CHAPTER 98: RHODE FAMILY

Roxy’s POV

What the actual fuck am I looking at? One second Eleanor’s fine, the next she’s on the ground convulsing like she’s possessed. My gut twists into a knot.

"What the hell did you do to her?" I snarl, rounding on Chloe.

"It’s a Bloodlust Catalyst," she says, her voice way too calm for this shitstorm. "Eleanor has officially begun her training."

"Training?" I spit the word out. "This looks like fucking torture!"

We all stumble back as a wave of pure, murderous intent slams into us. It’s coming from Eleanor. She’s growling, low and guttural, a sound that doesn’t belong to the suck up woman I know.

"Mira, tell her to stop this!" I snap.

Mira’s face is pale. "Dr. Chloe, this is too much."

"Do you want her to gain control or not?" Chloe retorts, her eyes hard. "Did you think it would be a pleasant afternoon of meditation?"

Okay, fair point. I didn’t expect it to be easy. But I didn’t expect to see my friend’s eyes roll back in her head until only the whites show, her teeth sharpening into fangs as she lunges for my throat.

"Get ready to restrain her!" Chloe barks.

"Wha—"

I don’t finish. Eleanor slams into me, a whirlwind of snarling fury. My back hits the floor hard, but my instincts are faster. My hands shoot up, gripping her head, holding her snapping jaws inches from my neck. Spittle flies in my face.

"Eleanor! Snap out of it!" I yell, but there’s no one home behind those milky white eyes. Just the beast.

Mira grabs her from behind, hauling her off me with a grunt. Chloe moves in like some kind of fucked-up dog trainer and slaps a muzzle over Eleanor’s face. The sight of it—the leather straps, the helpless snarling—sends a cold spike of dread straight through my heart. Memories I keep locked in a deep, dark box rattle their chains.

"Roxy, snap out of it and help!" Mira’s voice cuts through the panic.

Focus. I shove the past back into its box and slam the lid. I grabbed Eleanor’s thrashing legs.

Chloe points to a metal ring bolted to the wall in the corner. "Let’s take her there."

We drag her, a tangled mess of limbs and fury, across the room. It takes all three of us.

Chloe produces a set of silver restraints, clicking them around Eleanor’s wrists and ankles. Mira and I have to pin her head while she does it, feeling the violent tremors wracking her body.

"Let go," Chloe orders.

We back away. Eleanor scrambles to her feet, lunging for us, but the restraints yank her back.

A sharp, pained hiss escapes the muzzle as the silver burns her skin. She snarls, the sound muffled and desperate, yanking against the chains again and again, her white eyes fixed on us with pure, undiluted hate.

Chloe watched Eleanor strain against the silver for a moment longer before turning to us. "She has to deal with this on her own now. She needs to learn to control the urge from the inside. You two can wait here, but don’t touch anything. Just wait for her to come back to her senses. I have other matters to attend to."

She swept out of the room, leaving us with the horrifying sounds of Eleanor’s muffled snarls and the clink of chains. Mira collapsed into a chair, her face pale as she stared at Eleanor, still absorbing the shock.

I, however, needed to do something. "I’m going to have a word with the doctor," I muttered, not waiting for a reply. I stalked through the maze of shelves, following the direction Chloe had gone. I found a plain door and shoved it open without knocking.

Chloe was inside, perched on the edge of a cluttered desk, her legs crossed as she scrolled through her phone. She didn’t even look up. "What do you want, Roxy?"

I took two deliberate steps into the room. "You know exactly why I’m here."

She sighed, still focused on her screen. "You know Eleanor needs this. It’s ugly, but it’s necessary."

"This isn’t about Eleanor," I cut her off. "Stop playing games with me."

She slowly brought her feet to the floor and placed her phone down. "Oh," she said, a knowing look in her eyes. "It’s about the secret. The one I told you to prove the oath worked."

My blood ran cold. "How did you know about that secret?"

"I know you’re using a cloaking spell, Roxy. A very powerful, very expensive one. It alters your appearance, your scent, your magical signature... it makes you a ghost to anyone who knew you before. Untraceable, both physically and electronically."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "How did you find out?"

She stood and walked around the desk, leaning back against it, her gaze pinning me in place. "A better question is, where did you get it? That level of enchantment isn’t sold on every street corner."

There was no point in lying. The jig was up. "I bought it from an unknown seller in the black market. Five years ago."

A slow, grim smile touched her lips. "That’s how you managed to run away from your family’s grasp. Slipped right through their fingers."

The secret she had whispered to me, the one that had made me cough and choke when I tried to repeat it, echoed in my mind. I know you are a runaway from the Rhode family.

"How do you know that?" I whispered, the words feeling like shards of glass in my throat.

Chloe pushed off the desk and took a step toward me. "Because, my dear, I was the unknown seller. Of course I’d recognize my own spell anywhere."

My eyes widened. This couldn’t be happening.

Chloe just smirked, looking far too pleased with herself. "I have to say, I’m impressed. The spell’s integrity is still flawless after all these years. A testament to my work, really."

The initial shock curdled into a sharp, cold fear. "Have you done it?" I demanded, my voice tight.

"Done what?"

"You know what I mean," I snapped, stepping closer. "Have you exposed me? Told my family where I am?"

Her smirk vanished, replaced by a look of mild offense. "I am not a snitch. I deal in secrets, I don’t trade them. I’m just... curious. Why would a Rhode run away? Your grandmothers were heroes. They were instrumental in ending the Great War, in defeating the Shadowmere queen. You come from a legacy of light."

"I left because I wanted a life of my own." I shot back, the old defiance rising like a shield. "Not one they mapped out for me from birth. I’m never going back."

"Alright, fine," she said, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. "But do the others know? Does Eleanor know?" Her gaze intensified. "Does she know that her lineage and yours are ancient enemies? That your grandmothers personally helped defeat and seal away her evil great-grandmother, Queen Eleanor? Why are you friends with someone who has that kind of darkness running in her veins?"

"Eleanor isn’t like that" I insisted, the words fierce and certain. "She’s the complete opposite of everything her family stands for."

"Is she?" Chloe countered softly, her eyes flicking in the direction of the other room, where the sounds of snarling had only just begun to subside. "You saw the bloodlust. You felt it. She didn’t hesitate. She would have torn out your throat if you weren’t fast enough. What happens when she finally becomes evil? If she genuinely wants to harm you?"

The question hung in the air, a challenge I had to answer. I met her gaze, my own steady and cold.

"Then I’ll kill her," I said, the words absolute and without a trace of doubt. "If it ever reaches that point, I’ll put her down myself."