Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
King
The low-hanging branch of the nearby tree bangs against the glass pane, the incessant noise makes it difficult to concentrate, and I berate myself for not taking care of it sooner. It’s been an ongoing issue.
That might have been when it all started. The tree limbs missing their trimmings, the dishes left out overnight. Then the laziness trickled down to my most trusted—well, second to most trusted. And like dominos, it fell down a line until there were gaps in the system.
People left to their own devices—dangerous.
Reckless. A single misstep, and the kingdoms fall.
The plan was never simple. It was intricate by design, each thread woven with precision.
And yet, here I sit, in my office that now feels like a cage, waiting on the one piece that matters most to return before the entire tapestry unravels. Because if they don’t…
“There was a breach.”
The door flies open without so much as a knock. Typical. No one here seems to grasp the concept of manners—or respect.
“I’m aware,” I bite out. Agitation itches beneath my skin, but I keep my voice level. Barely. Of course there was a breach. The worst one imaginable.
“No, sir. Not the captive escaping. In the lab,” he clarifies. That piques my interest, and my heart begins hammering in my chest. My head jerks up, finally looking away from my desk and at 456, who stands just inside the now shut door.
“How is that possible?” It doesn’t take a genius to know who saw what was behind that door. Oh, little Kalliope, what a mess you’ve gotten yourself into. Her return is crucial—now more than ever. The things she saw, the people she could tell…
She doesn’t know where she was held. I made sure of it. We’re secluded. No sigils, brands, identifying landmarks of any kind. A failsafe.
Fail. I’ve failed.
No, not yet. There’s still time.
“It looks like access was granted to Katerina. But after investigating, it turns out she was…indisposed at the time of entry.”
“I know about the incident. But that doesn’t answer how she could be in two places at once.”
“Well, sir. She seems to also be missing…missing some fingers,” 456 says with hesitation.
A small, miniscule part of me—more like a sliver—tingles with an odd sensation of…worry? No. That can’t be right. I’ll figure it out later. But the larger part fills with fury. How could she be so careless and to allow someone in that state to nearly kill her.
“It seems she got what she deserved. Serves her right. Let it be a reminder to always expect the unexpected.”
“You don’t think she should see a healer?” His eyebrow raises in question.
I chuckle, letting the ominous sound send shivers down his spine. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Despite my rage, I can still see the beauty in the carnage that was created in Kalliope’s wake, and nobody should be the least bit surprised she would sever a few fingers. It’s barbaric. “You’re dismissed.”
456 turns without another word, and I’m finally left alone with my thoughts—exactly how I prefer it.
But just as fast as the door clicks shut, it’s pushed right back open, a gust of wind following suit, and my hands immediately fly to cover the papers as soon as they rustle.
My composure is long gone, and I allow the grimace to take purchase on my face, letting whoever barged in here know precisely how this scene is making me feel.
“He’s here,” Katerina says, keeping her hands firmly behind her back.
“Knock next time,” I push through clenched teeth. I don’t know when the simplicity of respect or order was lost amongst my people, but it will soon be rectified. Perhaps I’ve gone soft, let too many things slip between the cracks, but not anymore.
“See to it he is in the chamber. I’ll be there in ten minutes,” I instruct.
“But Callum isn’t back yet,” she counters.
My bones vibrate with a barely restrained violence, and the smile I wear feels like a loaded weapon.
In the matter of seconds I have her screaming on the floor, her eyes pinch together in anguish, and I relish in the pain radiating off her.
The bone-crunching sound echoes throughout my office when she falls to her knees.
Power radiates from her. I can feel it coiling, feathering—pleading to be unleashed.
To shove me back and knock me off my path so she can vanish with nothing more than a few fragmented memories of what happened.
Instead, she’s met with the wrath of a thousand men, and I dig my claws in deeper, until finally, the screams subside and we’re basking in the silence.
Tears shed down her cheeks as she lies there unmoving.
Paralyzed is more like it, as I make sure she stays in a conscious state, only allowing her eyes to track my movements.
“763,” I say each number with brutal punctuation. “I don’t care if he’s back or not. He could never come back—it doesn’t make any difference. He’s a dime a dozen, but there is only one me. And I will be there in ten minutes. Do I make myself clear?”
I release my hold, and her chest heaves with lungfuls of air. “Yes, Commander.”
“Now leave before I start taking body parts from you as well.” Katerina’s movements are sluggish at best, but in due time, she reaches the door and crawls out to the other side. I waste no time and shut it, making sure the lock is firmly in place.
Alone at last.
