Page 15 of Fixation of the Mind

“Just fucking stab her!” the man behind me bellowed, and the glasses guy scurried closer.

I tried to use all my muscles, all my might, to get out of this situation, but as soon as I felt that prick in my arm, I knew they had gotten what they wanted. My face scrunched up in defeat as my audience's eyes laughed at my struggle.

The only good thing I could say was that the glasses guy was quick.

As soon as he shook the blood-filled vial around, my captor released me, and I fell on my ass. I immediately turned around, glaring up at the guy who looked like a carbon copy of the two guards who had taken Rion took out. Blood was running down his nose, and I winked as he wiped it away. It was the only win I could claim.

My hand absently rubbed at my bruised butt to try to ease the ache until I caught the bastard smirking at me. I knew he had done that shit on purpose.

“The test is positive, Madam Chair.”

I flinched, so engrossed in my staring contest that only his words had reminded me what I was here for. All six of the people came down from their lofty seats to circle around me.

Now that they were up close and personal, I could finally get a good look at these council members, and I hated to say it, but they were impressive human specimens.

Mrs. Ricci crouched down, smiling at me again, but this time her eyes matched her smile. “Layrin, you are the missing piece, the last heir of the Rose family.”

My stomach dropped, and my mouth opened and closed like I was gasping for air. I had no idea what to say to that. Everything inside of me told me to run, to get away from these people, that I wasn't strong enough to handle them. There was no way that I was some last descendant of a fancy rich killer family. Someone would’ve come looking for me. They were wrong. Their test was wrong.

“She will need training.” I looked up to see a stunning mahogany-skinned man with piercing eyes and strong cheekbones. He looked like a model in his three-button navy suit and salmon-colored pocket square.

“Yes, but that means we’ll need to postpone the naming ceremony.” I remembered the soft feminine voice and turned to see a set of mesmerizing almond-shaped eyes and long, silky black hair. She was wearing a navy and gold-flowered cocktail dress that pinched at the waist and had long overly large sleeves. It reminded me of a kimono, but it had been altered to look more modern.

A man stepped forward, with dark trimmed hair and facial hair and sparkling honey brown eyes. I knew this was the mold they used when they called a man a lady killer. A Spanish inflection colored his words. “And who knew that Ambros was going to bring back the family member that would take half his territory.”

“Now, now. Let's not get hasty. We don't even know if the girl is a fit for us. Even with the Rose blood, she might be useless.” My eyes flicked to the nasty, annoyed voice, finding it belonged to a man with crystal blue eyes and golden hair that looked like a halo. All of those beautiful features were going to waste because the windows to his soul revealed his vile nature. This man was not one to be fucked with, and from what the other man had said, I could guess that this was the boys’ uncle.

There was one other person in the back, the unnaturally tall man silently observing everything from his casual position against the wall. In a loose linen shirt and slacks, he had a less formal air than the others. His eyes bounced around as if he were cataloging everyone’s reactions, including mine.

One thing was for sure as I looked around at all these people; their faces spoke volumes of their ravenous hunger for power. Intrigued by me, they tilted their heads like they were trying to figure out how this additional piece was going to be placed on the game board. Before me were the most dangerous strategists and most brutal of masters, and I was now in their sights. Shit.

“The test. She will need to pass the test, and if she does, then she can attend the naming ceremony and become the new head of the Rose family.” Mrs. Ricci grabbed my hand and pulled me up with her. I was still on information overload, so I didn’t pull away. “All who agree, show your hand.”

One by one, they all raised their hands until it got to the boys’ uncle. He sneered at me before raising his hand and saying aye in the most bored fashion possible.

Mrs. Ricci turned back to me. “We will have you training for the next three months, then you will take the test. Once your results are in, we will plan for the gala and the naming ceremony to be the next day.” Her eyes roamed over me like she was searching for something, or maybe someone, but I didn’t know what.

Before I could say anything, the boys’ uncle called out, “Now, since the girl is close with my nephew, it's only right that he trains her, don’t you think?” The smile on his face was wide and malicious. I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly licked his lips, lost in a vision of eating me whole. If I had seen this man while growing up, I would’ve walked on the other side of the street just to escape his attention, and this was the man who had raised Rion, Roux, and Ravi.

Sorrow filled my heart for what life must’ve been like under a man like that.

Mrs. Ricci opened her mouth, probably wanting to claim her children should train me for whatever this “test” was, but I knew one thing. The triplets would ensure I survived. Not so that I could be a cog in the Foedus machine, nor to prove anything to these people, and certainly not because their uncle told them to. No, they wanted me to survive for purely selfish reasons, and I could count on that. I wasn't going to be picky about my survival.

“I agree," I blurted out. All heads turning towards me, their collective gaze intimidating but I had to press forward. Moving my arms and legs, I stood up. "I will train under Ambros for this test you have for me, then we will see if I belong here.” Still not believing that this was my calling in life, I knew I couldn't just say that to them. They wouldn’t just let me go. No. I needed to earn my freedom, and the only way to do that was if the boys trained me.

“So you are a smart girl after all,” their uncle cooed. Taking a step forward, he looked like the kid who had gotten the last cookie from the cookie jar. It was gross, and I really just wanted to punch this slime ball in the face, but I had just agreed to work with his family, so it might not be the right time to do that.

Mrs. Ricci immediately grabbed my arm again, giving me a tight shut-your-mouth look. “Then it's settled. Let me walk her out. I'm sure she has a lot to get caught up on, and we still have much to talk about.”

She bolted for the door, not letting go of me until we were outside of the room. I rubbed at the spot she held, feeling the residual grip of her fingers on my forearm when I took a step away from her.

“You need to be careful with the Ambros family. They are highly skilled, but they are also the most dangerous. Neil and his nephew are not to be taken lightly.” She glanced back at me with sad eyes. “I wished you felt comfortable enough with my family, but after some of the things I’ve heard, I understand.”

“Well, you also kidnapped me, soooo…” She stopped short at my words, looking at me with a sparkle in her eyes before she laughed. It was one of those full belly laughs, and it made my lips turn up.

“Yes.” She wiped a tear from her eyes. “You’re right. It would be hard to trust someone who did that, but just know that was just a light introduction into this world. Its purpose was only to confirm my thoughts. I don’t regret it. I was able to see for myself who you truly were.”

“And this necklace gave it away?” Lifting it up by the chain, I examined it with new eyes.

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