Beneath the Fox's Claws: Sent To Kill My Father's Enemy

CH

t to swallow everything again. The clock has ticked past 4 a.m, yet the entire estate

y, his arm steadying my staggering frame. My broken arm is bound in cloth, hanging limp at my si

, Liach," Dave says in a l

ther's waiting for me now. I

'll see you in

his gaze and that's all it takes. He kno

er, but he says nothing,

e assist you to his o

my gaze towards the co

onio says, stepping in behind us with a smirk on his face. As if sayin

. The corridor stretches like a frozen artery, shadows draped over the w

against the floors, each one heavier than the last.

The light under his door glows faintly. The air feels

d on the door,

d. It isn't loud. But it roars through my bones like thunder in a deep ca

ep inside. Dave and Antonio bow thei

in shadows, only his eyes visible as they lock o

ut to Dave. To Antonio. As if I'm not

e asks, his voice devoid

forming papa that I have the information. Dave's eyes

ave," Papa says,

or your utmost mercy, to grant Liach treatmen

im off the moment thos

o, remo

s,

ve's shoulder, p

! Boss,

"You still have your head attached to your body because

ton

away,

s shoulder. Dave doesn't fight. His eyes meet mine on

e is making everything worse. Papa w

nd Antonio, and the silence

t of my broken arm drags on my spine. My skin is slick with sweat. T

, eyes rooted to my face like he's waiting for something to crack.

, and I feel it sawing

r whatever it is he's

aks. "Did you k

't an

And if it shakes, he'll see weakness. He'll get even more angry

he questi

ce is slightly shaking, eve

m pulses with heat as he begins to circle me

nd slow, like how you h

raped in flesh," he says, even with his voice calm and his

arper than blades. Not responding. Not because I c

You look like garbage rotting in a uniform. Did

out a sound. Cold air runs through my spin

ahead, past the shadows on the

pity. I knew that before

ck. For Elias, where

. Like a beaten dog crawling home. I should've ha

th each word landing like a blow. I k

ned you for precision. Strength. Control. You come back to me limping lik

ght ahead, not darin

nt to. That's it. And yet you couldn'

as a hard and heavy slap lands across my face. His body is

his tone. "Was it an ambush? If not, that would mean you were outsmarted. A

y no

Liach. You wear them like a tr

rving up in a thin lin

re a mistake. I should've buried yo

les. But I remain upright. I can't be weak; there

t De Luna, for the past we

but I force it to remain steady. "He app

yes, watching me

omething. He... seemed weak but it

he coward's skin." Gabriel leans back, nodding slowly. "So the ru

desk. His back turn

nt begins after. And your assignme

s,

Lia

vermin Elias stops snooping around. Or he

t can

ks over me. My lips move

t o

s,

lding me up. I could still feel Papa's eyes, stari