He glances down at his plate and saws a piece of steak with his fork and knife. His crown rests beside him on the table. How I long to shatter it into a million pieces and make him choke on every single one.
He stabs the steak with his fork and brings it to his mouth. He pauses mid-air, and a drop of blood falls back onto the plate. “What would you have me do with them?”
I blink. I wasn’t expecting that response. “Release them.”
He plops the bite in his mouth and chews in contemplative silence, then goes back to sawing his meal with his knife once more. It scrapes against the ivory plate, and I wince.
“And why should I?”
I rip a piece of bread off as I consider how to respond. The question is maddeningly simple, the answer even more so. Obvious, even. At least, it is for a good person. But Marik isn’t good. He is evil. Corrupt. Despicable.
“You were once a decent male,” I say, appealing to the male I once knew. Or at least, the one I thought I knew. Maybe this is who he’s been all along, hiding, waiting to strike. A fucking snake, through and through.
He purses his lips, shrugs his shoulders. “That was a long time ago.”
I resist the urge to bang my fist on the table, opting instead to dig my fingernails into my thigh. As much as I long to yell all sorts of foul obscenities at him, I remain silent. This is not the time to bite.
I go back to my bread, ripping another piece off, and plopping it into my mouth. I nearly choke when he speaks again. “Would it make you happy if I did?” he asks, glancing up from his meal.
I hesitate. If I say yes, will he say no to spite me? If I say no, will he honor my request to let them go anyway? I take a swig of my water and decide to take a chance on the male I once knew. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“They’re innocent. They did nothing.”
He stares at me, unblinking. Finally, he nods. “I’ll release themtomorrow.”
My mouth goes dry at the truth in his words. “Really?” I ask.
He grunts in confirmation, then goes back to his dinner. “Thank you,” I whisper. Neither of us speaks again for the rest of the night.
Marik follows through on his promise. Which means I was able to follow through on mine to the woman in the cell.
I visit the dungeons the next day to make sure. All traces of the prisoners are gone, even the little girl and the liar. Every cell is empty. No more sounds of soft crying, of people rustling in their sleep. Just the steady drip of water falling to the muddy floor in the darkness.
I breathe a sigh of relief, but it’s short-lived. My questions about Eliza Rainey were never answered. Who was she? Why was there a Serpent hybrid in our dungeons pretending to be someone she wasn’t? Was it all a test, orchestrated by Marik? Is that why he agreed to release the prisoners?
Or am I overthinking everything?
I shake my head.No.
But why else would he release the prisoners?
Chapter 9
MAE
Everyone freezes.
The knocks are jarring, each one loud and forceful enough to make the door shake with everybang.
Ivan walks to me slowly, one finger pressed against his lips. Luca positions himself in front of the door, hands extended and ready to summon his magic. Holly is frozen, looking from Luca to Ivan to me.
BANGBANGBANG.
Ivan throws his hands up and walks toward the front door on feet now silenced by his sound barrier. From my position in the hallway, I can see a glimpse of the bedroom window overlooking the front yard. I take a slight step backward, steeling myself for whatever—or whoever—it is that’s outside. That’s found us.
Marik? Cora? An army?
