Chapter 3 - The Wolves in the House
"I asked you a question, Nina," Marcus repeated, his voice dropping into a register that made the hair on my arms stand up. His grip on my jaw tightened until I could feel the sharp edges of my own teeth cutting into the inside of my lip.
"I dropped it," I lied, choking back a gasp of pain. "It rolled under the bed. I was trying to find it when his fever spiked."
Dr. Bennett immediately dropped to his knees, peering beneath the heavy dust ruffle of the four-poster bed. "There's nothing down here, Marcus. She’s lying."
Marcus smiled, a slow, terrifying expression that didn't reach his eyes. "I know. She’s been lying since midnight." He released his grip on my face, tossing me aside so carelessly that I stumbled against the nightstand, sending a glass of water shattering onto the hardwood floor.
Marcus pulled a silver handkerchief from his pocket, wiping his gloved hands as if I had contaminated him. "Dr. Bennett, prepare another dose from your bag. This time, we will ensure the patient takes it."
"No!" I screamed, lunging forward, but Marcus caught me by the throat, pinning me against the wall. The pressure was intense; air trapped itself in my chest, and the room began to spin.
"You really are a fool," Marcus murmured, staring at me with genuine amusement. "You fell in love with a monster, Nina. Did you think a man like Alexander Romano could ever love a maid? To him, you are furniture. A pretty face to clean his sheets. You are risking your life for a man who wouldn't even remember your last name if he woke up."
From behind the curtain, a shadow shifted.
Before Leo could spring his trap, the grand double doors of the bedroom were kicked open with a thunderous crash. Three armed Romano soldiers stepped into the room, their automatic rifles raised. But they weren't aiming at Marcus. They were aiming at us.
"Sir," the lead soldier said, bowing his head slightly to Marcus. "The perimeter is secure. The outer guards have been replaced with our men."
Marcus nodded, never letting go of my throat. "Excellent. It seems our transition of power will be seamless. Doctor, the injection. Now."
Dr. Bennett pulled a syringe from his leather bag, tapping the glass cylinder as a clear, lethal fluid filled the chamber. He stepped toward the unconscious Alexander, lifting his arm to find a vein.
"Stop right there, Bennett."
The voice didn't come from Leo behind the curtain. It came from the bed.
May you like
Marcus’s grip on my throat loosened in sheer shock. We both turned our heads.
Alexander Romano was sitting up. His eyes were no longer clouded with fever; they were clear, dark, and filled with a terrifying, demonic rage. In his right hand, hidden beneath the silk sheets the entire time, was a gold-plated Desert Eagle pistol. And it was aimed directly at Dr. Bennett's forehead.
