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namjooningelsewhere · 1 year

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War Of The Hearts: #8

✽Pairing - OT7 x reader (DJ) and OT7 x Lily

✽Word Count - 10.5k

✽Ratings - 18+

✽Genre(s) - Mafia Au, Angst , Fluff, mentions of smut.

✽Trigger Warnings - Mentions of Death, Mentions of Trauma , minor alcohol consumption, mentions of torture and shootouts and mentions of bloodshed, Mentions of Drugs, Attempted Murder, A little manipulative behavior, A shootout, a lot of cursing, There is a little bit of torture in here so please please avoid this if this triggers you in any way.

✽Summary - You’ve been lurking in the shadows, protecting the seven of Bangtan even if it means you must give your own life. After all, that’s what you do when you are in love with someone irrevocably. That pain seems to be minuscule in light of their safety. But it was never about you, for all you are is a speck of dust in the universe they have created for them and their girlfriend. Your heart’s at war, but it’s fine, you can smile through the pain as long as it means they smile- for her.

✽A/N : Its been a while since i updated isnt it? I know, But work has been crazy and a lot is happening at that front. But yes i ended up writing it while i was waiting for my flight. It may or may not be a little unedited, So please forgive me. But im still struggling with the writers block so, This update made me so happy that finally i wrote something. So we are near to the end, Two more parts to go and one more character entry. please do let me know what you think about it, Your comments and asks literally mean the world to me. Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

✽Taglist: @brimal @2ne1unni @shatzkrinslinzki @zae007live, @gukieater @tinyoonsblog @skylievin @2ne1unni @lovelgirl22 @euphakid @embrace-themagic @didi-9310 @loisje123 @iamhereforbts @silscintilla @2ne1unni @rp171198 @aboredboredboreduniverse @blaaiissee @top-crop @sa7kou @chhungi-bawihtlung @aquariushoesss @definitelythinkimanalien

7mer @babycoffeefire @emoskytime8 @hob3yw0rld@motivatedprocastinator @speedyqueendaze @sugajinny @thereaderwholovesyou @btspurplesky @skz-jeha @theestrangeddreamer @success1009 @militrybarbi @afangirllikeme-blog @celestialentitiesss @daydreambrliever @bibebts @dreamamubarak @kimsaerom @sa7kou @veronawrites @bt21chim @cutiepat @jooniebub @shadowyjellyfishfest @mageprincess7 @jiminbolala @impossibilitydesign @xtayxx @ cherryluvhobi @knjsbae

✽Part Seven - Here

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

The events that had taken place today had left you with a lot of questions, But more than you it seemed like the two men with you had the most questions. Hoseok and Tae seemed a little off after a while when the adrenaline had worn off.

Lily had been safely put in the backseat of Hoseok's car and the two just stood a little distance away from the car, their bodies present physically at a distance. But mentally it looked like they were both inside with her. You observed the two men from far away. There were no words being spoken to each other, but they knew what the other wanted to say.

You debated for a few minutes about going and talking to them but you couldn't exactly gather the courage to do so. You were still in the dark too. Everything that had happened so far was too vague. You had no idea why she did all of this. What were Ivanovs doing in the equation? And more importantly, what was the story between Yulina aka Lily?

You decided to ignore your doubts for the moment and go to the two men who had now moved onto the hood of the car. Taehyung stood beside Hobi with a blank expression and the older male just sat on the hood of the car. He looked deep in thought and a pained expression on his face.

You touched Hobi's shoulder and the man flinched but settled quickly when he saw it was you. "You okay?" He nodded his head in a no and you took a seat beside him. Taehyung was beside Hobi in a fraction of a second when he saw him saying no. You placed your hand on his shoulder and that kind of broke the barrier for him. Tears started streaming down his face and you and Taehyung placed your hands on his. For the first time in a while, you felt the courage to hug him and the strong feeling of strangling lily started growing in your mind the way hobi hugged you back. You could feel his tears streaming down your neck and you couldn't even begin to imagine how hurt the two men must be right now.

"Now that you're safe, Everything just hit me, you know?" Taehyung kept rubbing his hyung back silently assuring him that it was okay. Tae's eyes were filled with tears too, you knew he was the most emotional one out of them. He wouldn't bat an eyelid when he was in pain or if something troubled him. It was the exact opposite when it came to the people he loved. He couldn't see them sad, not at all.

"I can't say I understand what you're going through but I understand the pain. We will find out why she did this."

"I don't know how Namjoon is going to handle this once he knows." This was something that even you hadn't thought of yet. Everyone else.

"I have no idea but I feel we should have the details first before we think of anything."

"She's right hyung, I want to know why the fuck would she do something like this?"

"Alright then, Let's find out. DJ, you have the location right? We will follow you."

"Cool, What about her?" You point to the backseat where Lily was unconscious and sleeping peacefully absolutely unaware that her cover was blown.

"Let her be there, She is unconscious and given the dose she would be out for another couple of hours." You nod your head in an okay and walk towards your car, You take your phone out and send Hobi the location in case they lose you in transit. Traffic could be a bitch sometimes.

You start the car and start driving towards the pin location, A lot of thoughts plague your mind. Some selfish, some questions, and the rest of the whys which hadn't stopped coming to your mind since you had found out about Lily's setup.

For a fleeting second, the thoughts of what would happen once lily is out of the picture to change your equation with the bangtan kept coming to your mind, But then you drove them away once you were sure about one thing. You had been thrown into the seven men and Lily's mix because their woman wanted to be a part of them, But if the said woman was only out of the picture then where would that put you?

You were mentally preparing yourself to be out of Bangtan 's life once everything would come to light, Maybe they would end whatever complicated relationship they had with you too. And you would be ready for it by the time that happens, which could possibly be in a matter of a few days. You were determined to find out what the story behind Lily was, You definitely were. The way that woman had set you up was infuriating and the fact that she had done so without an ounce of guilt, made you want to put a bullet right through her skull.

Hobi's incoming call jolted you back to reality, where you were driving with your head very high up in the clouds. You cursed at yourself for being so careless, just in case something would have happened.

"Yeah Hobi."

"DJ listen, Something has come up. Namjoon has asked us to come back immediately."

"What happened?"

"I don't know if something happened. It's work-related, he said. So we are going home."

"Okay, I'll see you at home.Bye."

"Hey wait." You pulled your fingers back from the screen when you heard Hobi shout out of nowhere.

"You're not going alone DJ, I know you're always up to something. You.won't.go.alone." A laugh escaped when you heard the way hobi punctuated each and every word. Tae's voice rang out before you could even speak further.

"He's right, Don't you dare go alone. I am warning you, DJ. There could be a danger." The two men keep justifying the number of dangers there could possibly be and desperately try to find a chance where you could convince them to let you go alone.

"Okay fine you two. I'm not going." The two men stop rambling once they hear you assuring them.

"Don't try anything funny DJ, You need to be careful. This is not over yet."

"I know Hobi, I won't be okay. You go home first, I'll see you at home sometime."

"Wait, Where are you going?"

"I just have to finish some work at the warehouse, Don't worry ill be fine."

