Remi squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch the horrific scene unfold before her. She couldn't bear to see sweet Bliss's head roll onto the floor, spewing out blood—lifeless.

Bliss, who was always so lively and full of smiles. Always playing around with Remi's hair, twisting and braiding or curling it until she looked like a fairy. Always dragging her out of bed to go for a run or work out so that she stayed in shape.

Always making Remi laugh.

No more laughter would fall from those lips.

The thought broke Remi's heart.

Slowly, Remi opened her eyes. Her eyes were dull and dead. There was no more fight left in her.

Until she saw two clawed hands wrapped around the shaking swords, less than an inch from Bliss's neck.

She wasn't dead.

They hadn't killed her.

Relief flooded through Remi's veins so powerfully that she nearly collapsed.

In one quick motion those clawed hands shattered the blades into pieces, falling like glass. A few silver pieces got caught in Bliss's hair, but most simply fell to the floor around her, shimmering like tiny snowflakes reflecting the sunlight.

The guards were tossed to the other side of the room, hitting the walls so hard that they crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Remi let loose the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, allowing relief to come to her burning lungs.

The creature who had done all this gave her an icy smirk, his lips tilted up in such a way that one could only describe as demented.

And yet, she felt safe.

"Who are you?" Duke Guatus growled angrily, stomping over to Killure. He was tall, but the Icix was taller, and more filled out with muscles than the duke could ever hope to be.

He looked like an ant standing next to a bear.

Killure regarded the man with an eerily-wide smile. "Does it matter? I'm here to retrieve what I lost." He looked pointedly in Remi's direction, and her eyes widened. "Also . . ."

Remi didn't even notice he had a large bag slung over his shoulder until he tossed it at the duke's face.

The contents of the bag spilled out all over Duke Guatus.

Remi inhaled sharply when hands, bloody and severed at the wrist, came toppling out, their blood smearing against the duke's bare chest and down his expensive, fancy pants, staining the floor a deep, crimson red.

"This is what happens when someone tries to touch my master," he murmured cruelly, thoroughly enjoying the terrified look on the duke's face—which had become even paler than before, losing its pigment entirely.

Remi nodded at Bliss, and Killure took the hint, scooping the bruised and battered girl into his strong arms.

With downcast eyes, Remi followed him out of the room, leaving the guards and duke frozen in place.

Until the duke snapped out of his daze and called out after them. "We're not finished here!"

Killure glanced back over his shoulder with murder in his eyes. "We are finished. Unless you want me to splatter your guts across the walls, which I would be delighted to do. And at this point, I'm fairly certain that no one would be opposed," he added, and glanced at Remi.

The duke didn't protest further.

Remi just kept walking, her gaze downcast. She didn't have the energy to keep this up much longer. The emotional and mental strain . . . it was almost too much to bear.

Piles of dust were scattered about. Blue. Those used to be people.

Her attention shifted as Blue wrapped his arms around her, holding her up tight against his strong chest. Remi didn't even have the strength to return the hug, but she was thankful he was there, even if the piles of dust were weighing down her conscience even further. If she had watched Bliss more carefully, or just not got captured herself, these people would still be alive. She felt like there was a pile of boulders on her back, pounding her soul into the ground until she was as flat as a leaf.

"I wasn't there when you and my sister needed me to be," Blue muttered. "For that, I'm sorry."

Remi nodded to let him know she'd heard, but didn't have the energy to voice a reply.

After a few moments, she pulled away and walked silently along with them.

———

The white was blinding, and repulsive, and the entire room was made of it. White walls, white floor, white roof, and a white bed with a matching white sheet.

Even the chair Remi sat on was a brilliant white.

Bliss's strawberry hair fanned her face as she laid peacefully on the bed, the thin, white sheet draped over her small body.

Throughout the past three days, Bliss hadn't even opened her eyes.

Not once.

