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“I can help you. We can help you,” he insists. I should never have let him into the apartment, but I didn’t have a choice. If one of my father’s men saw him, he’d be killed, and I can’t have Etienne’s life being stolen for caring about me.
Shaking my head, I turn away from him, staring down at the river that snakes through the city. The slow rising sun turns the horizon a bright orange, and the sky that cocoons the city of London lightens as the night turns to day.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me everything. And if you don’t, I’ll just wait here until your father comes back and confesses whatever the fuck you’re doing for him.”
“You really think my dad is going to tell you what his plan is?”
“He worked for Abner, which means he’s here doing something illegal.” Etienne’s right, but I don’t nod, I don’t respond, I allow him to come to his own conclusions. Even if I did tell him everything, he couldn’t do shit to save me.
7
Etienne
“You are the most annoying woman I’ve ever come across.” I watch her body tense, and I know I’m in for her fiery personality. If Ares thinks he has his hands full with Dahlia, he can think again because I’m here with a woman who I want to save, and she’s acting like a goddamned hero.
“And you are the most pigheaded man I’ve ever met,” she bites out, turning to face me. Her long braids hang down her back, and there’s a soft hue of orange behind her, lighting her smooth skin. The ink that adorns her arm is colored in various shades, but in this light, there’s another hue that seems to pop against her caramel flesh.
“It’s one of my better qualities,” I tell her, chuckling when she rolls her eyes. She’s got something that makes my body respond in ways I’ve never felt. And that’s what fucking scares me. I made a vow to myself. I built these walls around me to stop my feelings from escaping, but Rukaiya is slowly chipping away at them—brick by brick.
“Are you even listening to me?” Rukaiya’s voice breaks through my memories and drags me back to the present.
“What?”
She sighs audibly, the sound is soft, almost pained, and I’m tempted to go to her and wrap her in my arms, but I know she’ll only push me away. So, I wait.
“I can’t leave here until I’ve finished the ritual,” she tells me.
My ears perk up at this new information. When we were seventeen, Ares and I found a few hidden volumes in his dad’s library. Amongst them was a book of ceremonies that take place within the Sovereign where each of the sects will celebrate for lack of a better word. But no women are allowed. Ever.
“Ritual?” My voice cracks on the word, because the moment I say it, I come to the realization that there must be something we missed. Philipe was meant to research every fucking page of that book.
Rukaiya nods, her eyes lock on mine, and I see the pain in those beautiful gemstone orbs. She’s scared. In the months that I’ve come to know her, I’ve never seen her fearful, ever, but right now, in this room, she’s shaking.
“And he’s taking you into a Sovereign party?”
“Yes, in Amsterdam, I’m… I’m the entertainment,” she finally admits.
I have no words as she stalks by me into what I assume is her bedroom. Moments later, she returns holding a pair of ballet shoes. She sets them down gently, along with a dress that’s far too short for any public gathering.
“My outfit.” She doesn’t meet my gaze when she tells me this, but if she did look up, she’d see the rage that’s slowly coursing through every vein in my body. “I’m meant to dance for them.”
“This is fucked up,” I bite out, my jaw ticking as I clench it so hard I’m sure my goddamned teeth are about to shatter. “You’re not doing it.”
Her stubborn gaze snaps to mine. “What?”
“You’re not doing it. We will stop it before it’s even begun,” I tell her adamantly. “I’m not letting you go up there and prance around like a fucking doll on display for those assholes.”
“You’re not letting me?” The girl is gone in the next second and then I’m met with my little wolf. She’s about to devour me whole for saying what I did, but I’m not apologizing. She’s mine. The thought slams into me before her hand makes contact with my face. Hard.
“What the fuck?”
“You don’t let me do anything. I’m capable of taking care of myself,” she grits through clenched teeth, and I swear to god, I almost see her snarl at me.
“Oh, little wolf, you have so much to learn.” I offer her a smirk before turning on my heel and heading for the doorway. And just like I thought, she’s racing up behind me within seconds. By the time I reach the handle and twist it, her small, delicate hand is on mine.