"DJ–

"Taehyung, Hobi. No funny business. I'll be home sometime. I promise."

"You better be home, We are waiting." You end the call and take the next exit toward your warehouse. You had obviously lied to them. You had nothing to do there. You had built your empire in a way where the work would be going on irrespective of your presence. You had spent a good amount of years putting your business on autopilot.

The only question was- Should you or should you not go and catch hold of Mikhail and Borris right now.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

You head to your warehouse in the same confusion. Once you throw your stuff on the table you settle further down in your chair and put your legs on the table. The confusion still runs wild in your mind. See you had no problem going there and you were confident enough to take the entire mob down if needed but this time it was Hobi and Taehyung who had asked you not to. You mindlessly play with your gun, your coping mechanism after years of dismantling and assembling the weapon again and again until your mind comes to a conclusion.

"Ugh, why does this need to be so hard? Fuckkkk." You bang your fist on the table hard when an urgent knock snatches your attention.

"Boss, is everything okay?" One of your men peeked his head inside nervously, You motioned the man to come inside.

"Yeah, everything is okay." You speak the words with an expression that reflects sarcasm and the man seems to take a hint. He wasn't so close to you, There were only a few people whom you had somewhat given leverage to be involved in your personal orbit, But the said man definitely wasn't one of them and you were not sure yet if you could bare your thoughts out to him.

"You definitely don't look okay." You look at the man with a confused expression, Were you that obvious when something was troubling you. The man takes the opportunity to sit before you and it amuses you. He had never done something like this before in the past five years that he had been working with you.

"And how would you know mister?"

"Not that I can speak about it completely sure, But over the years all of us here know when you're in two minds about something?"

"Really now, I did not know I was working with a bunch of detectives." The man laughs nervously and points towards your hand, mindlessly as if you were still playing with the gun. You stop for a moment and give the man a pointed look.

"You play with your gun, That was the sign Jeh told us to look out for if we did not want to be dead meat." You couldn't help but laugh at his words, Jeh was always close to everyone. And everybody liked him, Literally everyone.

"That brat." The man gives a light smile and the confusion eases a little in your mind, Suddenly Jeh takes up the entire space in your head. How you missed your best friend. You would give anything in the world to have him back at your side at the moment.

"What is it? If I may ask?"

"Well someone told me not to do something. Now I'm confused about whether I should do it or not because someone asked me not to." You did not know if you were even making sense at this point. But you couldn't help it either, That was the way the words came out of your mouth.

"Then you should do it." You look at the man sitting before you in confusion, How could he be so sure?

"And how are you so sure about it?" The man took a second to respond, but the mischievous smile that he was trying to suppress so hard gave him out. That was the second you knew it was definitely something to do with Jeh. The brat had said something to them.

"Jeh had said, " You specialize in doing the things that you are very explicitly told not to do."

"What–

"It's because he always told us that you won't be at rest unless and until you don't find out something you want to, And there is no use stopping you." You look at the man with eyes as wide as saucers, You knew this was Jeh. Only he could say something so perfect about you. The guy knew you better than himself.

"Looks like Jeh has trained you guys well."

"Well won't say train per se, But yes he always told us a couple of things to look out for so that we could be careful about, And in turn, they could not cause any troubles for you."

"What would I give for that guy to be right here?"

"We miss him too. I'll take your leave now. And you should definitely do what you think you must do and not wait because someone asked you to wait. Jeh would have said the same." The man leaves and a tear escapes your eye, This was exactly what Jeh would have said, or even better, He and you would have been right now nabbing Mikhail under different circumstances.

Quickly get up and load your gun and keep some extra bullets in case, if you need some. You were about to enter blind territory. You could use everything you could get. You walk out determined to have Mikhail and Boris at your feet sometime.

The minute you punch in the location in the GPS, the alarm bells start going off in your head. This place is somewhere very close to your home. Very very close. Now the area that you lived in was no piece of cake to get in. Only VIPs lived there. You could easily call it one of the most heavily guarded neighborhoods in Seoul. Politicians, actors, Diplomats, and Mafia. You could name it and you could find one of them there.

How did he get there or who actually was helping him stay there gave you an itch in your hand to kill that person yourself.

All the doubts floating in your mind stopped the moment you arrived at the exact location, Choi Min Lee's house. So this was where he was staying. Your head started weaving multiple theories as to how and why did Choi Min Lee's residence become a house to Mikhail, The fucker wasnt even a local, Then how.

You knew the neighborhood like the back of your hand, you knew everyone who stayed there. Choi Min Lee's house had been empty for quite a long time. The Choi's had moved into another locality ever since he had started getting more involved in politics and it had been a while since they moved. The newfound information about the possibility of the members of the circle's involvement gives you a hint of what kind of people were involved in this game.

The Circle was a place where there could be no politics, The rules were clear. The circle was established for a reason. No manipulations were allowed and no matter what the disputes among the circle were to be sat down and discussed not by any other means. But here another matter of fact was there was no solid reason as to why you could be a target.

You were on cordial terms with Choi and you had not come in between anything that could be a problem for Choi. The lock on the main gate grabs you out of your spins in your head and your eyebrows scrunch in confusion. What the hell was this?

You looked at the gate of the mansion, The gate was a very clear sign of no visible movement. And besides, the neighborhood was fairly populated. Everybody would know if someone is coming and going from the front gate frequently.

"What the fuck is this? Are you sure he's here?" You massage your temples when you hear the absolute surety in the voice of the person at the other end. You look at the two men and they wait for you to respond. The gates definitely looked like they had not been opened in a long time, the rust making it evident plenty. You keep the phone back in your pocket and start the car once again.

There had to be a way, Of Course, there had to be a way. The location had come from a source that was rock solid. It couldn't be wrong in any circumstances or else it would have happened in the first place. And this was too short of a notice to change locations.

The idea of the back gate hit you like a truck, you cursed internally to forget such an important detail. Your own house had one, but that was heavily guarded. Even your mansion had a back gate, And so did every other house in the neighborhood.

If they wanted to be in hiding why would they choose a place where anybody could see them? The back gate was well isolated and entering from there had a better chance of not being seen.

You turn the car and head towards the back gate which is only a couple hundred meters' drive from the turn. A smile lights up on your face when you see the back gate. It was in use. You drive a little further and park the car. You take your gun and put it in your pocket and wait silently to watch for any movement.

You quickly dial the number of the person who was supposed to be delivering Mikhail's special gift, The person receives it before the second ring is complete. You instruct the person at the location to deliver the package and hang it up while keeping a watch on the gate. You couldn't be too sure when it came to such things.

A little while after the package is delivered, you see another car driving by and stopping at the same distance from the gate as you. Not too little, Not too far. You quickly deck down in case the person from the car notices you. You keep yourself only high enough to see the view in a hidden way, Your eyes go wide when you see your own two men getting down from the car. The said men walk carefully towards the back gate and stop when they see your car.

Rage courses your veins when you find your own two men in enemy territory, They weren't asked to come here. You quietly exit the car and in three swift steps, you reach the two men. The second man turns around just in time and you grab him by his hands and twist it and turn him making him powerless all of a sudden. The first man is caught off guard all of a sudden and takes a second to register what just happened.

