“She'll be safe at home with my wife.” His father spoke it resolutely. “Adelle will agree. She'll want to help.”
The conversation left Zayne as dizzy as when Dr. Cooper drugged him. This was what that man did. He studied people to find the best way to invade their souls like a parasite.
“Excellent,” Dr. Cooper said. “Returning to prison has pushed her over the edge.” He turned the screen back on and opened a live view of Kira in her cell. She lay in bed with the blankets pulled up to her chin, her vacant stare on the wall. “It's time to send her into the arms of a mother.”
“Break her and then heal her.” The coldness of Zayne's voice betrayed the contempt he needed to keep hidden. But so what if everyone knew he didn't like these tactics? “Then break her again.”
Dr. Cooper's stare felt like the hot water burning his skin after the freezing cold numbed him to his core. “Yes, Zayne. That's exactly what I was thinking. Only if she's good, we may not have to break her again. Once may be all it takes.”
CHAPTER 16
Miya
The Territories
Archai, Caspador
833 P.C. [Post-Collapse]
The week passed slowly after the captain interrogated Miya at the bar. Her memories sank into a black void, giving her mind endless space to imagine the worst scenarios. If she told him about her father, then she would have woken up in Ciondo. What a sensational story for an emperor who loved to toy with a narrative—the dead daughter of the king returned to life. A marked woman at that.
So, Miya must have kept her most important secret to herself.
Right?
That logic offered little comfort once her thoughts spiraled beyond control. The captain wasn’t here at Krowe's, but she felt him. Heard his questions storming through her mind, kindling the panic that dragged her into darkness during the interrogation.
What had she said to him?
While she may never find out, she did know that he expected progress on her only objective.
Get close to Lance.
So, she sought out the new member of the house throughout the week, talking with him, smoking and drinking outside by the sheds when night fell and no one would notice. Often, they talked until the cold numbed their hands and forced them back inside.
The lanky northern trees left their view of the sky open and did little to hinder winter breezes.
“The headmistress is on to us, you know,” Miya said, eyes following a thin trunk from the ground to high into the night sky. It was so quiet out here. “She made me wash my clothes twice because of the smoke.”
Lance laughed and blew a puff against her shoulder.
“Ass!” Miya pushed him, making sure to do it with an open palm so her fingers lingered against his firm shoulder. “You'll get me in trouble.”
Waving his hand, he wafted the smoke away from her. “Sorry. Very sorry.”
“Sure you are. What's with you, anyway? Shouldn't you be too important to smoke with house staff?” She grinned. “Mr. Krowe.”
One week in and this mystery addition to Krowe's house seemed like a normal guy without any secrets. Despite his height and size, he didn't intimidate her the way a man of his stature normally would. Lance felt gentle and soft despite that husky exterior.
He shrugged a shoulder, leaning back against the shed wall with his long legs stretched out. “Who else am I supposed to smoke with?”
“A young man in the Krowe family returning from war?” Miya pursed her lips. “You could smoke with whoever you like in this city.”
“You're the only one nearby I see wanting to smoke every day.”
She watched him. “Convenience. That's all I am to you.”
A half smile slid onto his lips. “And what am I to you? You're the one who could smoke with anyone you want.”
