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I wasn’t sure when or how it would happen, but my gut said soon.
Yeah, there were people all around me playing their games. I knew it, felt it, and saw it—with Simon Drakos, Xander and Theo, and even the ladies.
But the difference with the ladies was that they had nothing to gain but to help a victimized woman regain her strength and thumb her nose at the world that had taken everything from her.
I sighed. Was I getting carried away and being too trusting and naive?
Well, a girl had to have hope.
I slid the jeweled blades back into place, closed the case, and then hid the entire thing in a secret compartment inside a sliding baseboard panel near the side of my bed.
This house held so many passageways and hidey holes. Very few of the hidden corridors connected to each other, so if a person discovered one, it wouldn’t necessarily lead them to others.
The only people currently alive who knew about them all were Theios Alex, my sisters, and Mama. Xander and Theo had learned of the passageways when we were younger but never traveled them to the level I had or could walk them blindfolded as I’d done for the fun of it as a child.
Keeping the weapons case from prying eyes was paramount. This gift meant so much to me.
It symbolized the start of my transition from the girl who’d shattered into pieces to the one who planned to create a new life for herself, her mother, and her sisters.
Deep down, I knew Papa would understand.
Maybe what I wanted was to run away, but I thought I’d earned it. My life here meant I was a commodity. My value came in my body, my name.
As if sensing my train of thoughts, Andraius appeared between the threshold of his bedroom and mine, watching me, lust glazing his eyes.
I released an internal sigh.
Here we went. For the next four nights, he’d fuck me to acquire this baby I’d never let come into the world.
But first, the small talk.
Time to slide on my bitch cloak, or I’d throw up the second he touched me. I should have downed a few shots of ouzo or something, and then maybe this would go easier.
“How are the lessons going with Nyx?” Andraius asked and stared at me with this disgusting interest that made me want to gag and punch him simultaneously.
“Fun. I like Nyx. I may take up some of her ideas for the gardens here.”
He studied me as if he thought I was full of it. “What kind of flowers are you interested in planting?”
“Low-maintenance greenery is a better option this late in the season, and then we can consider things for the spring that won’t suffer shock with the upcoming cold cycles.”
He considered me for a few seconds as if he were seeing a different woman.
Yes, asshole, I do know a thing or two about plants. It was part of my training.
“I was concerned about this association with Drakos’s wife, but now I think it’s the best type of influence that could have happened to you.”
I shrugged. “As I said, I like Nyx and am learning a lot from her. It is nice to have a friend to visit.”
“So there isn’t any truth to the rumors about her obsession with knives?”
Oh, you mean like the fact she wears one strapped to the inside of her thigh wherever she goes, and it was given to her by her husband?
“Umm, no,” I said, giving him a frown. “Outside of the ones used to prune plants, I haven’t seen anything. Besides, gossip is a waste of time. I’d rather give people the benefit of the doubt, wouldn’t you?”
He ignored my question and asked, “And what about Drakos? Does he spend much time at the estate?”
“He was in Greece until today. We left around the time he arrived. I believe he wanted us out of the way so he could be alone with Nyx. They are a very affectionate couple.”
