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TOB 52
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Throne of Blood TOB 53
TOB 53ETHAN'S POVOver time, I had developed the habit of not leaving her side. It wasn't just a controlling trait—I felt like something disastrous would happen to her if I left.Rose looked exhausted; her eyes heavy with fatigue. She said she was a bit tired and wanted to go home. I insisted on dropping her off, despite her guards following us. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something from me. I didn't know what it was, but it was there, lurking in her bright gaze sometimes. I was determined to figure it out, even though Rose always had her walls up around me. Her memory loss hadn't changed her personality. She didn't spare me a glance during the entire ride, focusing on her phone, replying to work emails. Her workaholic nature was still the same, even with lost memories.As soon as we stopped in front of her house, she climbed out without saying a word. I followed her and gently grabbed her arm. She spun around so fast that her hand landed on my chest for balan
Throne of Blood TOB 54
TOB 54ETHAN'S POVAfter a twenty-minute drive, I noticed a black van trailing me. Instead of heading to the rooftop where I was supposed to meet Fire, I stopped the car at the back of an abandoned warehouse. Wires and industrial waste were scattered all over the site, giving the place an apocalyptic feel.Pretending this was my final destination, I leaned against the car and retrieved my phone.**Ethan:** I have company.Fire's reply came almost instantly.**Fire:** How could you let them follow you? What are you, an amateur?**Ethan:** I didn’t let them. I stopped, didn’t I?**Fire:** After they followed? Amateur.**Ethan:** Piss off.**Fire:** All the better. I can't be away from the dull club for too long. Let's reschedule.I was about to hide my phone when it lit up with another text from him.**Flame:** Don't taint my name by telling anyone I trained you, Amateur.That f-cker. Though it was strange—I should have noticed it initially, but some of my inhibitions were muted. Slip
Throne of Blood TOB 55
TOB 55ETHAN'S POVMy eyes open slowly, my eyelids sticking together. The first thing I notice is that I'm sitting down and bound to a metal chair. Plain gray walls surround me, and rusty metal machines flicker in the corners. I shake my head—it's my vision, not the machines, that’s unsteady.I try to move, but thick ropes hold me in place. My hands are bound behind my back, and my feet are strapped to the chair’s legs. This setup is familiar to me. With enough wiggling, I can flip the chair backward, bend one of its legs, and once I free my ankles, I'll have more leeway to release myself.Before I can act on my plan, I'm surrounded by the lucky seven who captured me. They didn't even bother taking me to one of their compounds; they just moved me inside the warehouse. If the location holds no importance, it means my life or death doesn't matter to them.Hades steps forward, handing his jacket to one of his underlings, and makes a show of rolling his sleeves to his elbows, revealing h
Throne of Blood TOB 56
TOB 56ETHAN'S POV"If you want to play…" Hades shows me his fists, now dripping with my blood, splattered all over the ground. "I'll indulge."“Where is she?” I murmur, staring at the door opposite me. “Is she there? Or are there cameras through which she can watch the show?”He grabs me by the collar, nearly lifting me and the chair off the ground. “You answer to me.”“I answer to no one.”“Then would you rather die?”“Come out, Princess!” I call, my voice straining. “Don’t you think you’ve watched enough?”“Shut the f-ck up.” Hadesimir hits me again.“I thought you wanted me to talk—now you want me to shut it? Make up your mind, you grumpy-arse f-cker. Come out, Princess. I thought we shared things,” I say with humor, which is my usual way of deflecting reality, but the words stab me inside my bloody soul. I really thought we shared things, but she went ahead and stabbed me in the back."You don't speak to her. You speak to me." Hades's strong voice booms in the room's silence, his
Throne of Blood TOB 57
TOB 57ROSE AMARA'S POVMy spine has been stiff since I stepped inside.Even though I told Hades to leave, I'm not entirely in control of the situation. He, Zeth, and Eya are waiting outside, and I can call them back in, but that would defy why I came inside in the first place.I try not to stare at Ethan’s beaten-up state for too long, but his bloodied lips, eyelids, and nose are hard not to notice. Hades has beaten him to a pulp, which isn’t a surprise considering Hades’s merciless personality when he sets out to punish someone. He made Ethan’s handsome face unrecognizable. It should feel better this way. He deserves every bit of pain he’s now going through. In fact, he deserves more.That's what I tell myself anyway because as I stare at him, that stupid part who had my heart broken when I listened to his phone conversation is also in pain.That fucking part feels as if I’m the one who’s been beaten and has swollen eyes and bleeding lips.But why should it? Ethan’s injuries might
Throne of Blood TOB 58
TOB 58ROSE AMARA POVI don't feel so good.That’s an understatement. I’m the worst I’ve been since Dedushka’s death.A heavy weight perches on my chest, confiscating my air supply and replacing it with a harsh, merciless gloom. It’s draining me, asphyxiating me. All I want to do is just... scream. But at the same time, I don’t have the luxury of losing myself to that feeling. It’s over. Everything is... done.It's been exactly two hours since I freed Ethan. Just two hours, and it feels like years already.I was never good at letting things go. I never get used to the feeling with time like most people. Instead, I hold on to it and replay it in my head every waking moment. I didn’t let go when Mom died, or when I was separated from Dad and Marie and I definitely didn’t let go when I left me alone with this pack of wolves.I’ve lost too many things and become horrible at moving on. So it's unsurprising that I keep replaying Ethan's words, repeatedly seeing his bloodied face. At this ra
Throne of Blood TOB 59
TOB 59 ROSE AMARA POVThe door opens, and I grit my teeth. The only people who would barge in like that are either one of the elite group or Uncle Raven. My options are narrowed down since my granduncle has an appointment with a doctor today.Sure enough, Hades saunters in, eyes flaming and face tightened in a permanent scowl. Of course. It was only a matter of time before he followed.Keith smiles at him. “Hades, long time no see.”“Keith.” Hades greets back, barely tipping his head in the Japanese's direction. He looks like a man on a mission and in no mood for small talk. Not that he ever is.Keith's smile remains as he stands up, buttons his jacket, and then shakes my hand. "I'll be in touch."“Looking forward to it.”His hand remains in mine for a second too long. “Before I go, may I give you a piece of advice?”“Yes, of course.”“History does repeat itself, so you might want to look closely at that.”And with that, Keith releases my hand and steps out of the office.When the do
Throne of Blood TOB 60
TOB 60ROSE AMARA POVI rub my eyes, convinced I’m seeing things. It must be a trick of my mind, a remnant of a dream that refuses to fade.But when our eyes meet in the dimness of the room, reality crashes in with brutal force. A jolt of recognition shatters through me, stark and undeniable. It’s him. Ethan. The same Ethan I left behind in that warehouse, his presence commanding the space despite the shadows obscuring his features.His hand clamps over my mouth before I can react, stifling any protest that might have escaped my lips. Words dissolve in my throat; fear and confusion mingle in a tumultuous whirl. It’s like an out-of-body experience, detached yet achingly present.In the scant light filtering through the balcony, I discern bruises marrying his face, a cut etched across his lip, traces of blood smudged in the creases of his skin. Despite the injuries, the contours of his face are achingly familiar—the sharp jawline, the stormy eyes that once both infuriated and captiv
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