And I hate that some stupid, traitorous part of me wants to run to him. Wants to cut the ties. Wants to press my hands to his face and tell him it's okay, that we'll figure it out.
But I don't move, because it's not okay. Nothing about this is okay.
I take a breath, forcing my feet forward.
"I was starting to think I wouldn't see you again," he says quietly.
"Don't," I snap. "Don't do that. Now's the time where you tell me everything, no matter what."
He nods once. "I'll tell you everything," he says, his voice rough.
"Good," I say. "Because if you lie, even once, I walk out of here and you don't get a second chance."
"I won't lie."
"Why?" The word rips out of me raw. I can't help it. "Why did you do this to me?"
Octavian squirms in the chair, his arms straining against the zip ties like he's trying to stand, to reach me. But he can't. He's stuck there, pinned down in place.
"Tell me," I demand, my voice breaking. "Tell me why you let them take me. Why you let them carve me up like some sacrificial fucking lamb."
He flinches at that, his jaw tightening. His eyes close for a second, and when they open again, he speaks.
"Nicolae," he starts, voice low. "My uncle. He had a plan."
I cross my arms over my chest. "I'm listening."
"He wanted me to let you be taken. To track you. To kill the Phantom King, end it all, and come out the hero." He pauses,swallowing hard. "He wanted to use that as leverage for an alliance to come to the U.S."
My stomach twists even though Callum already told me this.
But hearing it from Octavian's mouth makes it real in a way I wasn't ready for.
"And you just, what? Agreed?" My voice shakes with fury. "You just said, 'Sure, Nicolae, I'll throw the woman I'm fucking to the wolves'?"
"At first," he admits, and the words hit like a slap. "At first, I agreed, before even coming here."
I take a step back, my hands trembling. "Jesus Christ. And the bracelet? Did you track me?"
"Yes."
I pace away from him, then back. "So what? This entire thing, every touch, every kiss, all the nights you stayed near me, was part of the mission?"
"No," he says quickly. "That's what ruined the mission."
I freeze.
He shakes his head. "I didn't expect to feel anything for you, Keira. I was supposed to finish the job, report back, and leave. But then I started noticing things. The way you fold your arms when you're pissed. The sound of your laugh when you don't mean to let it out. The way you defend people even when it hurts you."
His voice softens.
"And then I started caring what you ate. Whether you slept. If the house had your favorite foods, not because I was assigned to, but because it made me feel something I've never felt before, and I told myself I could control it."
"You should've warned me."
"I thought I could get to you before they touched you. I wasn't fast enough. I thought I could handle it."
"But you didn't," I say, louder now. "You let them tie me to a fucking altar, Octavian."
