Kael turned in irritation when he noticed the little Omega trailing behind him at such a slow pace, her hands still tied in front of her. Was she feeling humiliated at being brought along like that?
He knew how much pride she had, and under any other circumstances, he would have untied her without hesitation. But right now, he was too irritated- at Zen, and at himself. And in no mood
He had assumed that Zen was merely amused by the Omega, that he intended to use her to ease the loneliness and creeping darkness that always threatened to swallow them whole.
But now he understood. Zen had planned to use her against Ramona.
The realisation settled on him like a weight, leaving him with nothing but guilt as he thought back to her teary face.
And that made him feel worse. Because he knew Zen wasn’t doing it for himself. He was doing it for him.
Zen had seen the way Kael hurt every time Ramona rejected him. He wanted her to taste that same sting, that same hollow ache, by forcing her to watch another woman being chosen in her place by her fated mate.
It was foolish. It was cruel. And it was unacceptable. Because Ramona was not doing it purposefully. She just could not accept him. And he could not blame her after the way she had seen him in the past... She knew the darkness that hid within him and of course an innocent like her, would find it difficult to accept.
So, doing something like this was not acceptable to him and not to Lance as well.
That was why Lance had wanted the girl sent away as quickly as possible.
But Kael also knew Zen. If Lance tried to force her out, Zen would make an even greater mess, dragging the matter into chaos, just for the sake of it. Zen was stubborn like that.
So Kael had now done the unthinkable. He had ordered Emira to follow him. But the truth was, he did not like having anyone in his own. Ever since he had moved out of the house as a teenager, no one had been allowed to enter, other than Zen and Lance. Not even a servant.
Taking a deep breath, he paused at the entrance for a moment and then opened it, careful not to look back at her to take in her expression.
He heard her gasp the moment she entered and wondered if she would run away screaming but when she simply came to a stop behind him, he shook his head. If only she would run away..."Wait here. I will prepare a room for you."
With that said, he walked deeper into the house, leaving her standing there at the entrance.
***
Emira glanced around at the house they had just entered and then wished she hadn’t. The layout of the house was similar to Prince Zen’s house but that was it.
While Prince Zen’s house had been spacious and light, this place was dark. The walls were dark, the windows were dark, the furniture was dark and even the air itself felt dark. There were no soft touches, no light to ease the shadows that pooled in the corners. For a moment, she almost expected something to jump out of the shadows at her.
But worst than all that was the ’decoration’ of the house. Against one wall, heavy racks of hunting tools hung neatly in rows- long blades, crossbows, spears with tips still stained dark as if they hadn’t been cleaned properly.
Beside them sat iron traps, their jaws open and waiting, sharp teeth glinting faintly in the low light and she winced at them. Those were used by hunters to hunt them. Why did he have them?
What unsettled her most, however, were the things preserved in glass cases in front of the other wall.
Unable to stop herself, she moved closer to one and her breath caught as she realized what they held.
Stuffed wolves, their eyes glassy and lifeless, posed as though frozen in mid-snarl.
And on one side table, a row of jars sat, filled with cloudy liquid. She blinked hard, then wished she hadn’t looked too closely. They were human body parts, hands, half turned claws and... she shuddered.
This wasn’t a house. It was more of a mausoleum. Every corner whispered of death. How did he even breathe here?
She gulped and then hurriedly stepped back towards the door, fearful of touching any corner. Prince Zen had tricked her. Giving her combat training and one thing she asked for, was too little. She... Trying to live in this house, she might not stay alive long enough to get that training!
Just then, Prince Kael returned. Emira lifted her eyes to him for the briefest second before quickly dropping them back to the floor. Somehow, he felt even more frightening than before, his presence heavier, sharper.
Her body stiffened when his footsteps moved closer and she gulped. Then she caught a flash of silver.
Her eyes widened in alarm. Was he really going to gut her here?
She had gambled everything on the hope that he would take her away from Prince Zen to keep his mate from being hurt- but this was too extreme. Was he going to kill her?
The knife descended, and she flinched hard, bracing herself for pain.
Instead, the ropes around her wrists loosened and fell to the floor. She sighed in relief.
But she’d breathed in relief too soon. The next minute, his hand was around her throat, almost choking her.
She looked up in horror as she clawed at his wrists, trying to make him let go.
In the next minute, he pulled her close and leaned down... "Emira... Now that you are here. Just live with your head down, till we leave this place onto the next mission. Do not make make trouble? Am I clear?"
Emira nodded at that. She had no intention of creating trouble...But what was she supposed to do about Prince Zen’s orders...