Cut checked his gold Rolex. “Right, let’s begin. I have somewhere else to be tonight.”

Daniel let me go, and Marquise dropped his hand. Vaughn sucked in wheezing breaths as Daniel planted himself in the middle of me and Vaughn. “Grandmamma, the dice?”

Bonnie inched forward, her arthritis turning her stiff. Pulling a dice free from her jacket pocket, she handed it to her grandson. With eyes ordering obedience and no room for error, she stepped back.

Daniel puffed out his chest. “As you know, Nila, you’ve paid the debts for the original Hawk family, but you haven’t paid for the glue that held the family together. The mother was the reason we outstripped your family in wealth, power, and rank. However, before you learn what she did to make such a thing happen, you must learn the daily struggle she went through to keep her family alive.”

Cut nodded proudly, giving Daniel the limelight.

In a sick way, the history lesson was a reprieve. Storytelling by a monster before he ate me for dinner.

“You’re not a mother, so I doubt you’ll understand completely, but this little game will prove how far she’d go to save her children.”

Daniel held up the dice. “For every roll, I’ll give you two scenarios. Option one, you have the ability to save yourself. Option two, you’ll have the ability to save your brother. You will learn the depth of my ancestor’s compassion. She wasn’t a martyr—she was a fucking saint. Putting everyone she cared about first.”

Daniel rolled the dice in his fingers. “If there was food, she’d feed her family and starve herself. If there was shelter, she’d make sure her children were warm while she would freeze. If there was pain, she’d put her loved ones first and accept the punishment. She truly was an exemplary woman.”

His voice deepened. “And your fucking ancestors took advantage of her kind-hearted spirit. They tortured her by holding the lives of her children over her. They went above and beyond to make her suffer. Weaver used a dice, similar to this one, whenever he wanted her to do something. Fuck him or sleep in the pigsty. Crawl on her knees or go hungry. She was the strongest member of our lineage because, not only did she never break, but she also singlehandedly destroyed the Weaver’s stature, became friends with the sovereign, and ensured the Hawk name became one of the most feared and wealthiest overnight.”

He laughed. “Strong fucking woman, huh?” His eyes darkened. “Bet you wish you were half as strong as her.”

He wasn’t wrong. My emotional sadness and bodily weakness from the past few weeks haunted me. I’d let them get to me. I’d cracked, if not broken completely.

I’m weak.

Knowing I came from such an awful bloodline made me guilty for our wealth and success. Our prosperity was built on the destitution of others, but just like the crown and church terrorized its people, the gentry picked on lower class. It didn’t make it right, but that was the world back then. Corrupted by power and free to torture.

It wasn’t my responsibility to pay for their sins. It wasn’t anyone’s. It was evolution from barbarism to better behaviour.

Daniel smirked. “What are the most basic instincts of a mother? What is the fundamental requirement for having children?”

I pursed my lips. My eyes remained locked on Vaughn.

To defend against people who mean them harm. Just like I’ll defend V from you.

Daniel continued, “We all know it’s a mother’s job to sacrifice herself for her children. Let’s see if you can be that strong for your sibling.” He shoved the dice under my nose. “This isn’t an ordinary dice. No numbers. See?”

I flinched.

“Only two colours. Red and black. Want to know what those colours mean?”

God, please let this end.

“Red is for blood—a physical toll you’ll have to submit to, in order for your brother to avoid the punishment for you.” He chuckled. “And black is for psychological—those hard to swallow decisions where there’s no right answer but only two shades of fucked-up.”

“Wrap it up, Dan,” Cut said. “Let’s get on with it.”

Daniel nodded. “Fine.” He tossed the dice from palm to palm. “What should your first trial be, Weaver? Something easy or hard?”

Vaughn fought in Marquise’s hold.

I ignored him. This wasn’t about him. This was about me protecting him. The Hawks already knew I’d accept every task, no matter what it was. It wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. Bearing pain myself was doable, watching my twin go through it…unthinkable.

Rubbing his chin, Daniel murmured, “I think my first roll will be…” Shaking the dice, he released it. The plastic bounced against the thick carpet, coming to a stop on black.

Black…psychological.

I stiffened as an idea lit his face. Leering at Vaughn, he said, “You have two choices, Nila. First, stay where you are and watch your brother suffer two blows to his gut, courtesy of Marquise. Or…”

I stood taller. “Or what?”

“Or…do what my ancestor had to do every night. She had to fuck her employer.”

My stomach bubbled with disgust. My tongue desiccated with horror. “I—I—no.”

Daniel grabbed his cock. “Gonna fuck me for the Third Debt. Might as well get used to it, bitch.”

I wanted to throw up.

Vaughn wriggled and groaned in his binds.

Visions of willingly submitting to Daniel in front of my brother caused tears to swell. I couldn’t…could I?