d. The guards rotated with military precision, but the one with the scar near his temple was la

s shoulders squared and his eyes unreadabl

d in fro

o kill me," I as

mine down to the blood-stained hem of my shirt. And then past me, to the

watching

but textured. Not local. Romanian, softened

ze. "I know

red. "But nothing leaves this estate

he folds of his c

t a weapon. It was a clo

th the precision of s

ide, block letters, preci

e not

all i

me like I was nothing more th

our name?

n't lo

came, low an

me is

nce in my room humme

boot. I stood at the edge of the bed with my heartbeat i

m., the lo

tepped i

meone who knew what happened wh

mething. A fold

and. Intri

ery corridor, stairwell, blind corner. One route was marked with a

s?" I asked,

ot the first girl to be kept here. You

p tighter. "Why a

s gaze flicked to the

a pawn. And pawns... are

g else under it. Regret? G

d him," I

aid. "I helped build

u're tearin

caught the edge of his scar, ran

ietly. "I'm betr

s wrist. His pulse beat

you s

I felt the whisper of h

r you won't live

ing, but close enough to linger, and vanished i

n't s

threat. Because o

. My pulse had no rhythm. My th

afraid

of what he ha

The rhythm of movement, the c

barked in Russian and Romanian. Metal

nd the armoire jus

without hesitation, without apolo

owed him. Tall. Arm

s nowhere

this?"

me like I was alr

tes

pped forward, hold

dn't

," Damien said. "

flinch. Didn't resist. My arms ached, but I welcom

ed counting. No

to th

o the st

en to the

arved from stone and shame, past

ir changed. Thicker. Cooler. Like the w

door at the en

e, no

ed in black. No

sat beneath a

shed me

n fol

enough for me to feel the heat of hi

begins now

door slammed