"You little—-

"Boss, wait. It's not what it looks like." You scoff at his words, You did not think of any other explanation for what you were seeing in front of you. No one knew where you were headed, you did not tell them. The only possibility they were here invoked too many questions in you.

"Really? Tell me what it is then." The man in your hands yelps too loud, sounding like he is about to cry.

"God damn it, Just tell her already Lee." You twist the man's hand a little by force and he almost lets out a pitiful cry.

"Boss, Wait. At Least listen to me."

"You have ten seconds before I shoot him."

"Okay, Ten seconds. Okay."

"You've wasted three already you bastard, Just fucking tell her."

"We came for you."

"Me?"

"Boss we came for you, We really did." The man in your hands shouts with a shaky voice, That throws you off guard for a second. Why would they come here for you?

"Explain yourselves, Or else you're dead meat."

"You said someone had asked you not to do something, Yet you came. I know I said that's what you should do. But after you left it suddenly struck me that what if there was some danger?"

"Yeah that's the truth, I swear boss this is the truth." The struggling man took advantage of the fleeting second that you had been surprised after listening to their explanation. You pressed a little harder and the man went silent, giving up any chance of freedom from the grip that was on him.

"You expect me to believe this bullshit?"

"Boss, if I were lying, I would have attacked you in return when you caught Min-Ho."

"As if–

"Boss we are telling the truth, Leave me before you break my hand." You left the man's hand a little reluctantly, They did not sound like they were lying. They were definitely caught off guard, you could give them that. But apart from that, there were no visible signs of them lying.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"I don't, But he has. He got me to follow you."

"You followed me?''

"Umm sorry boss, I was worried that's it."

"And why so much concern all of a sudden?" You asked with a raised eyebrow. This was something entirely new. Your men were an integral part of all your missions, they definitely were. But this was a first that some of them had turned because they were worried for you.

"Is it bad to be worried?"

"Suddenly, yes." The man looks confused but you pay no heed to him and push the two men aside and peek through the gate. There was no moment in the backyard.

"Go back to the warehouse, I will be fine on my own." You order the two men who just stay rooted to the spot. You give them a questioning look and the two men look at you hesitantly debating if they should say it or not.

"Boss, let us be with you."

"What for?"

"Boss please, I swear we won't get in the way."

"That was an order."

"Boss please." Lee's tone increases a notch and you give him a questioning look, The other man looks at him with a horrified expression.

"Boss, I told you he has a death wish." He begins pulling the other man away, but the latter just remains rooted to his spot.

"Is it so difficult to accept help?"

"What did you just say to me?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You really want to die?" Min-Ho hits Lee's shoulder and you try your hardest to figure out what is going on. What was on with these men?

You ignore the two bickering men and cautiously move inside the gate, The two men break out of their banter and follow you. You look around cautiously to catch any movement or watch out for any kind of movement, But you surprisingly find none.

Given the situation, you had expected some heavy amount of guarding for the two men inside, you walk towards the back door and find it ajar. The two men gasp behind you, Finding no security was one thing but leaving the door open was another level.

You move the door wordlessly and the men behind you rush forward inside without any warning startling you in the process.

You tip-toe inside the house, your senses still very much alert to counter any attacks that could come out from anywhere. You unlock the gun and the two men do the same. The two men walk in front of you shielding you from the view. You stop for a second and look at the two cautious men walking ahead of you. You needed to devise a plan in case there were some of Mikhail's minions lurking behind the door to the passage.

"Listen up, Min-Ho you cover Lee, Lee you cover me and I'll cover you in case there are too many people inside." The two men nod and walk again as they did previously. Covering you up entirely.

Lee walks ahead and places his ear on the door while you and Min-ho look at him with a question, He checks twice and turns around with a puzzled look on his face. He nods his head in a no and you and Min-ho look at each other. Everything that's happening right now is downright crazy, but when did anything ever normal happen to you?

Going inside maybe would have been a foolish part, but you were very confident that you and your men could have handled it. Lee opens the door out of nowhere aiming his gun inside the room. The three of you remain rooted to your spots when you finally reach inside and see the state of the house, dead silence and totally empty.

"What the ---" you shush Lee when you hear a somewhat muffled voice somewhere close by. You could hear something, It was light but it was there. You couldn't exactly put a finger over it. The two men start looking at the side they stood on and you move to your side of the doors. You start checking with the doors on your side to find out if there was something there.

"Boss, There there." Lee's harsh whisper from behind startles you. When you peek your head out of the room you were in, you see Min-ho walking towards the room Lee came from. A huge smile lights up your entire face when you enter the room. There was definitely someone there- Borris.

"Oh my my, Look who we have here." Borris' eyes widen in fear when he sees the three of you entering the room one of the other. You knew that expression all too well. The expression that screamed doom. You looked at the beaten-up man tied up in a chair looking like he was pleading with his eyes to spare him.

Min-Ho pulls off the strap on his mouth violently and a cry escapes Boris' mouth. The man begins to trash violently but stops as soon as Lee puts the gun on his head, You quickly sprint to the door to see if all the trashing drew any attention of anybody else present there. The empty hall looks just like it was before and you breathe a sigh of relief.

"Listen, I did not do anything, Mikhail is upstairs." A laugh escapes your mouth as the words leave Borri's mouth. So that's where he was. You grab him by the hair and look directly into his eyes and the said man cowers in fear. The fear that flashes in his eyes gives you a sick satisfaction and some twisted part of you wants to tear his head out but you hold it out for the sake of the seven back home. He was theirs to deal with.

The one that you wanted to tear his head off was waiting upstairs.

"How many people are here in this house?"

"No one, Just the two of us." The three of you look at Borris in nothing short of a surprise, He was in a foreign land and he was all out on his revenge mission and there was no security. Either Mikhail was way too smart or way too foolish. You would find it out anyway.

"What? You expect us to believe this bullshit?"

"It's true, I heard Mikhail talking to someone that you would never find out about him." You scoff at borris statement, you have drawn a conclusion. Mikhail was an overconfident fool. True that you would have to go the extra mile to find out about him, Probably a few punches too. But believing that you would never find out about him was a stretch.

"Trust me on this, he's right upstairs somewhere."

"Well, we will see about that."

"I get that bastard." Min-Ho catches your arm the moment you turn back to walk away, He releases it and takes a step backward once he sees your raised eyebrow.

"Let us come with you."

"You guys stay here with him, I'll get that bastard."

"He's already tied up boss, He won't be able to do anything. We are coming with you." The two men don't wait for your approval and walk in long strides and exit the room leaving you surprised. You throw a warning look at Borris silently warning him not to try anything funny.

"Let's go."

"After you."The two men move aside for you to start walking up the stairs. You look at the two men incredulously, Their manners were certainly amusing. They kept appearing and disappearing time and again.

You walk up the stairs cautiously again, trying to be alert in case Mikhail appears out of nowhere. A loud voice suddenly reaches your ears the moment you reach the stairs. You recognize the voice immediately, Mikhail. You had already heard enough of that. The voice was extremely loud giving a loud and clear indication of the room it was coming from.

