h4Chapter 820: 820-The Siren’s Song/h4

    strongHnie:/strong

    The moment I locked the door, I scanned the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a window facing the backyard. No wonder he didn’t want me locking the door, he feared I’d try to escape. I climbed onto the toilet and reached for the window, panic rising. If he heard anything suspicious, he’d burst in. I managed to open ch before climbing down and cracking the door just enough to poke my head out.

    "I’m taking a shower," I told him. His arms dropped from his chest, and he red, furious that I was going to take more time than I’d first asked.

    "And I’m already naked, so don’t try to drag me out," I added, noticing how tense he looked, ready to storm inside. My words made him step back.

    "Hurry up. You have only five minutes," he said, putting me on a timer. But five minutes was all I needed. The window was already halfway open. I nodded, shut the door, and locked it again.

    Turning on the shower gave me the perfect excuse. While the water ran, I unbolted the windowpletely. My escape was ready.

    Once the fresh air touched my face, I knew I had done the right thing. I climbed out of the bathroom window, but the whole time I couldn’t stop wondering why my body felt so weak. I was only early in my pregnancy, it wasn’t like I was about to give birth. Maybe it was because I was carrying four babies, quadruplets, but I couldn’t be sure.

    When Inded on the ground, a sharp pain shot through me. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, biting my lower lip. Then I pushed myself up, ready to run. But after only a few steps, I heard Kaye grunt from the side.

    "I knew you were up to no good," he said.

    I didn’t turn to look at him. I bolted forward, trying to put as much distance between us as I could. My breaths turned into groans as I ran through the heavy rain, but he was faster. He caught up from behind and scooped me off the ground.

    I screamed and fought back, jabbing my elbows toward his face, but he was far stronger than I had imagined. He mmed me to the ground, flipped me over, and pinned my wrists to the side. Rain hit my skin until he leaned over me, his face blocking the downpour.

    "Let go of me, Kaye! You’ve lost your mind!" I shouted, terrified he wouldn’t realize what he was doing until it was toote.

    "I knew you would try to escape. I knew it," he growled.

    But as the rain dripped over his face, I noticed his jaw clenching, his head shaking like he was fighting something.

    "What is it? Are you smelling my scent? Is that what’s happening?" I asked, trying to figure out what state he was in.

    "Just shut up," he groaned.

    As his hand brushed his ear, I spotted a tiny ck earpiece. Then it hit me, he was on a call with Kesha. She was the one pulling his strings.

    The moment I struggled to break free, he fought harder to pin me down.

    "I just need to do one thing," I muttered.

    He shook his head andughed.

    "I don’t care what you’re trying to do. You’re not in charge of your life anymore, Kesha," he hissed.

    Every time he called me by her name, my anger boiled hotter. Then he yanked me up, slung me over his shoulder, but I kicked him hard in the stomach, dropped back to my feet, and instinctively clutched my belly.

    What I felt made my blood run cold. My stomach was sticking out far more than it should have been. I was still reeling from that thought when he regained his strength and grabbed me by the hair.

    "You might have fooled my brother and your friends into thinking you’re the real Hnie, but I know the truth. The real Hnie is sitting over there, terrified you’ll steal her identity and the people she loves." He grunted, repeating the words that had been fed to him. He never would have been convinced so easily if it hadn’t been for the siren’s song cast over him all this time.

    But his desire to kill one of his mates was terrifying, because it meant their curses were growing stronger, reaching the final stage. I remembered from thest time. This time, it will be the end.

    He dragged me back inside as I groaned and protested, but he didn’t care. Once we were in, he shoved me onto the bed. I tried to fall in a way that wouldn’t hurt me, or my babies.

    "If that’s the case, why don’t you call your brothers and ask them? They’ll tell you the truth," I countered, groaning. If I could get him to speak to his brothers, at least they might track his location.

    The phone he carried didn’t even look like the one he used at home. Kesha wasn’t a child, she would have made sure everything was covered before sending him after me.

    "Really? You think I’m stupid? Hnie told me everything. She said not to contact my brothers until the job is done," he hissed, and my eyes widened in shock.

    So just because Kesha imed to be Hnie, he was ready to obey her every word?

    I never thought Kaye loved me enough to foolishly follow my orders like that. Of course, he was under her spell, so he had no choice.

    "You’re going to regret this," I spat, groaning as my hand pressed against my belly, which looked more swollen than before, almost as if it were growing by the hour. That made no sense.

    "I’ll only regret it if you walk out alive. If you’re not dead soon," he hissed, pulling off his jacket and shaking the rain from it.

    I red at him, watching him nce around the room. That’s when I lunged. I realized that if I wanted to get out alive, I had to fight with everything I had.