The morning light was too bright, too cheerful for a woman who had just found out her father was the devil in a tailored suit.
I lay in the center of the massive bed, watching the dust motes dance in the air. Kai was gone again, but his presence was a physical weight on my chest. My body felt heavy, marked, and fundamentally changed. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that blue light of the empty crib. Subject Seven.
The door opened without a knock. Elena walked in, followed by two men in white lab coats. They weren't carrying cleaning supplies; they were carrying a mobile ultrasound machine and a tray of silver needles.
"What is this?" I sat up, clutching the silk sheets to my collarbone.
"Your first assessment, Mrs. Fox," Elena said. Her voice was as flat as a dial tone. "Mr. Fox requires a full baseline of your reproductive health. We need to ensure the 'vessel' is in peak condition."
"The vessel?" I let out a dry, bitter laugh. "I have a name. It's Amara."
"To the Fox Empire, you are a legacy," one of the doctors said, snapping on his latex gloves. The sound—snap—felt like a whip. "Please, lie back. We need to draw blood."
I looked at the needles, then at the door. I could fight. I could scream. But I remembered Kai's eyes in the lab. He wouldn't care. He would just pin me down himself.
Suddenly, a thought ignited in my mind—a cold, sharp realization. If I was so valuable, if my blood was the "key," then I was the only person in this house with any real power. Kai didn't just want me; he needed me.
"Fine," I said, my voice steadying. I lay back and held out my arm. "But I have a condition."
Elena paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her robotic face. "You are in no position to make conditions."
"Aren't I?" I leaned into the pillow, a small, dangerous smile touching my lips. "If I'm stressed, my cortisol levels rise. High cortisol is bad for... what did Kai call it? The 'seed'? If you want me to be a perfect vessel, I want something in return."
"And what is that?"
"I want to see my father," I hissed. "Face to face. No screens. No videos."
Elena looked at the doctors, then back at me. "I will relay your request to Mr. Fox. For now, the exams."
The next hour was a blur of cold gel on my stomach, the sharp sting of needles, and the humiliating feeling of being poked and prodded like a prize mare. They checked my heart, my lungs, and my internal organs with a clinical detachment that made me want to scream.
When they were finished, the doctors left, but Elena lingered. She set a small, crystal glass of green liquid on the nightstand.
"Vitamins," she said. "Drink it all."
I picked up the glass, staring at the swirling liquid. "Is there a tracker in this too? Or just something to make me more... compliant?"
"It is for the health of the heir," Elena replied, moving toward the closet. She pulled out a dress that made my heart skip. It wasn't silk or chains. It was a sharp, black power suit—tailored to perfection. "Mr. Fox is waiting for you in the library. He has granted your request."
My heart hammered against my ribs. I was going to see him. The man who had sold my mother's secrets and my own life.
I dressed quickly, my hands shaking as I buttoned the blazer. I looked at myself in the mirror. Gone was the girl in the red auction dress. In her place was a woman dressed for war. I rubbed a bit of color into my pale cheeks and bit my lip until it was red.
I walked down to the library, the silver chains of my hidden reality clinking in my mind. The doors were guarded by two silent men. They opened them as I approached.
The library was huge, filled with thousands of books and the smell of old leather and expensive tobacco. Kai was sitting behind a massive mahogany desk, a glass of scotch in his hand.
And across from him, looking older and more pathetic than I remembered, was my father.
"Amara!" My father stood up, his eyes filling with fake tears. He reached out to me. "My sweet girl, thank God you're safe. Kai has been telling me how well you've settled in—"
Slap.
The sound echoed through the library. My palm burned, but the satisfaction was better than any drug. My father stumbled back, his hand over his cheek, his eyes wide with shock.
I didn't look at him. I looked at Kai, who was watching us with a dark, amused smirk.
"You're right, Kai," I said, my voice cold as ice. "He is pathetic. Now, tell me... how much did you pay him to keep his mouth shut about the lab?"
Kai stood up, walking around the desk with a predator's grace. He ignored my father entirely, coming to stand right behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder, mirroring the position from the lab.
"He didn't want money this time, Amara," Kai whispered into my ear, his breath hot. "He wanted a seat on the Fox Board. He traded your womb for a title."
I felt my father's gaze drop to the floor. The betrayal was complete.
"Get out," I said to my father, not even raising my voice. "If I ever see you again, I'll make sure Kai uses those needles on you instead of me."
My father scrambled out of the room, leaving me alone with the monster. Kai's grip tightened on my waist, and he turned me around to face him.
"You handled that well, Little Fox," he murmured, his thumb tracing the line of my lower lip. "You're starting to grow claws."
"I'm learning from the best," I whispered, reaching up to grip his tie. I pulled him down until our lips were inches apart. "If I'm going to give you Subject Seven, Kai... I'm going to make sure this Empire is worth inheriting. And that starts with getting rid of the dead weight."
Kai's eyes flared with a mixture of surprise and intense lust. He didn't expect me to fight back by joining his side.
"You want to play the game, Amara?"
"I don't want to play it," I hissed, my body pressing against his. "I want to win it."