Chapter Fifteen
After our swim in his secret lair, Vas became more lenient with me.
I was allowed to leave the manor and stroll through the gardens alone.
Most of the time he spent with me, but as the master of a great estate, he had responsibilities.
He'd been gone a long time, so his staff had all manner of issues for him to deal with.
This meant there were times when I got to be alone.
For a man like me, such reprieves were integral to my wellbeing.
I needed time alone to think. So, as I strolled through the garden, the lovely view of exotic blooms didn't fully register.
I was lost in my thoughts. Knowing that there wasn't a team of Talon officers hunting me opened new possibilities.
Yes, I wanted to stay with Vasren, and I dearly hoped he'd come to love the real me soon.
But if he didn't, if things went badly, I needed an out. An escape plan.
I would still need to leave Rushao, but that would be to evade Vas, not the King's justice. The boat he had shown me would come in handy. I could row down to Weisha and meet my ship at the docks.
Seated within the gazebo, I stared out across the channel.
I had a home of my own out there. No staff, though.
I had never liked the idea of letting strangers into my home to maintain it.
That turned out to be fortunate in this situation.
Had I hired people, they would have doubtless been looking for me.
If for no other reason than to get paid.
And when they didn't find me, they might have looted my home.
Without that risk, I could rest assured knowing that my property, even without me in it, was secure.
Waiting for my return.
The King of Tabaa wouldn't be waiting for me, but I didn't want his protection anymore. If I had to flee Vas, I'd go across the channel, pack up, and sell my house. Then I'd move on. Somewhere further east, perhaps. Maybe even past Crenrus. I had always wanted to see a volcano.
Planning my escape filled my chest with a terrible ache, but this was only a last resort.
I comforted myself with Vasren's recent improvements.
He was referring to me as Katai more and more.
It seemed that he would indeed transition into accepting who I was.
And then I could put aside the Kat mask for good.
“Katai,” Vasren's rich voice washed over me with perfect timing.
Katai. Not Kat. Thank the Gods.
I turned to him with a smile. My smile froze on my face. Vas looked . . . odd. There was something hard about his features.
“Vas?” I asked.
He frowned at me. Then he held out his hand. “Come.”
I went to him immediately and took his hand. “Where are we going?”
“You'll see.”
Another surprise. Maybe I was overthinking his expression. This could be something big that he was worried about sharing with me. I should be supportive.
So, I didn't ask questions when Vas helped me into a waiting carriage.
We headed into the city. Strange. I couldn't imagine what he'd want to show me in Sunsho.
Maybe he had a business that he wanted to share with me, or maybe he was taking me somewhere special.
I peered out the window at the bright sky and happy people strolling down the sidewalks.
Then we left the shopping district and entered a residential neighborhood.
I looked at Vasren. He was staring straight ahead. Not out the window but at the wall of the carriage.
“Vas?” I touched his arm.
He turned to look at me slowly. “Yes?”
“Are you alright? You're acting odd.”
“I'm fine. We're almost there.”
“All right.” When I instinctively reached through our bond, I felt . . . nothing. A shiver ran down my spine.
But then we rolled through a pair of open gates and up a long driveway. The carriage stopped before the steps of a beautiful home. I had to be overreacting. The manor was lovely. Maybe he was going to introduce me to some friends and was anxious about it. Maybe they were Dragons.
That would explain it. Oh, shit. I was about to be introduced as Vasren's mate to members of his dread!
Vas got out before the driver could open the door and held a hand in to me. As I climbed out, I looked up. The door of the manor before us was opening.
Vasren's ex-lover came strolling out with several more Eljaffna.
“What the fuck?” I whispered.
“Hello, my darling.” Seina sidled up to Vas and kissed his cheek.
“What the fuck?!” I snarled.
Seina chuckled and then whispered in Vasren's ear.
A second later, Vas turned toward the carriage driver. “Return to the manor.”
“Yes, sir.” The driver rode off.
I stared after the carriage, another shiver going down my spine. This time I heeded the warning, but it was too late. “Vas?”
“Bring him inside,” Seina said to Vasren.
Vas grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward.
“Vas, what the fuck is going on?!” I shrieked.
He didn't even look at me.
The Eljaffna surrounded us and herded us into the house, Seina staying close on Vasren's left.
