bChapter /bb119 /b

    ra’s POV

    “Shat,” I muttered under my breath, frustration gripping me.

    Danton had called Andre away. I didn’t know what fate awaited him, but it wasn’t hard to imagine. The look of terror on Andre’s face as he walked out earlier, his eyes wide, his shoulders btense/b—told me all I needed to know. Whatever wasing for him, it was going to be bad.

    Even though I was angry, I couldn’t help but understand Andre’s hesitation to work with me. He’d been trapped in hell for too long, deprived of any hope, bany /bchance at happiness. When I offered him an out, a chance to escape it all, it must have seemed too good to be true. He didn’t trust me, and why should he?

    We were on opposite sides. We couldn’t be more different.

    Sighing deeply. I ran a hand through my hair. My thoughts were all over the ce. I needed some space to clear my head.

    I pushed through the crowd, theughter and chatter of the bparty /bfading as I made my way toward the patio at the back of the house.

    Once outside, I leaned against the railing and let the cool night air wash over me. The crisp breeze carried the faint scent of flowers, their perfume mingling with the earthy smell of damp soil For a moment, I bcould /balmost forget where I was Forget that I bwas /bstanding in the heart of my enemy’s camp.

    Footsteps behind me broke the momentary peace. I didn’t need to turn around to know bwho /bit was. Thorne.

    He appeared next to me, holding two sses of champagne, the sparkle of the bss /bcatching the moonlight.

    “Tough night?” he asked softly.

    I took the ss from him, my fingers brushing against his “very” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “Andre doesn’t trust us, and honestly, I can’t me him. He’s been abused by his own people, and we’re the enemy. Why should he think we’re any different?”

    He nodded, understanding the depth of the situation “Do you think he’ll tell Danton about tonight?”

    I shook my head. “No. He might not trust us, but I can tell he hates Danton even more. He’ll keep quiet.”

    “Good.” He squeezed my hand, his fingers warm against my skin. “Tonight, we nted a seed in his heart. We’ll just bhave /bto wait for it to grow

    I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. Thorne was just trying to make me feel better. The truth was, we didn’t have the luxury of time. Lance had kept us here for a reason, and we still didn’t know what that reason was. Every second we spent here put us at risk,

    Thorne’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Care for a walk?”

    I nced at him and nodded, grateful for the distraction. Together, we walked away from the party and down the path leading to the bgarden/b. The full moon bathed everything in silver light, casting ban /balmost ethereal glow over the flowers and trees. The air was still, and the only bsound /bwas the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

    I looped my arm through his, resting my head on his shoulder as we walked. I could smell him–strong,forting. Even the perfume of the flowers couldn’tpare.

    “What if we can’t pet Andre to work with us?” bI /bbasked/b, my voice barely audible against the bquiet /bnight.

    Thome’s head shifted, and I felt the soft press of his lips on my forehead. “Then we’ll keep trying,” he said, his voice calm, unwavering.

    “But what if we can’t? No matter what we do!”

    He didn’t miss a beat. “Then we go after Lance directly. We’ll end it. We’ll take him down–cut his bhead /boff, burn the body. Whatever it takes.”

    tcouldn’t help butugh. The darkness of the situation seemed to lift a title, just from the absurdity of his words.

    “How reassuring.” I teased, squeezing his arm.

    We walked deeper into the gaten, eventually finding a bench under aurel tree. We sat down, and Day my head in hisp. His fingers threaded through my hair, gently, almost absentmindedly.

    “You know,” he said, a smirk in his voice, b“/byou never dance with me,

    tout a small byawn/b, still half asleep. “We dance all the time.”

    “One time. Our wedding night,” he replied, teigning offense.

    I looked up at him, my eyes narrowing in yful suspicion, “Walt. Are you jealous that I danced with Andre earlier?”

    Thorne braised /ban eyebrow. “Are you sumptised?”

    I scoffed. “Come on, Thorne. bAndre’s /bjust a kid. That dance wasn’t even real, it was just a cover for us to talk.”

    He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Doesn’t matter. bWhenever /bsee you with another man, something inside me snaps. I get this…burning need to shift, to im you, to hide you away where no one can find you, it’s getting harder to control”

    My heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught in my throat. His words were so raw, so honest. And the intensity in his gaze made my skin tingle.

    “But I’m here with you,” I whispered, my voice steady, though my heart bwas /bracing. “Just you. Not anybody el

    ehe.

    “Yes,” he repliedb, /bhis voice low, almost a growl. He lifted my hand to his lips, kissing each fingertip gently. “Having you by my side is the only thing that keeps me sane:

    I closed my eyes, the weight of the night settling over me. Our mission had beenpleted, but neither of us was ready to go back to the suite. Instead, we stayed under theurel tree, the quiet night wrapping around us like a nket.

    I felt myself driting off to sleep, the rhythm of Thorne’s fingers in my hair blulling /bme into a peaceful state. Surrounded by enemies, I knew I was safe as long as Thorne was here.

    I don’t know how long I slept, but I was woken by Thome’s voice, soft but urgent. “ra…”

    I stirred, groggy. “Wb–/bWhat happened?”

    he whispered, his breath warm against my ear. “Listen.”

    “Someone’s nearby,” he

    I held my breath, straining to hear, in the distance, I could barely make it out, but there was ba /bsound–soft, almost like a sob

    It was faint, but it was there.

    I sat up:

    bstraight/b, fully awake now. “Shall we go find out?”

    bThorne /bnodded, his expression grim. We rose quietly, moving through the garden, careful not to make ba /bsound. The sobbing grew louder, and we followed it, creeping closer to the source-

    When we reached the clearing. Thome stopped abruptly. He motioned for me to hide behind a tree, then carefully parted the branches.

    There, just a few meters away, we saw what we’d been looking for.

    A group of guards sat on the ground, ying cards,pletely unaware of what was happening beside them.

    And there, hanging from a tree, was Andre,

    His feet were tied to a branch, his head dangling just inches from the ground. His body trembled violently, and his face was flushed, the blood rushing to

    Please. Please. Andre’s voice tracked, baiely audible.

    A thick snake, its body asrge bas /ba baby’s arm, colled around his chest. It slithered closer, its hiss cutting through the air as it neared hic ord

    AD