As they neared the kitchens, a man dressed like a palace guard stepped into the hallway, and Stassi’s steps faltered as her heart rate sped up. Sam braced himself. This man scared her, and he didn’t like it.
The man wasn’t anAatxe, but he wore a guard’s uniform. Like enforcers, onlyAatxecould be guards because they wouldn’t abuse their authority. It was why the legion in Vincula, save for Sam and Lauren, were allAatxe,as well.
“Hey, Stassi,” the man said in an oily voice. “Cyrene said you took last night off.”
Stassi’s head jerked up and down, a movement that made her seem childlike and showcased her fear. Sam tensed, and despite being afraid, Stassi stroked his fur to calm him.
The man advanced toward them, and she took a step back. “Have you thought any more about my offer?” he asked, his beady eyes filled with lust.
She stopped retreating, took a deep breath, and steeled her spine. Her face hardened, and if Sam didn’t know she’d been terrified only moments before, he’d think she wasn’t bothered at all.
“I already told you my answer,” she snapped.
The man laughed, and the sound made Sam want to rip his voice box out. “You don’t have much of a choice.” Sam lunged with a hiss when the man stepped closer, but Stassi held his feline body tighter against her chest. The man’s lip curled when he looked at the cat. “You can either say yes to the arrangement I havegraciouslyoffered you, or you can consider yourself terminated, effective immediately.” He rocked back on his heels, looking smug. “The other women chose wisely.”
Stassi made a sound of disbelief. “You can’t do that! I’ll file a complaint with The Crown!”
The man was repugnant, and Sam made a mental note to return and make him bleed. “Mmm, and why haven’t you reported me already?”
Her grip on Sam tightened, and he struggled to breathe. “Because you are not the first pervert to proposition me in my life, but blackmailing me is a new low. I’m reporting you.”
The man feigned concern. “You will? Did you discover a way to reverse the effects of the memory magic?” Stassi’s heart pounded harder, and Sam battled to keep his temper in check.
The man sucked air through his teeth with satisfaction. “I’ll escort you to the gates myself, letting them know of your unwanted advances on palace staff.” His smile was sinister. “You won’t be able to get a word in before you’re kicked out of The Capital permanently.” He leaned forward, and his putrid breath made Sam gag. “And if you try to report me once we’ve completed our arrangement tonight,I’ll tell them you’re a lover scorned, and you’ll lose your job, anyway.”
“I am thirty-one years old, and you will not blackmail me into fucking you,” she spat. “I would rather be clueless and jobless on the other side of the gates than let you lay a finger on me.”
Sam would never know what was said after that because all he saw was red before he shifted and slammed the man against the wall. “In what realm do you think it is acceptable to fire a woman who does not wish to have sex with you?” His voice was low and barely restrained as he fought to keep his power suppressed.
The man in his arms thrashed, but whatever he tried to say was garbled by Sam’s hand squeezing his neck. Stassi was sprawled out on the floor, and her eyes widened with fright. Blood dripped down one of her elbows, and she cradled it against her body.
Sam dropped the man and ran to her, crouching down, but she scooted back.
“St-stay back,” she stammered and held up a bloody hand to ward him off.
“I need to make sure you are not hurt.” He tried to make his voice as unimposing as possible, but when her skin leached of color, he knew he had failed.
A shuffle sounded from behind them, and Sam turned with a growl, forgetting he was no longer in animal form. The guard wet himself and begged for his life, but Sam heard none of it as he told the man to stay put.
When he turned back to Stassi, his eyes flicked to her injured elbow. “See someone about that and tell no one what happened.” She nodded rapidly, watching him turn away. He hesitated, wanting to take her to the infirmary himself, but word would get back to Gedeon if he was seen with a bloody maid.
Before he did something stupid, he grabbed the guard and dragged him down the hallway. “If you make a sound, I will snap your neck to keep you quiet,” he told him.
The man said nothing.Good.
Sam quietly ledthe man through the hallways, and when he passed anAatxeguard he recognized from his training course a couple of years back, he tipped his head by way of greeting. The woman’s eyes slanted to the guard in his grip, but she said nothing.
Sam had free rein of the palace, but if news traveled back to Gedeon that the Vincula commander was there in the middle of the night right after Caius’ release, it would raise red flags. It was why he must go undetected, but this poor excuse for a guard could not go unpunished.
Sam pushed open the staff entrance and stalked around the building toward the judgment chambers. AnotherAatxeguard stood outside. Sam didn’t recognize him, and when the guard asked him to state his business, Sam exposed his wings, fanning them out wide.
The guard was mesmerized, and the man in Sam’s hold whimpered. “Samyaza?” theAatxeasked.
“Yes,” he rumbled to make his voice sound even more imposing. “This man committed a heinous crime and must be seen by the Scales of Justice.”
“We can put him in a cell, but he will need to be scheduled for a trial,” theAatxereplied.
Sam nodded once. “I understand the way things work, but this cannot wait. I will speak with Adila myself.”