I jerked on Vasren's grip, but it was like steel.
“Vasren!” I shouted. Then I looked at Seina. “What did you do to him?”
She grinned at me. “Did you really think you could murder a group of Eljaffna and get away with it, Hallaxgral?”
I stumbled. Vas kept going, dragging me upright when I fell. “Oh, great Gods, you drugged him.”
Seina laughed. “Good guess.”
I scowled from her to Vas. Good guess. Meaning, I was wrong. So, what had she done to him? I jerked his hand. “Vas, please! Whatever this is, you need to break free of it.”
The Eljaffna chuckled.
“Neither of you is getting free. Not ever,” Seina said. She sneered at me and then led the way down a set of stairs.
Vas followed, expression still eerily blank.
He dragged me along when I fought him, sending me stumbling down the steps and into his back.
He steadied me and brought me out of the stairwell and into a stone-lined basement.
The space was massive, but had very little in it.
My stare went straight to a prison cell built into one wall, but Vas veered in the other direction.
“Over here.” Seina went to a metal chair. “Hold Katai down for me, darling.”
Vas shoved me down onto the chair and held me in place while two Eljaffna men bound my wrists behind my back.
Then they stepped back, revealing a nearby table.
The tools laid upon it silenced me like nothing else would have.
It didn't matter what had brought me to this place.
I had to get free of it. And to do that, I might have to fight Vasren.
I went very calm.
When Vas stepped back and stared blankly at me, I remained calm. Even when that bitch slid up against him and wrapped her arm around his waist. I just looked away. At the room. At the tools. This was not the first time I'd been threatened with violence, and I was far from unprepared for it.
On the contrary, I had trained extensively for my role as Hallaxgral.
I knew what it would take not only to pierce the criminal underbelly of Kochan but also to then rise to the top of it.
A man like me was so unassuming. I knew they'd laugh at me.
No one would see me as a threat. A little human.
Not intimidating at all. Instead of fighting against who I was, I worked it to my advantage.
And I made sure that everyone who underestimated me paid for their lack of foresight.
Thoughts churning at a speed that only danger compelled, I cataloged the tools on the table. A lot of knives. Good. Things to pierce. Things to burn. Things to pull and sever. All very useful. They were making it too easy. Fools.
“Did you hear me?” Seina slapped me across the face.
I looked at her. “No. I don't care what you have to say.”
Her expression contorted. “You murdered my brother, you human filth!”
“If your brother was one of the dream dealers I killed, then he was an evil bastard who supplied other evil bastards with frang nectar to be used against my people and my family.”
“He never hurt anyone.”
“Yes, he did. Indirectly and directly. I know all about the Eljaffna dream dealers in Kochan. I know that they abducted Claw Tekhan Shinkai and tortured him. They are not innocent in the least.”
She blinked. Stood back.
“Oh, you didn't know that? Interesting. Maybe you're more ignorant than I thought. For this, I'll offer you a chance. Release me now, and I won't kill you.”
Seina gaped at me. Then she burst into laughter. Her friends joined her.
I stared at her unblinking, the old eagerness rising within me.
How long had it been since I'd faced off with an enemy?
Too long, evidently. My time in Kochan had been spent focused on vengeance.
Haunted constantly by my dead kin, it was impossible for me to notice that I actually enjoyed the fight.
The challenge of it. The rush of adrenaline.
The feeling that only came when I set things right.
I had been locked in another type of battle for weeks, and the stakes were just as high.
But my romantic combat with Vas didn't give me the same euphoria as this did.
Seina's stare narrowed on mine, and she stopped laughing. “I'm going to torture you to death, human. And your mate is going to help me.”
“I don't think so.”
“You think the mating bond will save you?” She snickered. “Since you're about to die, I'll explain something to you. It will give me pleasure to see your eyes fill with despair.”
Keep talking, bitch. I stared at her, willing her and her buddies to watch my face instead of my hands. In just a few more seconds and I'd be free.
“We Eljaffna have a secret.” She leaned in and grinned. “Once you feed us, you're ours to command. Oh, the enchantment wears off eventually. But, as you can see.” She waved at Vas. “It takes a while. And I can always refresh our bond before it vanishes.”
I showed no surprise, only nodded. “So, the rumors are true.”
She jerked upright.