You gesture at both of them on each side of the door while you stand right in front. Mikhail's voice stops the moment you put your hand forward to push the door open. Another loud thud reaches your ears and you retract your hand for a moment. You place your ears on the door to hear any kind of moment but you find none.

"I think he must have entered another room in there," Lee whispers loud enough for you to hear, You nod and push the door ajar. You find no one in the room apart from the faint sound of water running in the bathroom. You open the package and carefully remove the injection you had specially gotten customized for Mikhail, along with the worms.

"Out of the room until I call you." The two men look at you surprised when you ask them to get out of the room but looking at the firmness in your tone, they wordlessly move out. You position yourself on the side of the door to have a proper attack on Mikhail's back of the neck when he comes out of the bathroom. You wait patiently for the man to come out to you for the most wonderful surprise that you had prepared for him.

You wait for a solid five minutes before you hear the sound of the water disappear, And a minute before the door opens and half-naked Mikhail walks, wiping his head. The second tower blocks his sense of any other presence in the room and that gives you the advantage you require. You make one solid move to his neck and before the man could sense anything you have the syringe right where you want it.

Mikhail turns around and looks at you with his mouth wide open, You place your palm on his chest to prevent him from falling forward and wave your other hand in a hip. No words come out of his mouth when he tries to say something and the anger simmering in his eyes gives you a twisted happiness.

The two men come running once you call out to them, They arrive right in time as Mikhail's leg gives out and the tall sturdy man collapses on you. The two men pull him back and drag him to bed complaining about how heavy he is.

"Go find some rope in the room Borris is tied up in." Min-ho runs away quickly once you give him the orders, Lee throws Mikhail on the bed and looks at him with suspicion. The only movement that Mikhail could do was his eyes for the next hour. You had gotten him a permissible amount of light dose of a neuromuscular blocking agent, A vecuronium.

Lee positions Mikhail's head on the pillow and you walk over to the other side of the bed and sit right beside Mikhail's head. A smile appears on your face when you remember the first time the bastard had sneaked inside your house. The positions were the same, just the people reversed. A sick sense of satisfaction ran through you when you saw the way Mikhail's eyes were trying to convey his thoughts. Full of resentment and full of anger.

"Here boss." You throw one of the ropes to Lee and order the men to tie Mikhail's hands to the sturdy frames of the Mahogany bed. They would hold him down once the injection would wear out.

"Why is he not moving?" Min-ho wonders out loud and you silently point your finger at the injection laying on the floor.

"Huh, What's this?"

"A neuromuscular blocking agent."

"A neuro what now?" Lee quickly fishes out his phone and googles the words and both the men take turns looking at the newfound information. Both the men look at you with fear in their eyes, You just raise your eyebrows and silently warn them not to ask anything further.

A groan snatches your attention to the man tied up right in the center of the bed. You move over to the man and look again to see if any chances of the injection wearing down, which you were sure it wouldn't. But you could never be too sure of these things.

"Lee, Min-Ho bring our other friend up here. Let's have a chat with him until he's capable of speaking." The two men nod their heads and sprint down to get Borris, while you walk across the room to get the special gift for Mikhail.

"I told you to never get caught." You sing while cutting the second box inside the box with your swiss army knife, You make straight eye contact with Mikhail whose eyes keep navigating between you and the box that you were cutting open.

You smile when you see the wiggling worms inside the jar, You carefully place the jar near the bedside table and bring your knife close to Mikhail's naked thigh. A tear from his eye escapes when you lodge the knife deep inside his thigh. The white bedsheet turns a deep shade of red as soon as blood starts trickling down his thigh.

"This is for Chongbin, You shouldn't have killed him." You unscrew the bottle and open another blunt blade from the set, You carefully scoop a couple of worms from the jar keeping it at an angle where he could see, and place it exactly on the wound that you had made on his skin. Mikhail's eyes widen in fear when he feels the worms start wiggling on his thigh trying to locate the flesh that they could devour. Sweat starts forming on Mikhail's forehead when he sees one worm sliding inside the wound, Groan after groan escapes the man's mouth when he feels the other worms start sliding inside.

You watch the man with a pure look of satisfaction not only on your Face but also from deep inside you. This would serve him right. The one hour that he could not move or scream would give him the closest encounter with the pain he could ever feel. You had promised yourself to give him back the pain that he gave to Chongbin ten times more.

Every time the pain pierced through his system, you could see it on him. The two walked into the room, Mikhail's hands hanging loose on each of their shoulders. The two men froze for a second when they saw the scene in front of them.

You grab Borris from the two men and with all your might push the man down, Borris yelps in pain as soon as he hits the ground and you grab him by his hair and hold him up.

"Start talking Borris." The man cowers in fear but you just tighten your hold on his head and he lets out an ear-piercing scream.

"I'll tell you everything, Promise me you will let us both go." You laugh hard at his demands, IT was funny how he thought he was in a position to demand.

"Making demands now, Are we?"

"DJ please, Please." The man pleaded with a sob but you couldn't care less at this point, you had to know.

"I said to start talking."

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"What the fuck happened?" The five men waiting for Hobi and Tae rush to them when they see the two men walking inside their home with an unconscious Lily in Hobi's arms.

"Let me just quickly get her to her room, Tae tells them." Hobi moves away swiftly leaving Tae behind to answer all the questions the five men had.

Hobi literally throws Lily on the bed, his anger making it impossible for him to act rationally. He respected women, he could swear he did. But right now he had nothing but resentment inside him for the woman he had loved for the past three years. Lily was the only woman with whom he had fallen in love, to unimaginable depths. Depths that scared him sometimes.

He makes no effort to straighten her out And walks away slamming the door with all his might. He is greeted with a painful silence and tears in the eyes of all the other members when he walks down. Nobody looks up at him, but he could already tell by the silence in the room what they felt.

"Since when?"

"I haven't known Joon for a long time." Namjoon throws the vase on the table with all his might, the breaking of glass making no difference to the atmosphere.

"All these years, She has been lying to us?" Jimin looks at Hobi and Taehyung, who had walked up to his hyung to stay by his side.

"I said I don't know." Taehyung quickly holds his hyung the moment he raises his voice, he knew this reaction too well. Out of all of them, Hobi's anger could be the worst, And right now they did not need that to come out.

"Those three years, They were a lie," Jin speaks, his head still down but his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Everything, fucking thing was a lie?"

"Jungkook, Kook listen to me calm down. Please."

"Hyung.." Everybody's heart breaks a little when they see the youngest breaking down like that in Jin's arms. The sobs that he was letting out were making Namjoon's blood boil to a point where he wanted to just march upstairs and put a bullet straight into Lily's head.

"Jungkook." Jungkook pays no heed to Namjoon's voice and continues sobbing, The other members gather around the youngest and try to console him but all their attempts go in vain.

"I said stop it." Namjoon's extremely stern voice stops the sobs from the youngest, Namjoon walks up to his study in long steps and returns back in a moment with a gun in his hand. Everybody's eyes widened when they saw what he had in his hand. They already knew what his next steps were going to be.

