I’ll never have another opportunity like this. My fathers will be watching me, and they’ll never let me out of their sight again. They’ll likely create a rotating schedule for check-ins and, if Aziel is angry enough, he might make me move back home.
It would be too easy for him to put out an order within Wrath and Lust to deny me housing.
“All right, Cassia,” Aziel starts. “Let’s say you succeed…” His tone is mocking, and I don’t appreciate it. “Mammon’s childrenwillretaliate, and in what world do you think they’ll come afteryou? You’re my firstborn and the Crown Princess of Wrath. They won’t take the risk of coming after you, not when you’re at full strength. They’ll find somebody important to you, somebody weaker. Can you think of who that would be?”
I suck my cheeks into my mouth, refusing to answer.
Aziel continues. “Maybe your mother. Charlie has the protection of our bonds, but she’s still human. She’ll be easy to kidnap, torture, rape, and murder. Have you considered that?” Aziel cocks his head to the side. “Maybe they’ll go after David. He’s the King of Lust, but what does that really mean? The Greeds are under no illusions when it comes to incubi. They know of your brother’s aversion to violence. He wouldn’t stand a chance against one of Mammon’s children. They’re too strong.”
I press my lips together, refusing to acknowledge Aziel’s words. I don’t want to acknowledge them because then I’ll feel guilty. That’s what he wants. Aziel wants me to second-guess myself and agree to come home with him.
“My mind isn’t changed,” I say. I hope he can see how serious I am. “I know what I’m doing.”
Aziel blinks, then glances behind me. I barely have time to react before something sharp pierces the back of my neck. There’s a burn as something is injected into me, and within seconds, my body grows numb. I drop, caught by my attacker moments before I hit the ground.
The arms I’m pulled into are familiar, but I can’t quite place them. It’s most likely Silas. Maybe David. He betrayed me once by telling our parents where I am, so it wouldn’t surprise me to learn he’s also joined their mission to retrieve me.
I’m going to beat him into a bloody pulp, and then I’m going to spit into his eye. I’m going to make him cry in a very real, very genuine way.
I try to fight the drugs in my system, but it’s no use. Whatever I’ve been injected with is strong. Even without mypower dulled, I likely wouldn’t be able to fight it. My vision grows hazy as Aziel grabs my suitcase, and I hope he sees the anger in my eyes before my head slumps forward and I fall unconscious.
Chapter Thirteen
CASSIA
FROM THE MOMENT I wake up, I’m doused in absolute, unadulterated fury. It burns hot, searing me to the core. I briefly debate trying to find a different emotion, but I don’t want to. I’m groggy, my head is pounding, and my muscles are painfully stiff. Fury is the most fitting emotion.
Somebody’s massaging my calves, and I crack open my eyelids just enough to see Aziel’s nervous grimace as he digs his thumbs into my pained muscles. We make brief eye contact before he looks away, shame written openly across his features. Heshouldfeel ashamed. He deserves it.
I shut my eyes and drop my head onto the wooden planks beneath me, trying and failing to focus on anything other than my pained muscles. Aziel and I are in the back of a moving cart, with me stretched across its length while Aziel sits hunched over my legs. There’s a tarp above us held up by some rattling boxes, but it’s not tall enough for Aziel to sit upright.
“The sedative reacted poorly with the drugs already in your system,” Aziel says, his voice low. The drugs in my system? He must be referring to the toxic sludge I’ve been routinely forcingdown my throat. “Your muscles locked up, and they’re still occasionally seizing. It seems to be getting better, though.”
I’d lift my leg and donkey-kick Aziel in the chest if I weren’t in so much pain. He twists my leg, then shoves his thumb into the fleshy part of my calf. I whine, trying to pull away, but he refuses to release me.
“This is going to help,” he says. “I promise.”
“I don’t believe you.”
My voice is hoarse, and Aziel’s grimace deepens. He’s so clearly regretful, but I don’t care. Heshouldbe remorseful. He fucking drugged me.
I no longer feel the cage suffocating my power, but I’m too weak to fight. Aziel should consider himself lucky.
I listen to the even trotting of the two horses pulling the cart. There’s nothing beyond it. We must already be out of the capital, probably heading toward the Wrath border. Is this how Aziel and his counterpart made it into Greed undetected? It’s not the worst idea, and it’s sure as hell a lot faster than walking. How long have I been unconscious?
I clear my throat, wincing. It feels like I’ve swallowed glass. “Who’s driving?”
“Silas.”
I knew it. “Is he mad at me?”
Aziel blinks. “We’reallmad at you, Cassia.”
Wonderful.I suppose this means I won’t be met with the warm homecoming I’ve been fantasizing about. The citizens of Wrath aren’t going to celebrate my revenge against Mammon. They’re going to think of me as a failure. Aziel and Silas have ensured I’ll never be respected as a leader.
Everybody will think I’m a joke.
I should cut my losses and start over in Lust. The people there are easygoing, and they don’t place much importance onthings like strength and honor. Sex and general debauchery are all they care about.
