48 Daddy (1/2)

”Mhmm.” He smiles down at me and I see what my mind would not allow me to see. It is him!

”Oh, my god, you're alive!” I throw myself into his arms and squeeze him. He was my captor once too, but in this fucked-up world, any friendly face may be an ally. ”You look so different.”

”The implants have been removed,” he says. ”I am the man I once was and more.”

”More?”

”Mhm. Quite a lot more.”

”I thought you were dead,” I gasp, holding him tight.

This is unbelievable. I never expected to find anyone I knew alive. I expected to mourn, to suffer, and to grieve. Finding myself in Mattias' arms is too good to be true, and yet I have to trust my senses. It is him. Somehow, he survived.

”Almost,” he says, hugging me back.

”I can't believe you're alive,” I babble. ”I hoped that someone was. Did Elias...”

He shakes his head, and immediately a darker mood settles over me. He is alive, and that is good, but he has suffered and lost just as the rest of us have.

”I'm sorry,” I say. ”I am so sorry for all of this. You were right. It was my fault. I should have stayed out of trouble.”

”Yes, I can see you subscribe to that philosophy now,” he smiles, not unkindly. ”Trying to steal money, Trissa?”

”Well, I, uh, need some...”

”She doesn't need money. She needs a fucking whipping.” A rough voice makes me go tense in Mattias' arms. I close my eyes as footsteps round the corner.

Oh, fuck. Oh, no. This can't be happening. This is a nightmare. This is...

Pharaoh, Alexios, and Silver walk into the room behind Mattias. Oh, god. My heart sinks into my stomach. I have no idea how they did this, but they did, and I know I am in more trouble than I could possibly imagine.

”We're trained mercenaries, girl. We move a lot quicker than you do. We knew where you'd gone the minute you left. Couldn't find you in the wild lands, you're too good to be found out there. So we came here directly and petitioned the king for his help,” Alexios says gruffly.