"I'm going to end this once and for all." Namjoon pays no attention to the others, shouts for him to stop, and walks angrily towards the stairs. All the members rush towards him, but it becomes difficult for everyone to catch up to the tall man who had reached the top even before everyone could reach the middle.

Namjoon barges inside the room and shuts it, The others remain outside banging on the door frantically literally begging him to stop. Namjoon's hands freeze when he aims the gun at the unconscious woman. Tears start rolling out of his eyes furiously when the time literally flashes in front of his eyes.

Lily's eyes, her smile, her laugh everything crowds his mind at once and Namjoon drops to the floor pulling his hair in frustration. Why did she have to do this? Why did she have to break their trust like this?

"Hyung let us inside, Please don't." Jimin's voice brings Namjoon back to his senses, And the defeated man just gets up and walks to the door. Everybody hugs him the moment he opens the door, his long arms are nearly enough for everyone. Loud sobs echo in the room when the men just cry their hearts out, the gun automatically falling out of his hands onto the floor.

Everybody just sits down where they were standing, The dead silence in the room weighing heavy on everyone. Nobody had anything to say. There were no words that they could even think about to word Lily's betrayal.

"Is DJ alright?" Taehyung's head suddenly quips at Yoongi's question. He gives Hobi a look and the latter just looks at everyone with a blank expression.

"She's at her warehouse, Though I highly doubt that. She must be already plotting her way to that guy."

"She certainly seems to be that way." The room is suddenly lit up with light laughs from everyone. You definitely were of that kind, they kind of knew you wouldn't listen to anyone.

The seven men spent another hour in the room, recalling the times they had spent with Lily in the past three years. Namjoon had not killed her for a reason, He loved her. He loved her from the bottom of his heart, but the logical part of him wouldn't give her an easy death.

"She has messed with the wrong people, I thought she knew that." Yoongi laughs at the way Namjoon put the sentence together. He agreed one hundred percent with that, Lily had gotten on the wrong side of the wrong people. This was the talk of the town, nobody messed with Bangtan and lived another day to tell her the tale.

"I don't know how DJ is going to deal with her.?"

"That would be an interesting thing to see."

"I don't want anybody crying after this, We got work to do," Namjoon speaks, rubbing his eyes and standing up, The rest of the guys follow suit and they leave the room.

"Everyone in my study, Now."

Jungkook takes one last look at Lily who was blissfully lying unconscious in the middle of the bed. He wipes his eyes and closes the door and follows his hyungs. He wanted answers and he was going to make sure he would get them. He stays by the door to wait for a moment to let the others go into the study. He quickly dials you in and sprints down the stairs when you pick up.

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"I had a call with all the members of the circle today." The room goes into a silent zone as soon as Namjoon speaks. Hobi and Taehyung look at Namjoon with surprised expressions. When did this happen and most importantly why? What had they missed out on?

"What happened?" Taehyung asks eagerly, He already had enough of everything today. He did not have the capacity for another unfortunate news or an event right now.

"Joonah what happened?" Yoongi asks anxiously as Namjoon still keeps fidgeting with the phone on his desk. He had called everyone to discuss a new development in the circle. But after what Tae told and the state that the two boys bought Lily in, that took a back seat.

"I received a call from the circle today. To be precise, from the head." Everyone looks at Namjoon curiously, they never received direct phone calls as such. It was weird that the hot-headed old man called Namjoon himself.

"What does he want? Did something happen?" Namjoon thinks hard for a second trying to find better words to word his sentence upon Yoongi's insistence. He zeros down on relaying the words as it are.

"There are two things, One he is suffering from a critical illness and he has one month on his hands, And second he feels im more than capable than his own son to head the circle."

"What—-

"Wait—-

"What on earth–" Namjoon leaned back in his chair to watch the wide range of emotions that were being displayed on the boy's face. The broken words coming out of their mouths and the shock were making it difficult to establish if they were surprised or shocked about the new information.

"Hold on, So you will be the new head of the circle?" Jin asks comically his mouth now wide open, The others were not far behind too.

"Looks like it." Everyone just gets up from their respective seats and rushes towards Namjoon to give him a congratulatory hug. They take turns hugging him, expressing their happiness for him. The entire matter about Lily took a back seat for now. That could wait. This was big news.

"This is huge, Absolutely fucking amazing." Hobi sits down with a huge smile on his face, the others still trying to contain their happiness.

"I am still concerned about Lily though." Namjoons words threw the room into a similar silence once again, the dreaded atmosphere returning. All the happiness goes down several notches.

"What about her?" Taehyung asks

"I don't know, I was this close to blowing her head out, But." Namjoon shows the closeness with his fingers, while the others breathe a sigh of relief that he didn't. See now Namjoon was a rational man. They knew him like the back of their hands, He was the most rational one out of them, But there were certain things that did not allow him to act sensibly, and Lily was one of them.

"I think we should wait for DJ, She definitely has something on her mind." Namjoon looks at hobi with a thoughtful expression. He was onto something.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, We can go with DJ tomorrow to hunt those two bastards down."

"Strange that she is waiting until tomorrow," Yoongi says giving Taehyung a questioning look, As far as he knew you he didn't think so.

"Wait– Everyone pauses as Jimin looks around frantically. Before anybody could say anything, he rushes out of the room. He ignores everybody's calling out to him. He had another important task at hand. He ran around the house shouting like a madman for Jungkook. He couldn't find him anywhere.

He rushes to the stairs again to check on their floor once, By the time he reached down again breathless, He could see all the boys already waiting for him with concerned expressions on their faces when they saw how breathless he was, His face all red.

"Yah jimin what happened?" Jin asks him to pull him by his hand, and Jimin just puts his hand forward to catch a breath.

"Jungkook, Jungkook. He is not at home." Suddenly it registers in their mind that Jungkook, The rest of the members began looking at each other in alarm. Where did the boy go?

"He was here just a while ago, where did he go?"

"Call DJ."

"DJ, Why her?"

"Just do it already, I have a feeling he is with her."

Yoongi dials you frantically, If hobi was confident then he was too. He lets out a frustrated scream when you don't answer, Hobi starts rummaging through his pockets for his phone. He suddenly remembers he left it in Lily's room when he had gone there.

"Give me a minute." He ignores the loud yells of the boys asking him about where he was off to and rushes inside the room. He finds his phone and sprints back down to where the others were waiting.

The loud commotion in the room fills Namjoons mind with rage, What the fuck was even wrong with everyone. So much was happening today. He felt like he would burst with rage at the speed at which everybody was speaking, Altogether.

"Shut up." Namjoons thunderous voice fills the room with silence. Everyone knew this was the time when they had to do as said. He was a force to be reckoned with when Joon was angry.

"Hobi, Speak up. Why do you think Jungkook is with DJ?"

"I think he is with her, There is no other place he would go to right now. The only person that isn't here is DJ. There is a probability that he would take DJ to find those bastards to kill them himself."

"Do you know where she could be?"

"I have the location, But I'm not sure if she has gone there. Though I feel she must be there."

"There, There. Where is the fuck is that there?"

