Facing the door, I nodded. “Then let's not keep him waiting.”
A chill ran down my spine. My whole body seized up, a flood of warnings washing over me. Something was wrong.
Nicu kept hold of me, steadying me, “You okay?”
I must be more nervous than I thought. Shoving down the anxiety, ignoring the pit of my stomach that said not to leave, I pushed forward. We didn't have time to waste on silly feelings like that. I needed to be strong, like these men.
“Let's go,” I sighed out. Mentally trying to build up my strength. I had until we got to the dining room; that should be enough.
Nicu opened the door, and three men in suits with face masks and shields stood at the entrance. “What the fuc-”
Smoke. All I could make out was a sickly sweet smoke that burned my nostrils, causing me to cover my mouth as I coughed. I knew it was too late when the world was spinning for a second; then, I was looking up at the ceiling. Nicu, right next to me, down on one knee, gritting his teeth, and my eyes fluttered.
A haze clouded my vision, and I closed my eyes. Someone grabbed my body, sliding me toward them. Cezar’s desperate voice followed. “I'll protect you, my roma.” His slurred words the last thing I remember.
27
KAZIA
The faint creak of metal woke me up. My lids fought against the heaviness to open. The world around me was blurred, and the soft edges around everything made it impossible to pick out anything familiar. A dull, rhythmic, achy feeling pounded against my skull. A bitter aftertaste coated my tongue, dry and parched, leaving me desperate for water.
“Don’t fucking touch her!”
Cezar’s scream had me flinch; a subtle pain bloomed from my shoulder, and I realized that the clanking metal noise I heard came from me. Peering up, I saw my wrists chained above me in thick, cold shackles bolted to a dark stone wall. Looking down, I was on an old creaky bed with rumpled stained sheets.
My vision slowly cleared, and I saw Cezar, Nicu, and Ion across the room. The first two were standing, shackled by a wrist to the wall. Ion crouched inside a human-sized cage; fingers white-knuckled as he shook the bars, wide-eyed with fear.
Heavy steps echoed in the room, and I turned to see Arak walking smoothly my way. “Oh, thank you for joining us today. I was afraid that they gave you too much, and I wouldn’t be able to see your beautiful eyes tonight, which would be a shame.”Tonight? What the fuck was happening tonight?
Beside him was a small older woman in a navy and gold pleated skirt and blouse, the patterns reminded me of my mom’s scarf, the only thing she kept from her past. With a vial in one hand and a teacup in the other, she kept her head down, ignoring everything going on around her as she followed Arak.
“Here she is. Now check.” Arak’s eyes roamed over me like he was inspecting a bill of goods just sold to him, something he had to verify to make sure it was of the quality he needed.
The little older woman shuffled next to me, and I shifted away from her. She smiled sadly. “Shhh, I'm not going to hurt you; I just need to check.” Out of nowhere, a needle appeared, and she poked my leg. Flinching away from her, she put the needle into a glass vial and corked it, shaking it around before placing the water into the teacup.
Arak’s eyes locked onto the teacup, hunger twisting his expression as she poured the liquid onto the ground and stared inside. The sides of her lips went down, tuning the cup repeatedly as she hemmed and hawed.
The whole room was silent for this woman, holding our breaths to hear what she would say, and I still didn't understand what it all meant. What was the importance of putting my blood in a cup and looking at it?
“Well?!” Arek barked, and the older woman lifted a brow at him.
“She’s chovihani, the last surviving seer of the Lee clan.” Her face trembled, tears collecting as she looked at me. “I’m sorry, child.”
I could feel this woman's remorse, as if she were sending it to me, covering me with her sorrow and regret.Seer… chovihani… did that mean my dreams were premonitions?A million thoughts crossed my mind, speeding past so fast I couldn't focus on any of them. There was just this feeling of rightness that settled in my bones.
Arak yanked the woman away from me, whispering forcefully in her ear. Her face went pale, and her emotions drained. She trembled before nodding and shuffled out of the room as fast as she could.
Once she was gone, he turned his attention to me, my whole body sunk into itself. Old feelings began to unfurl in the back of my mind. Thoughts of making myself smaller, invisible from this man who looked like he wanted to hurt me. Who would enjoy hurting me.
His grin stretched wide, jackal-like, and glinting with triumph. He jabbed a finger at me. “You, my girl, you’re my fucking golden ticket.”
My eyes went to the guys, all looking sluggish, but their eyes were on me. Cezar looked half-crazed, his hair all over, his eyes bloodshot. Nicu was slumped against the wall, trying to hold on to Cezar, but I think we both got the most substantial hit. Ion’s fingers gripped the cage, his fingers white as they poked out, and his eyes shifted from me to his father and back.
“What is in the treaty? What do you want with Kazia?!” Nicu finally got out, glaring at his father as he tried to stand up straight.
Arak turned on his heel, facing his sons. “You want to know what I'm doing? I’m solidifying our rule, making the Azadian family the most powerful of the three families. I’ll rule over everything, and then nothing and no one can stand in the way of what I want.” He stood up to his sons, staying far enough away so they couldn't reach him, “But I never thought I would need to battle my sons!”
He yelled the last part, closing my eyes at the noise. “You all,” he pointed a shaky finger at all of them, “You tried to take what was mine. You,” he spat out at Nicu, “behind my back, making deals. Do you think I didn’t see you trying to edge me out? Hm? I can see your treachery from a mile away. Ever since you were a boy and always took that bitch’s side. I knew you were no son of mine!”
