Descending those next, he realized at the bottom that following after her blindly was a terrible idea.
He stood in the doorway petrified by the sight before him. By the man holding Raven. By the one staring at her. By the dungeon they were in.
“There’s my special bird.” The man’s voice across from her was monotone and dull.
“Ivan.” Raven was terrified.
Ivan.
It was too late for Enzo to turn back.Ivanfound his eyes, his lips curling upwards. “Amelia located you two, just as I requested.”
Enzo was paralyzed, his brother at his back.
They needed to leave. To run. To escape.
“Leave her alone!” Levi’s shout was unexpected, but it came from further in this grimy space.
Enzo’s attention flashed to it for a single instance to find Levi in a miniscule cage before returning to Ivan.
“Birdie, I figured this time I should havefriendsfor you. Instruments in your lessons.” He snapped his fingers and more men appeared from the shadows creeping forward, sheer masks covering their faces.
By the time Enzo’s brain made the decision to fight, it was already too late. Four of Ivan’s men had him in their hold.
“You don’t need them,” Raven barked. “It’s me that you are after.”
Ivan approached her, a long bony finger brushing the bottom of her chin. Enzo struggled against his constraints, attempting to go to her. To escape this. He knew once Ivan had them, they were as good as dead. Raven’s stories had landed in the deeprecesses of his mind, a source of pain and fear, and Maverick’s had not been much better.
“Perhaps. But there is always space in my house for more pets. In fact, I lost quite a few after you left.” Amelia walked past Enzo until she stood by his side.
“Amelia?” Raven asked. “Why?”
“She’s not Amelia.” Maverick answered from beside Enzo, gruffly as he was shoved forward onto his knees. “Is she?”
Ivan laughed, slithering back from Raven and focusing his attention on Maverick. “I knew you werespecial. No. This here is the mother of the child Raven killed. The one who died because of her unfortunateescape.” Ivan’s hand landed on the woman’s shoulder. “Her daughter died, and she tried to defy me. Nothing a bucket of acid couldn’t cure.”
A single tear dripped from the woman’s unbandaged eye.
I’m sorry,she mouthed.
It was clear she hadn’t had a choice, and if anything, she had attempted to keep Enzo and Maverick from coming down here. She had tried to stop them.
“You did a great job,pet.But unfortunately that was the last I needed from you. I can’t trust a broken vessel.” Ivan moved swiftly. If Enzo had blinked, he would have surely missed the knife in his hand. The swipe across her throat.
The blood appeared a painted line across her neck. Ivan released the woman, allowing her to drop to her knees to the dirty ground. She didn’t attempt to cover her wound, or to fight.
Her death was silent.
“No!” Raven sobbed, falling to the woman, gathering her in her arms. The wedding dress she wore was stained crimson. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so—”
Enzo remained frozen, but Maverick attempted to shake the hands off of him, turning and twisting against the ones holding him. He landed a punch to a jaw, a foot to a shin.
“Subdue him. Administer it,” Ivan said.
“No, stop!” Enzo shouted, horrified. Another man in the same sheer mask approached from further in the dungeon. He moved nimbly across the shadowed space, a needle in his hand as he marched directly towards the struggling Maverick.
“You will rot for this,” Maverick screamed. “They will find us and it will be the las—”
The drug was instant as it was plunged into him. His mouth loosening around his rage. His eyes met Enzo’s.
