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The air is still, uninhabited.
Usually, one of my slaves would have approached me by now. But this isn’t insubordination. Something is wrong.
I enter, staying on high alert.
I notice that Laura’s scent is fading from the front entrance. It’s possible she hasn’t wandered this way all day, but I don’t feel confident in that guess. I start walking around the house, calling out for a slave to appear. I also yell Laura’s name, hoping that I have made some mistake, and she’ll be just around some corner, waiting with that teasing smile of hers.
But the deeper I explore; I realize that her scent is fading everywhere. Everyone has disappeared.
Where could they have gone?
I instructed my slaves to keep Laura inside. It had less to do with wanting to keep her confined and more because I wanted her to be safe. There are many dangers in Ti’lith that could befall her. Laura was supposed to be protected in my home.
Who would dare make a move on the house of the Prince? Even though I have a lower rank than my father and brothers, the royal blood flowing through my veins affords my many privileges.
It is how I have kept Akos hidden for so long.
But he is a secret. No one is aware of his presence. The whole of Ti’lith is probably aware of my taking of Laura after the display I made in the arena. I do not regret saving her life, but it does mean there is a lot of attention on her.
But I had viewed the attention as more of an inconvenience than a danger.
Plus, I trained Akos to stay hidden. Laura is wary, but does she know who to avoid? If someone uninvited were to come to my home, would she interact with them? I should have spoken to her about how to keep herself safe.
I should have prepared her.
I still haven’t found Laura or come across a single slave. Panic builds inside me. The silence is deafening. It taunts me, reminding me what a failure I am for failing to protect Laura.
“Akos!” I call out for my brother. He must still be here. Akos’ first instinct is to stay hidden. If something happened, he’d have waited for my return.
As I’m shouting for him, he finally emerges, looking unharmed but shaken.
“Rej’thorek.” Akos looks at me with wide eyes. I rush over to him and kneel down, gripping his shoulders tight. My anxiety is reaching a tipping point, but I don’t want to take it out on my brother.
I take a deep breath. It doesn’t do much to calm me down, but it helps a little.
“What happened? Where’s Laura?” I ask.
Akos doesn’t answer me immediately. He still appears frightened. I need to calm myself if I’m going to get any information out of him.
“It’s just us here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I breathe with Akos, and the tension he’s holding loosens. Sometimes I forget how young he is. He may be the son of the Demon King, but he’s also a child.
One who has been in hiding his entire life.
“Did you see what happened?” I ask, this time with a more even tone.
Akos nods. “I saw everything…”
My heart pounds hearing those words coming out of Akos’ mouth. His demeanor tells me that whatever happened was not good.
“What did you see?”
“A matron came. She took Laura. The slaves tried to stop her, and she killed them all.”
All my slaves dead. Laura taken. By a matron, no less…
Yedina.
Anger surges through me, taking over my entire being. Yedina came to my house. She killed my slaves. She took my woman.
