Sixty Five

Lucian

The moonlight cast shadows on the soft petals of blooming jasmine in the garden.

All night, I avoided Dimitri. His presence was choking the hell out of me because I still hadn't gathered the courage to ask King Vladislav for the password.

It was strange to call him Dad. I was never going to do so. I had no dad. Because of Vladislav, I endured so much suffering as a child.

My brain conjured several scenarios in my head and ways to ask him for the password, but none added up.

How could I just ask him for the password without him suspecting foul play? The secret room was a place Vlad was used to all his life. And except I had a serious brain accident or memory loss, I had no excuse to forget the password.

The screen door slammed on the porch and I froze, knowing it was Dimitri. He knew wherever I was and was monitoring me with the microchip.

My boots hit the crumbling earth, and I sipped some cold water from the hose connected to the tap to quell my turmoil.

Dimitri moved c