Forsaken & Claimed

Chapter 55

Cairo

"What," she asked.

"You heard me."

I left her alone for a few minutes, and she's already up to no good. Pandora covered the collar with her hand, and her vibrations went off the charts. There was only a handful of people bold enough to try me, and all of them were in this room.

"This thing is an invasion of privacy," she said.

"When it comes to your body, and among other things, you have no privacy," I said.

It all belonged to me. Pandora scoffed and went back to the table. Ripping Beta apart now didn't seem like a bad option, and it would fix a lot of my problems. Fuck the consequences. I pulled off my jacket and tossed it over a chair. The crowd parted a path for me as I headed straight for Beta's table.

"What are you doing," Pandora asked, chasing behind me.

"Go back to the table."

"For fuck's sake, Cairo. You're ruining what was shaping up to be a good time."

She had me by the arm. That was a load of bullshit if I ever heard it. A firm shake got her off.

"Making me look like a fool at my own event is a good time for you?"

"You're doing a stellar job of that yourself. If you weren't so worried about everyone else you would see what's in front of you."

"I see just fine."

Beta's attention drew to me as I approached. Casimir's normal smug expression was dead. Even his energy was non-existent.

"Showing off your new pet," he asked.

"Wondering whose head I'm taking tonight," I said.

Owen frowned, "We haven't done anything to you, but if it's a fight you want then we'll happily oblige."

"Touching my woman is nothing to you?"

Casimir set his cup down, "We like our women with more fight. You trained her over, what? A few days? We'll pass. If we want a pet, we'll just buy one."

Casimir's voice was dry and emotionless. Ares and Owen cut glances his way. Pandora's vibrations shriveled up and disappeared. She rushed for the door and went into the hallway.

"Are we done here," Ares asked.

"Far from it," I said.

The heat in my body started to boil. I could feel the energy ooze from my pores.

"I'll handle this. Go after her," Cain said.

Damn, he could give the reaper a run for his money. Cain never intervened unless it was necessary. He excelled at seeing the bigger picture even when I couldn't. Right now, may be one of those times. I couldn't think past the clawing sensation in my gut.

"There won't be a second time," I said.

I made sure to make eye contact with each of them at the table before heading back to my own. My jacket was missing from the chair. General Nastri's good mood had evaporated. I took a seat and poured each of us a drink.

"Where did she go," he asked.

I had no clue, but I knew it was somewhere in the building. Her collar would go off and alert me if she left.

"To the room. She wasn't feeling too well," I said.

"I worked recon and infiltration for twenty years. My ears won't be declining anytime soon."

Instead of lying again, I took a sip and counted my blessings that he didn't act on his promise of crushing my head. My skull still ached from the last time he smashed it into the floor.

"You're too quick to anger. From experience, it doesn't go well with women. They require a firm touch, but gentle. Pushing too hard or letting jealousy cloud your judgment will damage everything."

I froze mid-sip. Was General Nastri giving me relationship advice?

"I'm telling you this for both your sakes. I want her to stay and if you screw up this opportunity for me—death will seem like a reward," he smiled.

This man shouldn't smile. It was creepy in every way. I nodded, hoping this bizarre moment would be over.

"We'll drink another day. Go find her."

"She wants to be alone. Besides, I can't leave my guests after I canceled the ritual. She and I will speak later."

"Your guests will talk—wonder why she's not here. Rumors will start. If you're gone too, the narrative can be controlled: The new couple snuck away to be together."

It would be great if that was true. She's upset that I confronted Beta. Like I don't know what happened. I can't see the big picture, but my intuition is beyond most. The pieces will say one thing and I know the truth. I don't want any problems with Nastri or people saying the wrong thing especially so close to evaluation.

"Thank you," I said, checking around for my jacket.

"She took it with her," he said, "You must have some redeeming qualities. My mate threw mine in the punch bowl."

That female is one I would've liked to meet—to defy and disrespect him is a death sentence. She had something most women or men didn't have.

"What did you do?"

"I was quick to anger as I was then she took my child when I was away."

"If you had caught up with her?"

"Back then? Kill her. Now—I don't know. There's a lot of her in Pandora."

That's one thing we can agree on. Pandora was difficult in the best and worst ways. If anyone outside of my team knew that I bribed her to come back, I would be ruined. Forsaken warriors were supposed to rule with an iron fist, no exceptions.

"I'm going now," I said.

I took the long way back trying to figure out what I would say to her. She wasn't a woman I usually dealt with. They would take what I said as fact and did as I asked.

A firm, but gentle touch is what I chanted to give me strength to open the door. Once inside, I realized she wasn't there.

~*~*~*~*

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