Oleks didn’t care if Raven was married, it wouldn’t change anything. She would still be just as equally his then as she was now.
“How do you know Ana?” Oleks asked, redirecting the conversation.
“Anadil,” Drago corrected, his eyes widening for a single fraction of a second, but then he put a mask in place. “Not well.”
The lie was clear, but Oleks didn’t press him. He didn’t need to.
He had encountered Anadil in his darkest hours, but they had never been close. Simply two victims who met in the middle of their most painful nightmares. He had lived in a different Facility nearby, and she had been brought to it by the Rogers for the…parties.
“The flowers,” Maverick cut in, his eyes cast out the window. “What are they for?”
Drago gracefully accepted the shift, his body relaxing again. He didn’t even look out the window. “Hibiscuses. They are a symbol of fertility. I think Griffin explained most of it to you all, and you probably figured out the rest. But fertility here is sacred and those who are natural-born are regarded highly. Especially daughters. That flower is brewed in teas and given to prospectivemothers. It is to enhance their health. Those who drink it have stronger children.”
Maverick leaned forward, tugging a crumpled up notebook from his back pocket. The sight caused a flash of amusement to spike through Oleks. It reminded him of when he was working through every poison he could get his hands on and jotted down his notes meticulously on his reaction to each.
“Fertility? Tea?” Maverick asked incredulously. “Where is the science for that?”
Drago waved his hand. “I am sure you have your nuances in your country.”
Oleks rested against his seat as they continued going back and forth. The information landing in his mind to process later.
He looked out the window. At the snow that littered the ground. At the flowers that popped up all along the road they bumped along.
He knew Raven wasn’t far away, but he hated the distance between them. Despised the lack of control. He crunched up all the anger and energy that bounced around him and forced it into a tiny ball.
Harold is dead.
But where is Sharon?
Oleks released the breath from his lungs, his eyes shuttering as his past threatened to consume him.
While Harold had always been present, it was Sharon who brought Oleks to the brink of insanity. Who ruined him.
He counted down the seconds until Raven was within eyesight again.
Chapter 15
Stroke for Stroke. Swipe for Swipe.
Griffin
Eleven Years Ago - Violencia
Over three years passed, long and slow. They were grueling, a testament to his own strengths and endurance.
But he was making a difference. He was becoming a beacon of hope. He was rescuing victims, offering assistance, killing off the evil.
Griffin sat on the wall on the northern part of Violencia, he watched the waves lap at the shore and the stars twinkle in the sky. The calm at odds against the storm brewing inside him.
In his hands, he held a thin blade and a piece of wood. He had already made hundreds of these and would continue to carve hundreds more.
“Another griffin?” Niko settled down beside him, kicking his legs out over the edge.
Griffin didn’t acknowledge him, continuing on. “A literal symbol of hope. I want to give our people a physical connection to the promise I intend to keep.”
“They’re notourpeople.Our peopleare growing suspicious. You can’t keep killing Officials right after you visit the Facilities.” Niko’s bright blue eyes vibrated in annoyance. “You will risk Victor’s and my cover. We were sent to carry out a specific duty.”
Griffin pulled the blade back examining his work. The griffin wasn’t his best, but it would make do. He scrutinized Niko. “It’s to kill Stephan, isn’t it?” He had guessed as much. It would make sense to try to eliminate Luscinia’s royalty in Violencia. Harder to trace the perpetrators.
