Page 27 of The Devil's Fire

“You’re going to pass out if you don’t breathe. Breathe, Althaia.”

But I couldn’t.

And everything went black.

eleven

Althaia

I let out a small groan, grabbing my head due to the pounding headache. I sat up and blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to the darkness in the room. It was Cara’s room. Before I could get confused about why I was here, everything rushed back to me.

Blood. So much blood. And my uncle’s detached tongue on the floor.

I almost gagged at the image.

A beam of light filled the room as the door opened.

“You’re awake.” Cara stepped in and handed me a bottle of water. “Are you okay?” She sat next to me on the bed and looked at me with worry. I shrugged.

“He deserved it, Thaia. He’s lucky he’s still alive after talking like that.” She scoffed, her voice laced with disgust and not at all bothered.

She was right. Her father deserved it, and more, particularly for how he has treated Cara over the years. But it was seeing the action unfold in front of me that had me black out.

He cut off his tongue like it was nothing. It was another not-so- friendly reminder of what kind of world I had stepped into and what these people were capable of.

“I need some painkillers. My head is killing me.” I muttered and got up from the bed.

I slowed down as I walked down the staircase, watching how the entire place was packed with men.

“What’s going on?” I wondered out loud. I saw Michael walking towards us, his face intense and alert.

“Althaia, are you okay?” He embraced me tightly in his arms.

“I’m fine.” His shirt muffled the sound of my voice. “What’s going on? Why are there so many men here?” I asked.

The entire floor was filled with men with their hands resting on their guns. I leaned into Michael, unsure of what was going to happen next.

“I’ll explain later. Right now, I need to take you and Cara to your hotel for safety.” He wasted no time and quickly ushered us outside.

Several cars were parked out front, with even more men standing outside. They were almost surrounding the mansion.

As Michael opened the car door for us, Damiano walked out with a group of men. They were standing close to him as if they were his personal bodyguards. What made me uneasy about him was that he looked so calm and composed, as if he hadn’t just stuck a knife into someone’s mouth.

He stepped down the stairs in a new shirt and jacket, and his eyes snapped to mine as if he could feel I was looking at him. He spoke a few words to his men, and I could feel the intensity of their stares as he walked toward me.

Michael moved quickly, standing in front of me to prevent Damiano from getting any closer.

“Don’t even think about it.” Michael said warningly, but Damiano's expression didn’t change as he stepped closer.

“Move.” Damiano’s voice was sinisterly low.

“It’s okay, Michael.” I placed a hand on his shoulder to have him step back.

If Damiano could go as far as cutting off the tongue of someone in a higher position, then I didn’t dare to imagine what he could do to Michael.

He ignored me and continued to glare at Damiano.

“Michael, please…” I tried to pull him away.

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