a winter ago. She had beco sothing else entirely.
He was disappointed when she attacked him without thinking, but he was also bedazzled by her bravery and the unyielding loyalty she had for the Reaper.
"You killed Serena." Her tone was nothing soft or stern, it sounded like venom dripped from it and sliced into his flesh.
Goosebumps found his skin but Aric found a way to speak. "Yes I did," he replied proudly. "I wouldn’t have if she gave what I wanted but she was determined to protect any information about you even if it cost her life."
Isadora swallowed thickly.
"Did you know she waited in that brothel for you? She had the freedom to leave, but she waited in hopes that you would find your way back."
A lone tear slid down Isadora’s face, her heart breaking beyond recognition. Slowly, she used her thumb to wipe off the salty water. "She was far more than a whore that you made her out to be. Put hundreds of your brainless Serpents together and they wouldn’t amount to the kind of person she was."
She stepped closer, grabbed the chair, and took a seat. "That is what you would never have, Aric, true loyalty. I’ve seen what kind of commitnt your Serpents have for you, and it is born out of fear."
Aric clapped, the sharp sound echoing through the air. "I must say, not only do you have a beauty that shines like the sun but a fierceness that burns hotter." He adjusted in his seat. "Now, let us eat. It’s not so much of a dine if we let this food go to waste." He added, but she made no move to do so. "I don’t need to remind you the consequences of your disobedience."
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