Serpent of Desire

05

The chains that bind my wrist twist painfully and I ignore the ache, even as my legs begin to numb from the way I was shoved into the seat. I hadn't moved a muscle since they'd shut the door on me and walked off again.

Lycus' blood still coats my hands, the iron stench permeating the air and I swallow the saliva in my mouth, ignoring that too.

My eyes flick to the door, chin lifting just slightly when it's thrown open, two men walking in, their suits cut to perfection, not a speck of dust or debris anywhere.

I narrow my gaze, breathing out low and slow. The silence stretches uncomfortably around us all while the two men situate themselves at the table, their fingers steepling together before they pause, heads lifting to watch me back.

"You are a suspect in the murders of Enforcer Lycus and Enforcer Jameson." One starts, his voice echoing along the four walls, crashing into me with a vengeance.

I breathe out but don't say anything, having already suspected this may happen, after all, both of them died in my shop.

I relax my posture, "I didn't kill them."

"That matters not," the second grunts out, "until we have another suspect in custody, you will be the one who takes the fall for this."

I narrow my eyes at my brother, scoffing below my breath.

"You deemed this important enough to leave your castle for, I'm flattered."

"Two enforcers died, Ilaria." My brother growls out, leaning forward over the table to face me down. "Nothing can kill Enforcers, that is their punishment. Eternal life until they've repented."

"You know as well as I that that is not true." I remind him, leaning back in my chair, lengthening the distance between us.

The king of the underworld leans back, narrowing his eyes on me, his own right hand man copying and I ignore them both.

"You have been granted time to find the real killers." My brother announces, "you are to work alongside Enforcer Hawke."

"He would sooner kill me then work with me."

"Figure it out." With that, he pushes from the table and moves to exit, stopping at the threshold and looking back at me. "You have three months, if the killer is not found before then you will both be punished accordingly."

I lift a chained hand, waving my brother and his right hand away, letting it fall back to the table with a clunk as soon as the door shuts.

• • •

Walking back into my shop is like a wave of dread falling over me.

Everything is ruined. Ransacked.

Glass crunches under my feet, the small thin bones I'd spent decades collecting, now no more than dust beneath the soles of my boots; any magical property they held no more than a memory, a whisper of what was.

I breathe out a sigh and walk into the second room, forcing my eyes away from the blood on the floor, though it's hard to ignore the stench.

No matter what cleaning agent was used, or time that went by, I would always smell the powerful scent of iron, it was practically tattooed on my mind. Like Lycus blood was still caked under my fingernails.