Nadi’s head snapped up, certain she’d misheard.
“Mother—” Raziel started.
“Now.” The word cracked like a whip.
For a moment, Nadi thought he would refuse. There was a flicker of something dangerous in his eyes—a glimpse of the Serpent beneath the controlled exterior. But then, slowly, methodically, he stood and began unbuttoning his shirt.
Nadi watched in disbelief as Raziel stripped, piece by piece, his movements deliberate and unhurried. His face remained a mask of indifference, though she could see a muscle twitching in his jaw. When he was completely naked, he stood still, making no attempt to cover himself.
“On the floor,” Volencia commanded. “You’ll take your meal like the animal you’ve proven yourself to be. Nothing more than a disloyal mutt.”
Raziel’s eyes flickered briefly to Nadi before he lowered himself to the floor beside his chair. One of the servants approached with his plate, setting it on the ground before him.
“No hands,” Volencia added. “After all, dogs don’t have hands, do they?”
A small, triumphant smile played at Lana’s lips. Azazel watched with undisguised fascination. Mael’s expression had grown stormy, his eyes fixed on his own plate.
And Nadi? Nadi felt something dark and vicious unfurl in her chest as she watched Raziel bend to eat from the plate like a dog. She should have been delighted by his humiliation.
She should be rejoicing.
This was the man who had murdered her family, who had haunted her nightmares for eighty years. His degradation should have been sweet as honey.
Instead…she found herself gripping her knife with white knuckles, imagining how it would feel to drive it through Volencia’s eye socket. To wipe that smug smile off Lana’s face.
The vampiress she was impersonating wouldn’t dare show such rage.
She forced herself to relax her grip. Forced herself to breathe. Forced herself to relax. Nadi channeled it inward, letting the rage burn in her stomach as she swallowed down tiny bites of food that she couldn’t taste.
“Monica,” Volencia said suddenly. “You’re barely eating. Is something wrong with your meal?”
Nadi swallowed hard. “No, ma’am. The taste is different, is all. Everything is just—just new to me still.”
“Ah, yes. The transition can be difficult.” Volencia’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “But you’ll adjust.”
The rest of the meal passed in excruciating slowness. Nadi observed the family dynamics with careful attention. Volencia clearly ruled with an iron fist. Lana delighted in Raziel’s degradation, occasionally making little comments that dripped with disdain.
Mael, interestingly, seemed increasingly uncomfortable, his gaze frequently straying to Nadi as if measuring her reactions.
Throughout it all, Raziel remained silent and composed, even as he was forced to lap at his plate like an animal. The dignity he maintained in such circumstances was remarkable—and somehow made the spectacle all the more grotesque.
When the meal finally concluded, Volencia dismissed them without ceremony. “Tomorrow night. Eight o’clock. Do not be late.”
As they rose to leave, Nadi automatically reached for Raziel’s clothes to hand them to him, but Volencia stopped her with a sharp “Leave them.”
Nadi froze, conflicted.
“It’s fine,” Raziel said quietly. “Go.”
She hesitated only a moment before following him out of the dining room, painfully aware of his naked form walking ahead of her. The staff they passed kept their eyes averted, clearly accustomed to the Nostrom family’s particular brand of cruelty.
They had nearly reached the foyer when Mael’s voice called after them.
“Monica? A moment.”
Raziel stopped, his back stiffening. Nadi turned to see Mael approaching, his expression unreadable.
“Before the meeting tomorrow night.” Mael had his gaze fixed on Nadi, ignoring Raziel almost pointedly. “I’d like to speak with you privately. There are matters concerning your new…position in the family that we should discuss.”
