Chapter 5
985 Words
Chapter 5
Ivory pov
“You’re coming with me”.
I made to speak but he held my wheelchair and spun me around, heading for the door.
A small smile graced my lips and I stared on, living in the bliss of the moment.
Somehow my plan worked.
He wheeled me to a car. A tall tan- skinned man opened the door with a grim look on his face.
He looked at me and I immediately got the message he was unconsciously or consciously passing.
I don't trust you and I have my eyes on you.
“ Nice to meet you” I murmured as he helped me into the car.
He said nothing to me and I was past caring.
It's our desire against others.
***********
The tall, tan-skinned man—who I later learned was Marcus, Raphus's beta—helped wheel me into the most magnificent house I'd ever seen. Not that Ivory had seen many grand houses, but even Ivy's memories were impressive.
The Blackwood mansion rose like a fortress from the hillside, all dark stone and towering windows that seemed to watch everything.
Inside, crystal chandeliers cast dancing shadows on marble floors, and ancient weapons decorated the walls—a reminder that this was the home of a warrior; a rogue warrior.
"Your room is on the ground floor," Raphus said, his voice neutral. "For your... recovery."
I noticed how Marcus positioned himself between me and any exit. They weren't taking chances.
They didn't trust me, which was fair enough.
The room they gave me was larger than any space I'd ever occupied as Ivory, with a four-poster bed draped in midnight blue silk and windows that overlooked the gardens.
But I also noticed the bars on those windows, decorative but functional.
A gilded cage.
"Dinner is at eight," Raphus informed me. "You'll join us in the dining room."
"That's very kind, but I'm still quite weak—"
"It wasn't a request." His grey eyes held mine steadily. "I prefer to keep my... guests... where I can see them."
After they left, I explored my prison. The room was beautiful but sparse—no sharp objects, no potential weapons except for a letter opener on the writing desk that looked too dull to cut butter. They'd thought of everything.
Or so they believed.
I ran my fingers along the ornate bed frame until I found what I was looking for—a loose decorative finial that could be twisted off. Not ideal, but it would have to do.
That evening, dinner was an exercise in careful politeness and veiled threats.
The dining room could have seated thirty, but tonight it was just the three of us—Raphus at the head of the table, Marcus to his right, and me in my wheelchair positioned where both men could watch my every move.
"So," Raphus said, cutting his steak with deliberate precision, "tell me about yourself. Where are you from?"
"The Northern provinces," I lied smoothly,
"My family has a small trading business."
"Interesting." He took a sip of wine. "Marcus, didn't we receive reports of unusual rogue activity in the Northern provinces recently?"
Marcus nodded grimly. "Several merchant families were found dead. Throats slit with surgical precision." His dark eyes found mine. "Professional work."
The threat was clear. They suspected exactly what I was but they weren't so sure.
"How terrible," I managed, forcing my voice to tremble. "I hope they catch whoever did such awful things."
"Oh, they will," Raphus said softly. "I make it a point to eliminate threats to innocent people."
The rest of the meal passed in tense silence, punctuated only by the clink of silverware and the crackling of logs in the massive fireplace.
I managed to slip out a knife, sharp enough to make an incision.
That night, I lay in the luxurious bed and planned.
Raphus had positioned guards outside my door—I could hear their quiet conversations and the occasional creak of leather armor. But I'd noticed something during my wheelchair tour of the house: a servants' staircase near the kitchen that led to the upper floors and there was a secret passageway in my room that was connected to the kitchen.
Thank heavens for Ivy's sharp and calculating eyesight.
I waited until the grandfather clock in the hallway chimed midnight, then slipped from my bed. My legs were stronger than I'd let anyone see—another advantage of Ivy's perfectly conditioned body.
Moving like a shadow, I made my way through the darkened house. The servants' stairs were exactly where I remembered, and I climbed silently to the third floor where Raphus' master suite was located.
His door was unlocked— quite arrogant, but then again, who would be foolish enough to attack an Alpha in his own stronghold?
The room was shrouded in darkness, but my enhanced vision picked out his form in the massive bed. He lay on his side, one arm thrown over his eyes, breathing deep and even.
My hand closed around the knife I had managed to slip away. I had done a great deal in sharpening it with the finial I had gotten from my bedroom. I just needed to make the right strike.
I crept closer, raising the blade above his chest. This close, I could smell his scent—pine and leather and something uniquely him that made my stomach clench with unwanted attraction.
I felt that strong primal pull again, the same feeling I had when I was slipping into oblivion and when he walked into my hospital room.
My mate.
Just finish it, I told myself.
Complete the mission. Get back to the Shadow Council with proof of his death.
I positioned the weapon directly over his heart and took a breath.
Grey eyes opened in the darkness, meeting mine without a trace of surprise.
Shit!
He wasn't sleeping!!!
- Writer
