THE EDGE OF DEFIANCE

Russo's point of view

The moment I uttered the words, “Kill her,” I watched Cleopatra closely, waiting for the inevitable reaction.

Fear?

Yes, she had every reason to be afraid. But what I was truly interested in was how she would respond when her world was ripped away from her.

Would she crumble, beg, or perhaps fight back? I was damn curious.

To my satisfaction, she didn’t disappoint. Her initial shock, the disbelief that flickered in her wide, tear-filled eyes, was quickly overtaken by defiance. A defiance that, had it come from anyone else, would have been amusingly naive. But from Cleopatra, it was something far more intriguing.

When she laughed in my face, mocking the very idea that she could be forced into such a situation, I felt a sliver of respect for her. It takes a certain kind of person to laugh in the face of danger, to try and reclaim some sense of control when it’s being ripped away from them. That was something I could admire, even if only a little.

But then again,