Chapter 20 - What He's Done
James hadn't slept since they took her.
The house felt wrong without Athena in it.
Too quiet.
Too still.
The kitchen counters were spotless. The floors gleamed. The air smelled faintly of the lavender cleaner she always used.
It looked exactly the same.
But it felt empty.
Like something vital had been removed from it.
From him.
He sat at the dining table staring at the chair she used to sit in.
Her mug still rested in the sink from that morning.
He hadn't touched it.
He couldn't.
His chest felt tight.
His thoughts spiraled in circles.
She trusts you.
Seraphine's words echoed in his head.
He stood abruptly and grabbed his keys.
He had to see her.
He had to fix this.
?
Seraphine's estate looked the same as it always did.
Dark.
Elegant.
Wrong.
She was waiting for him in the sitting room like she had expected him.
"You look terrible," she observed calmly.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
Seraphine poured herself a drink before answering.
"Safe."
"Where?"
She glanced at him over the rim of her glass.
"With the Lycans."
James froze.
"What?"
"With their King."
His stomach dropped.
"No... no, that's not possible."
Seraphine tilted her head. "Why?"
"Because Lycans don't deal with people like us," James snapped. "They're violent. They're monsters. They don't take civilians."
"They are ancient," she corrected smoothly. "And far more organized than you think."
His breathing became uneven.
"You sent my wife to them?"
"You signed the contract," she reminded him.
James dragged his hands down his face.
"She's just a normal woman. She has nothing to do with any of this. She doesn't know anything about mages, about debts, about any of it."
Seraphine's eyes sharpened slightly.
"They didn't want anything else."
A cold chill slid down his spine.
"Why her?" he demanded.
Seraphine studied him carefully.
"That is not information you are important enough to know."
Silence fell between them.
He staggered back a step.
"I'm going to get her back," he said.
Seraphine didn't laugh.
She didn't even smile.
She just watched him with something close to pity.
"You don't understand what you've done."
"I don't care," he snapped. "She's my wife."
Seraphine's voice lowered.
"Not anymore."