“What do you get out of this?” Charred asked.

I buttoned up my shirt and looked over my shoulder. “Revenge. I told you that. What do you get out of this?”

I get your interest, Charred. As if he’d be interested in helping if I didn’t do this.

“I get off,” he chuckled.

I abandoned my shirt and turned around halfly. “Really? That’s all you want from this?”

“What else should I want? We’re already doing business with each other. This is a nice perk.” He put his arm behind his head and smiled at me. “Look, you’re what… twenty years old?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Yeah, and I’m closer to thirty than twenty. You’re young, and you’re very pretty. What can I say? I’m all for vanity.”

I snorted and shook my head. “I think you’re the first to ever sleep with me just because you think I’m pretty. Everyone does it to gain something. Notoriety. Fame. Fortune.” I met his gaze. “A country.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but what we’re doing in bed has fuckall to do with what I want to achieve.” He shrugged a shoulder and then wiggled, getting more comfortable.

“Consider my bubble burst,” I snorted.

He sat up and walked on his knees over to me, draping his arms around me. “Don’t think I’m not getting anything out of this though. I am.” His hands ran over my chest and started undoing the buttons again. I leaned back against him and sighed contently.

“I’m definitely getting something out of this,” he breathed in my ear.

“I can’t stay,” I said.

“Why? You have nowhere else to be.”

“He’ll be suspicious if I’m not back by the time he is.”

“So? Fuck him.” He unbuttoned the last button and slid my shirt off me.

Goosebumps spread across my skin, and I tipped my head back, resting it on his shoulder as he kissed my throat.

“He doesn’t own you. You need to set some boundaries. I bet their revolution doesn’t stand or fall with you being in your chambers at the right time or not.”

“You try telling him that.” I leaned forward, out of Charred’s grasp. “You don’t know what they did to me while I was in that room.”

“No. I don’t.” He sighed deeply and put his hand on my shoulder. “Sorry, that was insensitive of me.”

I turned towards him and nodded. “Let’s just… Not talk.” I leaned forward and kissed him, silencing him.

***

I slowly turned the knob on the door to my chambers. The door was pulled out of my hand immediately, and Aki pulled me inside by my hair.

“Where you’ve been?” he said coolly.

I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and tried to not cry out. “Nowhere!”

“Do you take me for an idiot, Quinn?” He walked through the sitting room and into the bedroom, throwing me onto the floor. He followed quickly, looming over me like a mountain.

“Huh? Do I look stupid to you?” He kicked me hard in the face.

“No, please, Aki, please don’t,” I cried and tried to shield my face. But I was already too late. My nose was bleeding.

He looked down at me and frowned. “What are you crying about? It’s not like you don’t deserve it. We have rules, you know. And you can’t just disappear.”

I shook my head and tried to crawl away from him.

“We’re friends, aren’t we? Isn’t that what you always told me?”

“You’ve killed my sister. You beat me. You torture me. You just punched me in the face!” I growled back.

He straightened and frowned down at me. Then his expression turned cold. He slowly raised his fist, his breath growing heavy. His fist flew right towards my eye, and I saw stars. He kept doing it over and over. I couldn’t focus on anything but the pain.

When he finally stopped, my breath was ragged. I had tried to scream. I think I did. But no one came to help me.

My eye was swollen shut, but I met Aki’s gaze with the other. “Get out,” I mumbled.

He rose from the floor, drying off his knuckles in his trousers before he left. He didn’t even say anything, he just left.