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His question made me bristle, but I bit my tongue, staying silent. My gaze wandered around and then down as I tried to calm myself while Amaros wasn’t focused on me. My eyes landed on my boot when I noticed it was untied. I bent down to tie it as Zan answered.
“Almost two months.”
I froze, my fingers gripping my shoelaces. How had it only been less than two months since I met him? It seemed so much longer. I continued tying my boot until I noticed the top of my stake pressed against my ankle. I blew out even breaths, attempting to control my heartbeat. Amaros was so close to me—with his back turned. He didn’t feel threatened by me, meaning I had an advantage.
Could I kill Amaros Kane? Probably not. My stomach fluttered. But what if I could? The entire war was being spearheaded by him. The other vampires followed him. I had no doubt that they’d follow Zan and the twins if Amaros was gone.
But even though I didn’t exactly trust the three of them, I already knew that they were a better choice than their father. They might be dangerous and cutthroat, but at least they seemed to show some humanity. Something I didn’t think Amaros possessed. It could give humans the advantage they needed to fight against the vampires.
Even if I did succeed in killing him, I still wouldn’t survive the night. Zan might feel something for me, but watching me stake his father? Amaros was his blood, while I was nothing but a human he enjoyed sleeping with. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe he and his brothers wouldn’t kill me.
But I reached for the stake anyway. I would never forgive myself for not taking this chance. It was what I’d been trained to do for years. My fingers trembled slightly as I plucked the stake from my boot and quickly shoved it under my shirt, tucking it into my waistband. Then I finished tying my boot before standing back up.
I hesitated to look around the room, terrified that one of them had witnessed what I’d just done. When I finally raised my eyes, relief cut through me when my move seemed to have gone unnoticed. Amaros was still talking to Zan, neither focused on me. Pax and Viggo were muttering something among themselves, both of them looking at their father.
I went still when I locked eyes with Tim. His gaze drifted down to where I’d hidden the stake, and he jerked a small nod. A silent way to encourage me to do it. He didn’t say a word, his head turning away from me when Amaros spun around to face me again. Zan stiffened, taking one small step this way before he stopped, looking like he was forcing himself to stay still.
“Welcome to the family, Kali.” Amaros’s statement sounded far from welcoming. To me, it was a veiled threat, and I swallowed around the lump in my throat as he strolled closer. “I want my son to be happy. Do you think you can make him happy?”
Something nauseating unfurled in my stomach. “Yes.”
“As a human, you still have empathy,” he murmured, his eyes sliding to Tim. “But you can’t have that when you’re with us. Do you understand?”
He was playing a game of some sort, and I didn’t know how to answer. I licked my lips, my eyes searching his cruel face.
He chuckled. “I want your help, Kali.”
“With what?” I asked, managing to keep my voice steady.
“We are going to ask this human a few questions. And if he doesn’t answer…well, I’m sure you can guess what we’ll do.”
“She’s not ready for that,” Zan spoke up, his voice tight. “I’ll do it.”
“No,” Amaros snapped. “I want your girl to do it.”
“Do what?” The question was barely out of my mouth when Amaros snatched my arm, dragging me with him. His grip was unescapable as he brought me closer to Tim, who stood rigidly.
“We’re going to ask him some questions,” Amaros declared, yanking me in front of him before letting go of my arm. “And if he doesn’t answer…you’ll be the one to punish him.”
My heart dipped, a cold sweat breaking out over my skin. “I can’t. He’s bigger than me. Stronger. I don’t have a weapon.”
“I want to see what you’re made of, Kali.” He seemed to enjoy saying my name. The way he spoke it made terror take hold. In his eyes, I was Zan’s, but that meant I was in his family. That I belonged to him too. I did not fucking like it. “You have strength, I can tell. My son wouldn’t have chosen a weak woman. Now, you’re going to show me.”
Both Pax and Viggo were in my line of sight, and a second later, Zan appeared. He halted about five feet away, his gaze on his father. His usual vibrant green eyes were dark and stormy, his lips pressed together as if he were swallowing the words he wanted to say.
“I want to know if the Clovers know what PARA is hiding in that building,” Amaros murmured, his voice a notch lower. More dangerous. Threatening. “I know they moved whatever it is to Project Hope a few weeks ago. Building 1403. What’s in there?”
Tim glared daggers over my shoulder at Amaros. “I have no idea. But if I did, I’d rather die than tell you.”
“That will be arranged if you don’t prove yourself useful.” Amaros stayed behind me, making me even more uneasy. “You have one more chance to answer.”
“Fuck you,” Tim spat out.
“Go ahead, Kali.” Amaros’s hand landed on my lower back, giving me a small push forward. “Change his mind about giving us answers.”
I didn’t move a muscle, my chest heaving as I stared at Tim. Disobeying Amaros would only make this worse on me, and on Tim. The pain I gave him would be far less than the torture Amaros would inflict. With my palm open, I raised my hand and slapped Tim across the face. It was hard enough for pain to sting my skin, and I let a look of apology cross my face when Tim met my eyes again.
“Not good enough,” Amaros hissed. “Hurt him, Kali.”
