Separation

Hardin grabbed Velia by the arm and dragged her toward a servant's entrance door located in a dark back corner, his face flushed with anger as he saw how exposed his sister was and how men continued to eye her.

"There are things you need to stop doing," Hardin hissed, his voice stern.

"If a man tells you to pick something up for him, ignore him. Do you hear me?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

Velia nodded silently, looking down. She was ashamed that her brother was angry with her but she hadn't known what else to do.

"I don't think you should be working here," Hardin added. He scrubbed a hand over his face, his jaw clenched. "You wait for me right here. I'll be back."

He turned to leave, planning to return to the bar, but Venom came down the hall, Blade right behind him. The Alpha disappeared into a door and Hardin immediately followed, his eyes fixed on them.

Hardin tried to follow Venom into the room but Blade threw up a hand to his chest.

"Let me in. I need to talk to him," Hardin said angrily, his fists clenched.

"I don't think he'll want to see you," Reaper said calmly, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you think I care?" Hardin growled, his face twisted with disgust. "I need to set things straight. He can do whatever he wants with me, but not with my sister. I can't accept that."

"You've got some balls on you, I'll give you that," Blade said, shaking his head, and grabbing Hardin by the arm. "Come with me."

Blade dragged Hardin down the hall, away from the door. Hardin's face twisted into a mask of fury.

"I told you I wanted to see him," Hardin shouted, his voice rising. "He has to stop all of this because I can’t stand it. I just can't."

"I don’t think you understand the kind of person you're dealing with here, slave," Blade said, his tone serious. "You think anything will change if you go and challenge him?"

"I don’t care," Hardin scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"I think you should," Blade replied, his gaze hardening. "Because doing that could get both your sister and you into even more trouble."

Hardin remained silent, his expression set in determination.

"If you truly care about your sister and want her to survive in a place like this, you need to lay low," Blade continued, his voice firm. "I mean it. Acting like this won’t help; it will only bring more trouble."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Hardin asked after a pause, looking at Blade in confusion.

"Strangely, I like you," Blade said with a smile. "So think about it. Now, get back to work." He clapped Hardin on the shoulder before turning to leave.

"What about my sister? I don't want her to go back in there."

"Don't worry. Things are breaking up after your little show. The women will take her back to her room. You need to stay away from her for now." Blade gave Hardin a hard, stern look. "Let it go for tonight, man. She's fine."

Hardin took a deep breath, reflecting on Blade’s words. Part of him wanted to run back to get Velia and run as fast as they could but he knew they'd just be picked up and dragged back here. And the outcome might be even worse than whatever revenge this Venom already had planned for them.

"Fine. I'll trust you. For tonight," Hardin agreed.

The shifter nodded. "Good decision. I'm Blade by the way," he added before he turned to go back down the hall.

Hardin made his way back to the bar, which was already empty, the only people there the bartenders cleaning up.

"You should follow me," a man said with a smile. "We're staying in the same room."

Hardin said nothing, his face unreadable, and followed him.

"I admire your courage," the man said. "I wish I had it."

"I’m Cole, by the way," the man introduced himself again, but Hardin still ignored him until they reached the room.

The room was beautiful, with a large bed in the center.

"We’ll be sharing the bed," Cole said. "Hope that’s okay with you."

Hardin muttered, "I don’t care," before lying down on the bed, his face contorted in irritation.

"I guess you don’t like to talk much," Cole said, settling beside him.

"I'm tired. I just want to sleep," Hardin muttered, his thoughts locked on his sister and prayed she really was okay.

 

***

 

 

The maid had found Velia lingering by the back door where Hardin had left her and convinced her that her brother had been taken off to his own room with another male worker. She had Velia follow her to another room.

"So, what do you think of the room?" she asked as Velia looked around.

"It’s nice," Harmony said, nodding. "Can I change my clothes?"

"Sure," the maid replied with a smile. "Let me give you something to wear. I'm Star, by the way."

"I’m Velia," she said cheerfully. "So, how did you end up here?"

"My dad sold me to Godfather Marco to pay a debt," Star replied, her voice tinged with sadness, her gaze dropping.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Velia responded, her tone calm.

"It’s okay, I’ve gotten past it. It's not so bad here," Star said. "What about you?"

Velia shrugged and bit her lip. "I’m not sure. No one will tell me anything."

Star watched her curiously for a moment before shrugging. "I'm sure we'll find out soon. I think you should rest now. We have an early start tomorrow."

Star handed Harmony one of her dresses. Harmony smiled, took it, changed into it, and then lay on the bed with relief. The events of the day weighed heavily on her. She had witnessed things that seemed like something out of a movie—things that didn’t feel real. Her mind kept replaying those moments until sleep finally took over.