"She dropped me a pin. Let's go and check there."

"Everyone, Move." Namjoon walks swiftly towards the door in frustration, He was worried sick about you and Jungkook. He knew how impulsive and emotional the youngest could be. He needed you both to be safe. He wouldn't know what he would do if anything went haywire.

"Wait."

"Does someone need to stay with her? What if she wakes up?" Namjoon gives Jin a disapproving look. He just couldn't bring himself to think about Lily. His main priority was you two for now. And for the rest, he couldn't care less.

"She would be out for a couple hours more." Nobody waits for any further talks as soon as Hobi gives a confirmation of her being out for some more time. The men quickly get into their cars, while Hobi shares the location with everyone else.

Everyone was just hoping, that you two were safe.

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"I said start speaking. Are you deaf?" Borris yells loudly at the sting of the slap that you threw at his face. You hold his hair even tighter and the man just yelps. The man was stubborn in making a deal, but you were stubborn enough to not give him that too. Beggars could never be choosers.

"I said you have to promise me, You will let me and Lily go. I'll tell you everything." You sigh in frustration at the boldness of this man. He dared to negotiate as if you wouldn't find the information you needed any other way.

You slap the tied-up man thrice and suddenly Jungkook appears in your mind. You had received his call a while ago and the man sounded urgent. The trembling in his voice told you something was wrong, The first guess that had come to your mind that he knew.

He probably knew by now, what Lily had been doing.

"You know what, Don't tell me anything. But don't blame me later when something happens." You could visibly see Borris' expression changing on his face. Fear crept up on his face when you mentioned something happening later.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh about that, I have a special guest over." You smirk when you see the fear going up exponentially on the man's face. There! There you have him.

You had already explained to Jungkook, how he needed to come and which way he needed to use it. You could expect him anytime. You had instructed Lee and Min-Ho to keep a strict watch on the front door and the back should there be unexpected appearances.

"I am ready to tell you, aren't I? All I am asking is to just get me and Lily safe out of here."

"And I already told you, You are in no position to make demands."

You check Borris once who seemed to be writhing in pain, The effect of the dose was coming down visibly. You could see the pain that he was in and the twisted part of you loved watching him like that. IT served him right. He should have thought twice before deciding to go behind your people.

You wait by the window to see the surroundings. You wanted to wait for Jungkook. There were one hundred ways that you could have used to get the information you required out of Borris, but something inside was telling you to let Jungkook have a go at him first.

The room that Mikhail was in gave a very clear view of the back gate, maybe that is why he had chosen this room. He needed to keep a watch on that gate rather than the front.

You see a car light in the distance, It stops right somewhere near the place where your car had been parked, Jungkook calls you as soon as he switches the engine off and you guide him the way to the door.

"Your gift is here."

"Wait, What gift?" You just laugh at his question. Soon enough you hear the heavy sound of footsteps which you were sure were Jungkook's. You could recognize the sound of those heavy chunky boots even in your sleep.

Jungkook storms into the room and you could visibly see the red in his eyes and the white on Borris's face.

"Who among these two is him?" You point towards Borris and Jungkook covers the distance in two steps. The rage radiates strongly within him when he picks Borris up by his bloodied shirt.

"How dare you?" Jungkook does not get to finish his sentence as Borris starts thrashing around and pleading for him to spare him. Maybe he knew that if ever the men of Bangtan lay their hands on him, he wouldn't live another minute.

You stay silent as Jungkook beats Borris up, He makes no effort to control himself and neither do you. He deserved it, and so did Lily. They had no right to set people up and play with someone's life as they did.

A loud crash startles both you and Jungkook and instinctively you both take your guns out. Both Lee and Min-Ho come rushing inside with panic written on their faces.

"Boss, Some men are here."

"DJ, you cover the back door, And I'll take the front door. You two cover one of us each." You three nod your heads to Jungkook's instructions. Jungkook sprints back to Borris and lifts his chin up with his gun and gives him a dead look.

"And you, I'm not done with you. No matter who came to save you, You will die by my hands." Borris' sudden laugh infuriates Jungkook and the latter slaps him hard across his face.

"You think someone would come to save me?" Borris laughs evilly and spits the blood pooled in his mouth. You and Jungkook ignore him for the time being and run out of the room with Lee and Min-Ho following you closely behind.

You get down the stairs and the front door bursts open making you four hide behind the sofa. You freeze when you hear similar voices. You and Jungkook stand up together surprised.

"Hyung?" The six men looked at Jungkook with thankful expressions, Namjoon rushing forward to hug the boy. You are surprised out of your wits when he pulls you in a hug after he lets Jungkook go.

"Wait– What?" Your mind fails to form coherent sentences with Namjoons arm around you. You could feel his breath on your neck and your ears were right over his chest. You could hear the loud beating of his heart and you couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

The others coddle you and Jungkook turns by turn leaving both of you extremely confused, Jungkook shrugs his shoulders when you try asking him what exactly was going on. You lead the men upstairs after a ton of effort, And a grim expression takes over their faces. They see the state those two men were in.

Mikhail screams right at that moment, The man gets up and tries to free himself, But the mahogany keeps the ropes in place. The seven men let out an evil laugh once they saw the useless efforts Mikhail was making, they rounded up around the two captive men.

Jungkook resumes his assault on Borris who just keeps screaming in pain, You pull Jungkook back this time. He had had enough. He was well on his way to killing Borris. He couldn't die yet. You needed to know how exactly you had gotten in the middle of all this.

"Do you see them? Do you want me to hand you over to them? They won't spare a breath for you." You hold Borris by his hair again and the expression on your face translates well to him.

"Fine, I'll tell you everything." The room calms down considerably when Borris agrees to tell you everything. The men gather up around you, ignoring Mikhail who was thrashing and yelling.

"Me. Me and Lily we met when we were just kids." Hobi slaps Borris, and he just looks at you helplessly.

"Just tell us since when have you guys been messing behind our backs?"

"Tell us everything you fucking bastard."

"I and Lily have been in love with each other since our childhood Until Ivanovs married her off to Vladimirs." Your eyes almost popped out at the new information. Lily was married? The rest of them were in no different position. The look on each one of their faces screamed surprise except for Namjoon who stood in a corner with his face calm and his fists clenched.

"She's... She's married?" Borris nods his head and another wave of shock runs through the room.

"Her name is Yulina, She's his half-sister." Borris points to Mikhail and Mikhail who just seems to be too immersed in his pain. His screams kept echoing through the room but they were all tuned out considering how the information was unfolding bit by bit.

"Wait, They're siblings. Then why was he behind her life ?" Taehyung interrupted the man curiously, Mikhail screamed another time and Borris looked at him in a fearful way. You sighed in exasperation. This was taking way too long. You quickly walked over to Borris and blocked his view of Mikhail

" I worked for the Ivanovs, Yulina was brought to their residence when she was fourteen when Ivavons mistress Evija died. We fell in love a couple years after that, but Ivanovs and Mikhail found out about us shortly before she was about to be married. They held me captive and made sure I wouldn't escape so that she doesn't too. She was married off to honor a deal between the Ivanovs and Zakharov. But Yulina ran off within six months and both families got on the worst terms with each other. So when Yulina ran off she said she would make some arrangements to free me from there, but the situation got so bad that I failed no matter how hard I tried. She kept running from them for four years, but she stopped here in Korea because she met you."