Her uncle Fahrem had come in soon after they carried Bliss to the medical ward and healed all her physical injuries, but had warned them that she wouldn't wake up immediately. Sometimes the brain just needed some time to deal with trauma and stress.

Right after his father was finished, and they'd briefed him on what had happened, Blue had brought in a cot and put it beside his sister's bed, and fell fast asleep.

He only woke up to eat and drink and use the washroom, and then went back to sleep after seeing his sister still wasn't awake.

If Remi didn't know any better, she'd assume Blue had suffered some grave injury and was unconscious as well.

"My poor baby!" a deep voice wailed, startling Remi. She snapped her eyes up, only to find her teary-eyed father running towards her.

He'd been away on a mission, and Remi thought he'd be gone for another day, but apparently he'd come home early.

He scooped her into a tight hug and began sobbing hysterically. Remi patted him on the back in an attempt to make him feel better.

Finally he pulled back, his tan cheeks stained with tears. "You poor, poor thing! Are you hurt? Did that bastard hurt you? I'll rip his head off and—"

"I'm fine," Remi rolled her eyes. "Everyone is fine now. There's no need to make such a big deal about it."

"But Remi," her father whined, pouting his lips. "It's not fine! My baby daughter getting kidnapped is not fine."

He honestly acted like such a child.

"I think he learned his lesson," Remi shrugged, glancing over at Killure and Blue, who had come to the rescue.

Killure was watching them through hooded eyes as he leaned back against the wall, muscled arms crossed over his hard chest.

Her father's eyes widened, and without wasting a second more he leapt at Killure, grabbing his clawed hand and shaking it emphatically. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're an angel."

Remi couldn't hide her scoff. Killure was no angel.

By the grimace on his face, and the way he was leaning as far away as possible from the man, Killure didn't seem overly comfortable.

"And to think that I bought you to take you apart, and now you go and save the lives of my daughter and niece!" he grinned widely, showing off the gap of his missing front tooth. Abruptly, his entire mood changed, and he looked like he was about to break into tears once again. "I'm such a horrible, horrible person!" her father began to wail, and tried to wrap his arms around Killure to cry into his chest, but Remi took hold of his arm and pulled him away before he could cause any more discomfort to her slave.

"No!" he shrieked. "I have to apologize further!"

His eyes honed in on his nephew, sleeping soundly on the cot. He immediately grasped Blue by the shoulders, shaking him awake. "My darling nephew!" he sobbed loudly. "You also did so good! Always looking out for my baby Remi."

Blue groaned in reply, slowly and unwillingly openly his eyes. "Uncle, leave me alone. You're interrupting my nap."

Remi re-grasped her father's arm and gave it a hard yank.

"By the way," Remi muttered, silencing him. "I did the immortality procedure. Successfully."

Again, her father's mood did a 180 degree spin. His spirits soared above the heavens, and he began whooping. "I'm so proud! My baby is growing up!"

He paused a moment, the smile falling from his face. "Oh no, my baby is growing up!" Tears began pooling in his eyes. "Not gonna . . . be my little girl . . . for much longer! Soon you're gonna . . . forget all about . . . your old man," he wailed, as if it were the end of the world. His eyes were waterfalls of salty tears.

"I'll always be your little girl," Remi grumbled, pushing against his broad, trembling back to get him out of the room.

Her hysterical father put his weight on his heels, flailing his arms wildly. "Save me!" he bellowed at Killure, whose eyes were closed and remained closed. No sympathy there.

Remi rolled her eyes as she gave him one final push out of the room and shut the door hard behind him, locking it tightly.

He screamed and sobbed at the closed door for about ten seconds before shouting at whatever servant was passing by to tell him where they got their scone from.

Remi heard his heavy footsteps scurry down the hallway, the sound slowly fading as he got farther and farther away—like a dog in search of a bone.

She felt Killure's amused and questioning gaze on the back of her head so she spun around and pursed her lips, answering the question he was silently asking her.

"Yes," she confirmed with a deep scowl. "He is always like that."