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For that moment, there was nothing I could do to save myself. That was the point. He wanted my trust. Wanted me to believe I was safe in his hands.
He showed how easily he can protect me. The terrifying part is knowing he could destroy me just as well.
“You’re going to be my Aspirant,” he says. “You’ll go through the Dominion Trials with me. When they’re over, your debt will be paid. And you’ll have your justice.”
Asher’s face swims up, blurred around the edges. My thoughts scramble for something that makes sense.
“What does that mean? What Trials?”
His hand smooths down to my lower back. I remain perfectly still, afraid one wrong movement might send me plummeting over the edge.
“Three Trials to determine the next leader of the Serpentium Order,” he says. “I need a partner. And I choose you.”
My mouth feels numb. “None of that makes sense.”
“It will.” His tone is unnervingly calm. “You’re part of this now, Zaiya. It’s your debt to pay.”
I swallow hard. This is for Asher and me both. Justice for him, safety for me. Anything to ensure the man who killed him gets what he deserves. Whatever it takes.
“What do I have to do?”
His eyes travel slowly down my body.
“You’ll stand naked before the Order. And you’ll obey me.”
My jaw drops with the release of every ounce of air in my lungs.
“I can’t do that.”
“Don’t be afraid of your own power.” His voice lowers. “I can give you the chance to discover it.”
Power. He keeps saying that word as if there’s something hidden inside me worth revealing. All I can picture is standing exposed in front of strange men while Edwin commands me like he owns me.
There is no possible way Asher intended this when he handed me the medallion.
Edwin may know information about my life, but he doesn’t know me. Not the girl who survived three years in a locked bedroom. Not the girl who learned how to disappear so thoroughly that she almost vanished from herself.
My future feels sealed no matter where I stand. Even here, I’m under someone’s hand. He thinks he can pull me into this with beautiful words about angels.
I’m no angel.
And I’m not a whore either.
I shake my head and inch around him, desperate for space he can’t touch.
“No. I can’t help you with that. I’m sorry.”
His jaw tightens.
“Then forget about finding Asher’s killer. And forget about the Order’s protection when he comes for you again. That’s the deal. I give you something. You give me something.”
My chest aches as I take a deep breath.
“That’s not fair.”
“It was never meant to be fair. No one gets what they want for free. Everything has a price.”
His expression turns calm, almost patient.
