A single desperate plea. A connection of absolute terror.
“Her too.” Ivan angled his head towards the sobbing Raven, clutching the now dead woman. “I can’t handle her hysterics.”
“Stop!” Levi shouted loudly, shaking the bars of his cage. They wobbled and creaked with his strength, but it wasn’t enough. “Enzo, you have to keep her safe! Keep her alive. Please, you owe me this!”
The man with the syringe pulled another from his coat and dropped fluidly down. He pressed it into Raven’s neck.
She fell forward onto the dead woman, her sobs disappearing into the air.
“Him?” the man asked, facing Enzo.
Enzo could just make out bright golden eyes through the mask, but nothing more.
Ivan approached Enzo, eyeing him speculatively. “No, leave this one. I think it will be the start of the fun to leave one aware of what is happening. Hey there, Enzo. The three of us are going to get really well acquainted. But first we need to ship off to Violencia. Thankfully we have the connections to do just that.” Ivan bent down, scooping Raven easily into his arms. “Three of you Clear the space ahead,” he directed.
The men who had been holding Maverick broke off and hurried away, deeper into the dungeon.
Ivan began walking further into the dungeon in their direction, passing a screaming Levi.
“Please.” Levi’s plea was broken, the croak of a dying creature, a heartbroken man.
Enzo inclined his head, but didn’t speak. He couldn’t. This was too much.
They continued their path for an endlessly long time until they opened to the back of the castle. A bridge separating them from a large set of carriages.
But Drago stood in their path. Three of Ivan’s men were already there.
“You can’t take her!” Drago proclaimed.
Relief skirted across Enzo’s skin. This would be it, he would save them, he would stop this.
Ivan chuckled, tightening his hold on Raven. “We had our agreement. This is what you wanted. A reason for Griffin to remain by your side in your fight against Violencia.”
Enzo’s blood froze as he whipped his attention from the king to Ivan.
But it was all coming together, why there hadn’t been any sign of Ivan, why it had been so easy to go missing, how he easily crept onto the ship.
Ivan had help.
“Her circumstances have changed—” Drago began.
“You are too late!” Ivan cut him off, raising his free hand into a fist.
Two of his men near Drago moved in a flash, pummeling the king. Beating and punching and kicking him. The third crept away, back towards the castle, but Ivan didn’t make any move to stop him.
“Leave him alive, but only barely.” Ivan marched forward towards the carriage, getting into one with Raven still in his arms. He turned back before the door shut. “Enzo, this is onlythe beginning. I hope you are ready. I hope you can prove to be asspecialas the others.”
The door slammed shut and Enzo was dragged into a different one.
Stuffed into the small space with Ivan’s men.
His breath hiccupped out of him as his brother wasn’t brought in with him.
He would be alone, again, just like before.
His vision blurred, pain stabbing sharply at his psyche as the carriage began to roll away. His attention went out the window just before it was shut and all he could make out was a field of hibiscus’s, creeping out of the snow.
Chapter 40
