Chapter 15 Kara #2
I turned and bolted through the house, racing for the back door. My heels slipped slightly against the floor as I rushed through the kitchen, my thoughts scattering in every direction as panic flooded every part of me.
Behind me, I heard him laugh. “Oh, come on, Kara,” Hugo mocked. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
I knew that even if I made it out of the house, he would chase me. So instead, I grabbed the first thing within reach that I could use as a weapon, my hand wrapping around the handle of a pan. It was still hot, oil sizzling across its surface, and I didn’t think, I just turned and threw it.
It hit him square in the face, the contents splattering across his skin as he let out a sharp curse, stumbling back as the heat caught him off guard.
“What the fuck!” he yelled, wiping at his face. I could already see the redness forming where the oil had struck him.
It wasn’t enough, but it bought me a few seconds.
I lunged for the counter, searching for whatever I could use as my next weapon, and relief flickered through me when I spotted one of the hammers Octavius had been using during the repairs.
Gripping it tightly, I swung it toward him with everything I had.
“Stay back!” I screamed.
He caught my wrist mid-swing, his grip tightening instantly as he twisted my arm just enough to send a sharp pain shooting through it. The hammer slipped from my fingers, clattering loudly against the floor.
“Really Kara?” he scoffed, yanking me forward before shoving me back.
I hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.
I scrambled, trying to push myself up, but he was already on me.
His weight slammed down, pinning me in place.
One hand locked my wrists above my head as I thrashed beneath him, panic surging, adrenaline spiking, my body fighting even as I knew I was completely outmatched.
“Get off me!” I snapped, twisting beneath him, trying to knee him, shove him, anything.
But he was stronger. I could see it in the way his form flickered, shifting in and out of something more...
something closer to his shark form. It was a sight I had only seen a few times back in the den, and it was no less terrifying now than it had been then.
“Relax,” he muttered, like this was nothing, like I wasn’t fighting him with everything I had.
“You’re coming back either way, so don’t fight it.
You’ll only hurt yourself. And since I’m your temporary owner...
” His voice dipped, something darker threading through it.
“I have plans for you. Plans I’d rather have you conscious for, though I can’t say that’s a deal breaker. ”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I shot back, my voice shaking with anger, fear, everything crashing together. “And you’re sure as fuck not touching me!”
He laughed, his sharp teeth grinding together. “Not touching you?” he echoed, tightening his grip on my wrists until a whimper of pain slipped from my lips. “Oh, sweetheart, I already—”
He never finished his sentence as it all happened so fast I didn’t even have time to process it. One second, Hugo was on top of me; the next, he was gone—ripped away and flung across the room like he weighed nothing at all.
I gasped, scrambling backward across the floor, my chest heaving as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. And then I saw them.
Tentacles.
Thick and powerful, moving with a speed and precision I had never seen before, wrapping tightly around Hugo and slamming him against the wall, holding him there like he was no more than an inconvenience.
Octavius.
He was here, and his presence alone sent a wave of relief crashing through me so hard it almost made me dizzy.
He stood between us, his entire presence changed.
Gone was the calm, controlled man I knew, replaced by something furious, something dangerous.
His tentacles had Hugo pinned, coiled tight around his arms, his torso, even his throat, restraining him with terrifying ease.
Two of his tentacles peeled away almost immediately, gentler now as they reached for me, helping me to my feet.
“Kara—” his voice softened, despite how deadly he looked in that moment, as his gaze swept over me, searching for injuries. “Are you alright?”
“I—I’m okay,” I managed, though my body was still trembling.
His eyes lingered on me for a beat longer, like he didn’t fully believe me, before his attention snapped back to Hugo, and the softness vanished completely.
“Who is this?” he asked, his tone dropping back to something predatory. “Is this that piece of shit Zavier?”
“No,” I said, my voice steadier now, anger replacing the fear. “That piece of shit is Hugo.” I spat his name out. “He’s the one I stole the pearl from. He works for Zavier.”
Something in Octavius shifted. I saw it in the way his tentacles tightened around Hugo, squeezing harder until a strained gasp of pain tore from him.
“You should’ve stayed hidden, Kara,” Hugo sneered, though his voice wavered under the pressure. “Would’ve saved you the trouble.”