"Because she met us?" Yoongi breaks borris monologue when he hears about Lily staying back in Korea because she met them. Borris looks at Yoongi hesitantly before answering his question. One look from the guy had him shrinking back.

"You're one of the big guys here and no one would mess with the mafia. She thought she would be well protected here until she figures out a plan for us to get away from everything together, And start a new life."

"You fucking– You and Yoongi stop an extremely angry jungkook, He charged towards Borris with an intention that looked like he would kill him.

"So she used us basically?" Borris's head bows down in shame when Taehyung asks this question with a trembling in his voice. Hobi punches the wall next to him hurling courses along with it. You are still miles away from processing this information. Your mind kept reeling in the reactions of the guys, They were absolutely shattered and heartbroken. As a spectator you could easily tell all these years, How much the guys loved Lily, They were absolute goners for her. And the fact that she had an agenda infuriated you.

You couldn't imagine how the seven men must be feeling, Their entire relationship was based on an agenda.

"And what about her?" Namjoon, who seemed unfazed earlier, seemed to be on the edge. Borris took a hot minute to respond to Namjoon and the leader got words flowing out of his mouth the minute his hand enveloped his throat. You tap Namjoon's shoulders lightly, Silently attempting to warn him to not kill Borris, Yet.

"She was a replacement?" You dragged Namjoon aside And held Borris by his bloodied collar. Namjoon repeated the action of tapping you lightly on your arm to stop you from ripping the man apart. How dare he? You and a replacement?

"Lily had known after the party that she had been in love with you all for a lot of years so he came up with this stupid idea of getting you guys to fall in love with her." It took every ounce of you to not split open his throat at the mention of just replacing you with some kind of an object. How far did she even go to plan things like this?

"She had thought once she would bring DJ into your lives, DJ would automatically eliminate her and take her place."

"What the fuck I never did any such thing."

"That's why she planned to get you to move in with them so that they would see you are sincere and end up falling in love with you and forget her, And in turn, we get our way." You looked at the guys in utter shock, The expression that you had on your face was visible on theirs. What was this woman?

"So for you two, we are all some sort of machines that you could program the way you see fit?" You seethe in anger, Were these two for real? How on earth could someone be so manipulative?

"Everything was going fine until you killed Ivanov. We had planned to flee out of the country but the moment Ivanov died everything crumbled into shambles. Mikhail got to know Lily was here. He caught me right before I was about to escape from Russia. And he got in touch with Lily."

"And when did you meet Lily again?"

"I had come to Korea with Ivanovs, They got me here for god knows what. But I ended up running into Lily one day. And that's when we decided this time we would not let go, No matter what it took or who died in the process. But Mikhail just complicated everything."

No one said a word for a long time after Borris was done speaking. The extent to which Lily aka Yulina had gone was insane. For the first time in your life, you had felt like you were some kind of a prop that was used as deemed fit. You had a weird feeling about the lengths that Lily was going to get you mingled with the boys But to this extent? This was insane.

None of the people in the room could speak even if they tried, everything was too weird. You walked up to Mikhail to see what state was the bastard in, but it turned out that he had fainted a long time ago. You check for the pulse and find a light one, You quickly instruct your men to arrange for your doctor, Mikhail couldn't die. Not right now. You had different scores to settle with him.

That was after you were done with Yulina.

There were still some gaps in the story, but you were sure once Mikhail woke up he would fill them for you. Starting with what the fuck was Mikhail doing in Choi's house. How was the old man involved here? And once you had those answers, you would make sure Choi would regret his entire life.

"What was Yulina's husband's name?" You had planned the perfect scare for Lily, To word it better you had plans for the most wonderful surprise for her. She deserved this, every bit of it.

"It's Vladimir Zakharov." You pull out your phone and dial Bratva, He was the only person who could help you in arranging this wonderful event to come together in one piece.

"Bratva, How have you been?" The seven men and Borris gasp in surprise, Not expecting the phone call.

"Wait, What is she doing?" Borris asks the men in utter panic and none of them respond, each of them holding a smirk of their own. Maybe they had a fair idea of what you were about to do.

"Bratva, I would like to invite you and Vladimir Zakharov to Korea."

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xxmyhomexx · 8 months

Text

SONG OF THE CRIMSON NILE: Bargain, Part One

Another headcannon for Amen and Eva. He finds out that she is a sheshmu, and has her and her group taken into questioning. However, Eva bargains for her friends life, telling him that if he wants to kill her, then he can because she'll be reunited with Isman.

Instead, Amen decides to take her back to Memphis, but only because Remmao tells him that she has been having dreams, especially about the ones of Anubis. He tells her that if she comes with him, he'll tell the Pharoah to spare her friends. She complies, under the guise that she doesn't try to escape or contact her friends for help. Her pet goes with her, and a few days later, they arrive in Memphis.

Her eyes widen, scanning the entire city in awe and curiosity. She is sitting directly in Amen's coach, eyes gazing to the dagger on his belt. She begins to wonder if he'll kill her when her usefulness is up, not daring to think anymore about it. She wonders about her friends, and if they are safe. When she sees Omphis, Polyb or Afiri, a small smile graces her lips as she has someone to keep her sane at least.

When the carriage pulls up to Menes II's palace, Eva is immediately escorted into the throne room. When a hunter becomes rough with her during the escort, Amen gives him a warning.

"Do not touch her again, and it will be your limbs I cut off in the executioner's chair," he snarls. The hunter backs away as Amen takes over, leading her toward none other than Menes II.

Eva observes the Pharoah rising from his throne, eyeing her with obvious disdain, but also contempt and curiosity. She is wearing a white dress, her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail, and sandals to accentuate her feet. He walks to his throne, ordering her to bow before him.

"Bow to me, girl," he says. "Let me see you."

Eva grits her teeth, but holds back an insult and obeys. He nods in safisfaction.

"So, my Epistates tells me you are the sheshmu he has been looking for," he sneers. "Tell me, are there more? Don't bother, I know it all."

"I'm here...on behalf of my people," Eva answers curtly. "If you are going to execute me, then get it over with."

Amen purses his lips as Menes II scratches his chin.

"Tempting," he leans back. "But Amen tells me you have dreams of the Lord Anubis. Why is that? Sheshmu cannot dream."

Eva narrows her eyes. "I don't know myself, your Highness."

Menes II taps a finger on the arm of his throne. He had received a long letter from the hunters days before their arrival, and it only stated Eva would be brought to Memphis on behalf of her mentor. As she waits, he suddenly rises from his throne.

"We may have a use for you after all," he concludes. "If what Amen tells me is true, then we just might be one step closer to ridding Egypt of this virus. You, my dear, will stay and aide us in our work. You will be trained by my dark priests, and we will see what those dreams truly are."

Eva's eyes widen. "You mean...I'm not dying?"

