bChapter /bb120 /b

    ra’s POV

    I couldn’t believe my eyes. There he was, Andre, lying in the garden, his body barely moving. But it wasn’t just the sight of him that froze me it was the snako coiled around hini. A damn snake, wrapping around him like it was some kind of sick joke.

    Andre’sce was pale, his breaths shallow and erratic. He couldn’t even gasp properly just short, desperate sounds that filled the air with panic. Sweat dripped from his brow as his eyes flickered with sheer terror

    “bPlease/b…” His voice cracked, hearse and broken. “I can’t… bPlease/b, let me off.. do anything. Just…just let me off…

    The guards ignored him. They were too busy with their game,ughing, joking as if they didn’t even notice the suffering right under their nos

    Twe

    “General Danton bsaid /bwe keep him here for six hours,” one of the guards said, not even ncing at Andreas he shuffled a card. “How long has it been?”

    “Two and a half hours,” came the dry response.

    I wanted to scream. Two and a half hours? That poor bastard was suffocating, fighting for airb, /band they were treating him like ban /binconvenience. The snake tightened, its body cold and smooth against Andro’s skin, and my blood boiled.

    “Master Andre,” the other guard called with a twisted grin, “It’s not even bhalf/b–time yet. So sit tight, enjoy the night air

    I could see it. Andre’s face was redder than ever, his bpanic /bmore tangible than the cold breeze around us. His eyes squeezed shut, and I couldn’t ball if he bwas /babout to pass out or break downpletely.

    “A–at least… pet the snake off me,” he stammered, voice breaking with the rawness of his fear. “Please, I can’t… I’m terrified of it

    The guard let out a dismissiveugh. “Sorry, kid. No can do”

    They weren’t even pretending to care. And why would they? This was ball /bpart of the game. Part of their sick, twisted pleasure. Danton had to know. He had to know how much Andre feared that snake.

    And I knew it too

    I gritted my teeth.

    This was Danton’s bgame/b, wasn’t it? Pull Andre away whenever he wanted, toss him into some mess, and punish him for the sake of entertainment, Random, senseless torment, and Andre! He was the one left to suffer.

    “Why is bhe /bdoing this to me?” Andre’s voice cracked, barely a whisper now, his body trembling violently. “I did everything I came to the ball like he asked. I…I did everything right. Why is he doing this?”

    I couldn’t answer him–not yet. It was too raw, too real. But I knew one bthing /bfor sure: Danton was ba /btwisted piece of work, and I wasn’t about to let him

    I turned to Thome. He met my gaze, no words exchanged, but we both understood

    This had to end.

    Thome made the first move, slipping away quietly, giving me the opening I needed. He bpointed /bbat /bthe guards, then at himself. He was going to draw them away, make a distraction.

    I nodded, not wasting a second.

    He tossed a stone toward the trees, band /bthe guards jumped, scrambling to their feet.

    “Who’s there?” one of them barked, his bvoice /bharsh.

    Thome threw another stone, and the guard cursed under his breath. “It’s someone, move out

    The three guards–two of them took off after him, leaving just one behind.

    I didn’t waste time. I had no intention of waiting around

    Isprang from the bushes, quick as a shadow, and tackled the remaining guard from behind. He barely had time to react. My arms shot around his squeezing lightly until I felt him go limp. No noise, no struggle he just dropped, knocked out cald

    I didn’t stop to admine my handiwork

    I rushed to Andre, shaking him gently, urging him to wake up

    “Hey, Andre! Are you okay?” My voice was harsh, desperate to pull him out of the panic that had consumed him.

    But the snake….the damn snake was still there, its cold, threatening body still wrapped around him.

    The serpent hissed and straightenedb, /bbeyeing /bme with that deadly gleam.

    I didn’t think just acted. Reaching for the neck of the snake, I yanked it up and mmed it against the ground with all my strength its body failed, then

    The breath I didn’t know I’d been holding rushed out of me

    But Andre… he was still shaking. Still barely holding on. His eyes were ssyb, /bhis pupils unfocused. He looked like he was about to break.

    I pulled my dagger from my belt, the cool metal a sharp contrast to the bheat /bof the situation

    “Don’t. His voice was faint, strained, his gaze flickering to me. “Don’t… Leave me alone.”

    My heart dropped.

    “What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped, kneeling next to him. “I’m trying to save youb!/bb” /b

    But he wasn’t listening. His voice trembled, the words heavy with fear.

    “If Danton finds out…if he sees you helping me… I’ll be dead.” His voice was barely a whisper, but the fear in it was bas /bclear as day.

    “Damn it!” I muttered under my breath. “We’ll deal with thatter. But right now, you’reing with me.”

    With one swith motion, I threw my dagger toward the rope that bound him. It sliced clean through, and Andre’s body dropped into my arms.

    I caught him just in btime/b, holding him close as I bwiped /bbaway /bthe sweat from his brow

    “You’re okay now,” I whispered, but I wasn’t sure if I believed it. “Just breathe, Andre. You’re safe.”

    He gritted his teeth, and 1 saw the bspark /bof something behind his eyes–anger? Despair?

    “You’re ruining my life…” He muttered bweakly/b, closing his eyes as he slipped

    d into unconsciousness.

    I froze for a moment, the weight of his words pressing on my chest.

    But no time to think about that now.

    A whistle echoed in the distance–Thorne, signaling that the guards wereing back

    I didn’t wait. I grabbed my dagger and threw it in my pocket, lifting Andre onto my back as I sprinted into the bdark /b

    No one was going to stop me from getting him out of there. Not btoday/b.

    bChapter /bb121 /b