Then I watched it happen.
His head twisted, shifting, bone and skin warping as his human features gave way to something far more monstrous. In an instant, his jaw expanded into that of a shark, opening wide as he snapped at the tentacles wrapped around his neck and upper body.
Octavius hissed, his grip faltering for half a second, just enough for Hugo to wrench against it, twisting and trying to break free. But he was one shark against eight tentacles, and I had to hope Octavius had the upper hand—or hands, in this case.
“You think this matters?” Hugo spat, struggling against the hold. “She signed a contract in blood.”
“A contract she was tricked into signing!” Octavius shot back.
“She still signed it, so therefore she belongs to Zavier, and right now she temporarily belongs to me,” Hugo continued, his grin cruel even as he fought against his hold. “And if you think I’m the last one coming to collect her, you’re wrong.”
Octavius didn’t move. He didn’t loosen his grip even a fraction as he listened.
“Kill me if you want, but that won’t destroy the contract,” Hugo continued. “More will come. Zavier will send others, and they’ll tear through anything standing between him and getting her back. Do you really want to throw your life away over a pathetic little human like her?”
Something in me cracked at that, a quiet, terrifying realization settling in. What if he was right? What if this didn’t end here? What if it kept happening, again and again, and I was never truly safe until one of them finally succeeded? Until Octavius got hurt... because of me.
“Stop!” I screamed, and both of them stilled. I drew in a breath, forcing myself to steady before I spoke again. My gaze locked onto Hugo. “You’re my temporary owner,” I said, wincing slightly at the words. “Is that right?”
Hugo’s grin returned instantly, satisfied despite the way Octavius still had him pinned. “That would be correct.”
“Fine,” I said, lifting my chin. “Then let me offer you a deal.”
“No.” Octavius’s voice cut in immediately. “You are not making any more deals with people like him.”
“Let me handle this,” I said firmly, not looking away from Hugo.
A tense beat stretched between us. Then, reluctantly, Octavius didn’t try to stop me again, and I could only hope that meant he trusted me enough to know what I was doing.
“I’ll make you a deal,” I said, and his eyes lit with interest, exactly as I knew they would. “A game of poker. Twenty rounds. Quick hands. If I win, the contract gets ripped up right here, and it becomes null and void.”
“Why the hell would I make a deal with you?” he scoffed.
“What, too scared you’ll lose, Hugo?” I shot back, letting a hint of a smirk slip through. “Even Zavier took my challenge.”
“Yeah,” he laughed. “And look where that got you.”
“Afraid you’re not as good as Zavier?” I challenged.
“Aren’t you the one always bragging about how you should be running the den?
That you’re the best there is? And yet here you are, too afraid to take a bet even Zavier accepted.
” I tilted my head, letting the words sink in.
“If you’re as good as you think you are, then you shouldn’t have any problem beating me at this game. Just like he did.”
I kept my expression controlled, even as my heart pounded, carefully stroking his ego and hoping he’d take the bait.
After a long silence, Hugo tilted his head slightly, considering it. “And if I win?”
I swallowed hard. “Then I'll go back with you quietly.”
Behind me, Octavius went completely still, and I could feel it without even looking at him.
The anger, the worry, all of it simmered just beneath the surface.
For a split second, I almost faltered, wondering if I was imagining it or if I had really come to know him that well that I was starting to sense his emotions the way he could sense mine. Either way, I pushed forward.
“You won’t have to force me, and I’ll make sure no one tries to stop you.” I glanced back at Octavius then, meeting his gaze, silently urging him to trust me and to let me handle this.
Hugo’s eyes flicked between us, as if weighing every word. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“We bind it in blood. You can add it as another clause to the contract, since you’re the acting benefactor.”
A slow, pleased smile spread across his face. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
“No,” I admitted honestly, already moving toward the table, my heart pounding even as my steps remained controlled. “But what do I have left to lose?” I reached for the deck, forcing my hands to stay steady. “So, let’s get the game started, shall we?”
Behind me, I could still feel Octavius’s concern, but he didn’t stop me, and that trust was exactly what I needed. Because this time, I wasn’t running. I was fighting for my life with nothing but my mind and a deck of cards, and I could only hope it would be enough.