Walking down the halls is like strolling through a ghost town, the only sounds coming from the squeak of my shoes and the low hum of the overhanging lights.
I descend the first staircase, then another, concrete steps echoing beneath my boots like a countdown. The air thickens the farther I go, damp and heavy, until the stench of mildew curls in my nose. I round the last corner, and there it is: a steel door half swallowed by the dark.
Letting myself in, I’m not surprised by the low lighting that greets me, aside from the one pendant lightbulb showcasing tonight’s guest. His eyes squint to see who’s entered, but the harsh contrast makes it impossible to identify.
The door closes with a thundering noise, kicking dust up when it slides into the frame.
“Who’s there?” he asks, strong and confident, not giving away that he’s scared in the slightest. Keeping my hands placed within each other behind my back, I walk to the right, making sure to keep my face concealed within the shadows. “What do you want?”
It’s always the same questions. Who are you?
What do you want? Why are you doing this?
As if any of that will save him. As if knowing will stop what’s coming.
The first one always earns me a smile. Who am I?
Wrong question. You should be asking how many enemies you’ve made.
How many souls are out there, clawing to be the one to watch you bleed.
Because if you have to ask which of your enemies finally snapped… you were dead the moment I walked in.
Enemy might be a stretch in this case. However, the moment he allowed Kalliope to leave this realm, that’s exactly what he became.
It’s laughable to see where we are now. Me, free and at liberty to do whatever it is I wish to this poor unfortunate soul.
And him, bound to a chair with absolutely no way out.
“Harrison, it’s been such a long time,” I taunt. The confused expression he wore a moment ago quickly melts away, and realization takes its place. His mouth is slightly ajar, and the wheels turn faster with all the possible scenarios of how this came to be.
He won’t figure it out—not all of it, anyway.
“I don’t understand,” he mutters.
“Oh, come on, Harrison. I thought you were smarter than that,” I say, stepping into the light.
His brows furrow with intimidation. “Where’s my daughter?”
“Your daughter? Last time I checked, you’re her kidnapper. Let’s not get it twisted.”
“Spare me with the formalities. I saved her. Loved her. Gave her a home she never would’ve had if she stayed here.”
Before I can think, my hand lashes out and grips around his windpipe.
“You ruined her. Prolonged the inevitable. And it’s coming back tenfold.
” I squeeze tighter. “Don’t you think for a moment you did anything different.
What kind of life did you give her again?
The one with the absent mother, a father who worked all the time and hid her true self from her?
It wasn’t your call to make, Harrison. And now that you’re back, you will pay for your crimes.
As for Kalliope? She so easily trusted my daughter, unknowing she was a pawn in a bigger game neither of you can imagine. Just like her mother.”
He lets out a strained noise, and because I’m feeling generous, I give him a breath. As soon as I do, he spits in my face and starts laughing maniacally. Quickly releasing him with disgust, I use my sleeve to wipe the saliva from my face.
“Looks like you don’t know everything,” he manages to say.
“What do you mean?”
He shakes his head as if I’m the clueless one in this situation. “You think I took her of my own accord?”
Instantly, I’m on edge, grappling to regain my composure, but it’s too late.
He already sees my defenses splintering, and he takes full advantage.
“What’s the plan now? It’s not like I know where she is, and even if I did, there isn’t a godsdamn thing you could do to me to ever give her up.
But give it your best shot. I always loved seeing those threads come loose and watching you tailspin in your own failure. ”
Failure. I failed.
Not yet.
“Who helped you?” I bellow. This can’t be right. It was him. All him. There were no other factors to consider. I went over them again and again, careful to never show my hand. My brain riffles through the possibilities, and I come up blank.
“Tsk, tsk. You’re asking the wrong question,” he sings.
He thinks he has won, that he holds the final card and will watch me unravel to know what it is.
Harrison thrashes in the chair, the legs rocking back and forth with the force as I unleash the excruciating convulsions within his mind.
He topples backward, smacking his head against the concrete repeatedly to get them to stop.
But they won’t.
“Who. Did. You. Help.” My patience is running thin, and as much as I would love to see his brain smudged into the cracks, I refrain, knowing I need him to get my checkmate.
His body stills, and I yank him back upright and hold the blade I was concealing in my pocket against his throat.
He eyes me then the metal, bouncing between the two with a mixture of horror and calling my bluff. The blade digs in deeper, biting against his flesh until blood pools against it.
The name he mutters sends a shock through my system, like I’ve been electrified. It holds so much weight, even after all these years.
“Elizabeth.”