Being back at the Polucci estate reminds me of returning to the main house in what used to be Artume City. It’s not a good feeling at the moment, given the situation. I am armed, and it’s not something I’ve ever done when I’m wearing civilian
clothes.
“What’s this?” Ragnar asks when he places his hand on my back.
-Weapons.- I answer so no one else can hear. His serious composure falters for a moment, and he grins.
-That’s my girl.- he kisses the top of my head and adjusts my backpack that’s covering my weapons.
“The King actually smiles,” Aimee says as she makes her way over to us.
“Hey,” I greet her. She smiles big for me, and the two of us hug. It’s only been a few days since I stopped working for her, bu it feels like it’s been forever.
“You look better,” she says quietly and takes my hands to look me over.
I take a deep breath and immediately notice the changes in her body. My eyes move down to her belly, and she instantly le go of my hands to shake her head. Which means she hasn’t told anyone yet. And by anyone, I mean her mate. I brush it off and take a step back to get closer to Ragnar.
Santiago and Anastasia Polucci walk out together. This is the first time I’ve seen them side by side in person, and I can see the resemblance. With her hairstyle, the two of them look almost identical.
Once again, she’s dressed in all black, and her makeup is expertly done. It might be the only thing that separates the two. Her feminine charm is perfect. You know, for someone who has to be in charge. I’m sure someone out there is dying for he to tie them up. She looks like someone who likes to get carried away.
“Sophia,” she greets me politely.
“Anastasia,” I nod. “Mr Polucci.”
“I’m sure I’ve told you to call me Santiago,” he smirks.
“I’m sure you know why I don’t want to do that,” I shrug.
“Fair enough,” she smiles and turns his attention to Ragnar. His eyes move down to the mark on his neck. “Congratulations, my King,” he bows. “My Queen.”
“Can we just get to what we’re doing here?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
“Jumped right into the role, I see,” Anastasia laughs. “Come on. Ragnar, stay with them.”
Ragnar takes my hand before I can walk away. He doesn’t have to say a word for me to know what he’s thinking. I nod and pull away before he changes his mind. I follow behind Ana. This time, she leads me further into the house. The rooms all have doors, making the halls look a lot creepier than they should be.
“Not an open floor kind of person?” I ask.
“No,” she answers without hesitation, and that doesn’t help ease any of my anxiety.
She stops in front of a door that is smaller than the rest of them. It’s obvious that it might be a storage room or the way down to a basement. She turns to look at me and holds up a blindfold.
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Chapter 139
“Why?” I ask
“It’s a dungeon. I don’t want you to see some stuff. You might seem tough, but I rather not have this argument with your mate later. He’s kind of an ass,” she shrugs. “I’ll carry you. You’re tiny?
I nod and turn around for her to put it on me. She ties it, then lifts me into her arms. I stay completely still as she opens the door and begins to move. The sound of growling and banging echoes around me. I clear my throat and fight the urge to take a peek at who she has down here. I’m sure she has quite the collection of criminals.
“That’s a pretty doll you got there, Ana, someone laughs. A woman. Others follow with cat calls and obscene remarks.
Anastasia doesn’t acknowledge them in the slightest. We stop for a moment. She whispers something, and another door is opened and shut before she sets me down. When I reach for the blindfold, she stops me and then leads me into the room before making me take a seat. When she finally removes the blind fold, I blink a few times to adjust to the new setting.
I’m right here,” she says and crouches down in front of me. “I would never let anyone hurt you. You trust that, right?” “Yes, I nod. She smiles, tucking a strand of my hair back.
“If you feel like you’re in danger or want this to be over, you are allowed to tell me, and I will take you back to Ragnar immediately. Yes?”
“Yes,” I nod.
“Good, I need you to be a good girl for me, Sophie. This is a rough game and I don’t want to scare you more than you already are.
“I understand,” I agree.
“Good,” she stands up straight and pats my head.
With a wave of her hand, the lights come on. There’s a two–way mirror in front of me, a door to my right, and a door to the left of the mirror. The room is padded with black soundproof pads. The floor is concrete, but it’s glossed over with shiny black epoxy. There’s an iron chair right in the centre of the room, and that’s it. There’s nothing else in here with us.
A few minutes pass, and the door to the right is opened. Four men barrel in, dragging a black body bag. The person inside is kicking up a storm, moving as if their life depended on it. And honestly, he has every right to be kicking like that given his circumstances,
I remove my backpack and take a deep breath before the scent of blood fills the room. Since shifting, I’ve been having trouble with it. It’s not that it makes me queczy, it sparks up hunger, and I don’t know what to do about that. I don’t even know how to address it or who to ask about it. Quite frankly, I’m embarrassed about it.
The four men struggle to get the bagged man onto the chair. As soon as it’s unzipped, he tries to make a run for it, only to rush into the arms of the man standing in front of him. The man is already heavily wounded.
The scent of blood and fear fills the room, and I have to swallow the saliva that drains into my mouth. My affinity sparks up with it and reaches for any and all water sources in the room with us. Ana’s is the first to answer me. Probably because I’ve channelled it before.
1 reach into my backpack for a scrungy, my gloves, and my face mask. I pull my hair up, put on the mask, and slip on my gloves as the guards cuff the man to the chair. When they’re done, they step away.
My stomach drops when I look up at him, and the moment he looks up at me to meet my eyes, I know he recognizes me immediately, I was expecting a lot of things for tonight’s meeting, but this wasn’t one of them. I’m frozen in place, not knowing what to do. I know she knows that the two of us are familiar because Ana steps up beside him with a smile before ripping the tape over his mouth off without so much as a warning.
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Chapter 139
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he demands without even flinching. “Get the fuck out of here, Sophia. Leave
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