Menes II frowns. "Time will tell."

He looks at Amen. "Escort her to the house she will be staying in. Make sure it is prepared, and assign one of my maids as her personal servant."

Amen turns to leave with Eva.

"But..."

They both look back. "Keep an eye on her. If she tries anything suspicious, report back to me."

Eva sucks in a breath as Amen bows, turning on his heels to leave. They walk outside, through the palace gardens where people of upper aristocracy stop to stare. It is clear that she doesn't fit in, given the state of her attire and hair. They start whispering to one another, until a warning glare from Amen tells them to mind their own business.

Soon, they come upon a series of houses, the grand one made from slab and clay belonging to the Supreme Epistates himself. She thinks she will be assigned one of the smaller homes, until they walk right into the one that makes her stomach drop.

"I thought..." Eva stops amist the steps. "I thought I'd be placed in the smaller ones."

Amen scoffed. "Do you really think the Pharoah's so generous? No, my neferut, I made sure he assings you to my home so I can keep a personal eye on you."

Eva's eyes widened before she scowled. "You really don't trust me?"

"Trust you, after the stunts you pulled?" Amen growls. "You've stolen my things, lied about your profession, and got your mentor and friends in trouble. Be thankful they're still alive, because one slip up..."

He unsheathed the dagger from his belt, grabbed her ponytail, and yanked her head back to the point where the column of her throat was exposed. He pointed the tip right at the base, causing Eva to become rigid. She began to sweat, and he could tell she was shivering.

"And I'll cut your throat from ear..."

Amen trailed his dagger across her neck from one ear to the other, the blade lightly tickling her skin.

"To ear. That includes them, too."

Eva remains silent, balling her hands in tight fists. She used her strength to push herself free, and sprinted up the steps inside the house without looking back. She doesn't bother to look around, all she cares about is getting to her room and locking it.

Hours draw by, falling into night,and she stays in her chosen room curled in a ball on the bed. The room is decent, with a bed of comfortable straw, navy blue covers, and heiroglyphics on the wall similar to the one in Thebes. She doesn't move from this position, afraid if she does, the hunters will restrain her and take her for her execution. A soft knock startles her, causing her to back into a corner.

When she doesn't answer, there is a click and the door opens, revealing a soft looking woman with brown eyes, a black bob with bangs, and gold plate earrings. She is wearing a pink gown, carrying several more in one arm. When her head perks at Eva, she stops dead, just as the sheshmu in front of her.

"E-Evthys?"

"Theone?!" Eva stalked toward her. "Why are you...in the house of Amen?!"

Theone sat the clothes on the foots of her bed. "I came to Memphis for work. Livius dismissed me after that...fiasco, and a local healer who works for the Epistates hired me. He is away right now, but Amen asks me to help at his house, and I guess..."

"You're my personal maid."

"Not maid," Theone scrunches her nose. "Assistant. But that isn't bad, considering you were the one who severed my connection to Livius, and saved that young girl in Hermopolis."

Eva remained silent as Theone started to sort through the dresses she brought.

"There we go," she smiled. "Now you can choose one to your liking."

"For what?" Eva raised a confused brow.

"Dinner, of course! The cook is almost done, and the Epistates requests you join him."

Eva's eyes widened in fear. Amen wants her to join him for dinner? Absolutely not! She wanted to lash out at Theone, but when she saw the young woman's confused stare, she knew it wasn't her fault. She was only doing as she was ordered, and she couldn't put her at risk. Then again, she did not want to sit at a table with the very damned hunter that brought her here.

"I'm sorry, Theone," she shakes her head. "I'm not hungry."

The cued growling of her stomach betrayed her.

"But Master Amen mentioned you hadn't eaten all day, and you need dinner. If he finds out I didn't bring you down..."

Theone's panicked eyes scanned the room. "Then you'll be punished. I know I haven't made things easier for you, Evthys, but please comply. You're already here for a purpose, and if the Epistates finds out you were the one who helped me with Livius, or that girl..."

Eva nodded with a grim understanding. "Ok, I get it...at least me bathe first."

Theone's panic ceased with a wide grin. After a quick wash, Eva picked out a white gown with cutout shoulders. The sleeves were long, and it was very comfortable. Theone clapped her hands together, complimenting her beauty. After helping her fasten it, she assisted her at the vanity.

Theone tried to make small talk, but Eva listened to her rambles in silence. She didn't know what was happening in Thebes or Hermopolis. Were her loved ones safe? Did they manage to escape execution? Before she knew it, Theone fixed her hair into two plaits, down over her shoulders. As she gathered beauty supplies for makeup, Eva waved her hand at it.

"Absolutely not," she shook her head. "I'm not putting on makeup."

"Are you sure?" Theone gulped.

"Theone," Eva's voice was firm, but held gentleness. "I appreciate the effort, I do, but I'm still here as a prisoner, and if Amen think he'll dress me up for sport, then he is sadly mistaken. I'll wear his clothes, but I won't paint my face for his satisfaction."

"Then are you ready?"

Eva nodded as she lead her to the door. "Let's go."

Theone nodded and opened the door for her. Both girls walked down the hall together in silence, with Eva admiring the decor of his house. It was beautiful, although a bit austentatious because of how big the space was. Torches lit up the hall, Theone peeking at her face. The poor woman looked as if she were about to break into sobs, and hesitantly, she reached to squeeze her shoulder. Eva blinked as she peered down, while Theone gave her a small smile.

"I still want to thank you for your services," her grip tightened. "I don't know if it was love or lust, but getting away from Livius was the best thing for both of us."

Just for you. Eva bit her tongue not to retort, and Theone's eyes were full of genuine appreciation. Who was she to crash her world by advising her that Livius didn't feel anything for her to begin with? She just returned the smile as they finally made it to the dining hall.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to find me. My house is just across from here, you'll see it from your room."

"Wait, you're not coming?" Eva's voice rose in pitch. Theone frowned apologetically, as her orders were to escort her and then leave. Eva inhaled through her nose and gulped, the cotton, loose dress suddenly feeling ten times too tight. She watched as Theone excused herself, shuffling on her feet. She knew she couldn't rely on her protection, yet felt alone and exposed.

Better to get this over with, she mused. She stepped inside the fire-lit hall, and her nostrils filled with the scent of food and fresh wine. She came upon a table, and her eyes bugged at everything: koshari, freshly cooked tamiya, mahshi, dried fish. There were two jugs, filled with fresh berry wine. She saw steam rising from the food. This cuisine was better prepared than what she was served at the temple and Thebes, because her stomach was flipping with rumbles.

She was tempted to gather a plate to take back to her room, but where was the host? She eyerolled and decided to take one of everything. As soon as she piled her plate, she took a seat at the far end of the table, right where her host would sit.

"So I see you made yourself comfortable."

Amen's voice startled her. She whirled around and saw him duck into the hall. He wore nothing but the white pants that hung to his waist, the ones he slept in. Even out of uniform, he still intimidated her, even to her very core.

Eva remained motionless as he took the seat directly in front of her.

"Shall we begin?"

#romance club #song of the crimson nile #rc evthys #rc amen

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