Page 81 of Monsters Carve Thrones

Laura turned to me. “You saw something. Her bed. That room–do you know where it is?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Waylon’s properties aren’t under his name specifically. I need to find a way to connect him to a property here.”

They all looked at me.

I clenched my jaw. “We get out. We find her. But first, I’m going to shove that photo down Waleria’s fucking throat.”

Chapter 15

ADELA

I lay on my side, staring at the wall, the dull ache in my wrists pulsing in time with my heartbeat. The cuffs had rubbed them raw again last night. I flexed my fingers, trying to ease the numbness, but it only made the burn worse.

Every breath felt heavier in this room. The bed creaked as I shifted, eyes flicking to the door when it opened slowly.

Olesya.

She slipped inside quietly, her arms full of fresh sheets and a rag for the floor. Her eyes scanned the room before settling on me–and on the cuffs that kept me tethered to the bed like some beast meant to stay quiet and pretty.

Her frown deepened. “Should I change the bedding?” she asked softly, her accent thick but gentle.

I sat up with effort, my wrists clinking against the headboard. “No. Just... stay a moment.”

She hesitated, then slowly set the sheets on the chair and moved toward me. Her eyes were kind, but wary. Always wary.

“Olesya,” I whispered. “I’m getting out of here.”

She flinched.

“I’m going to escape. But I need help.”

Her face tightened. She looked over her shoulder at the door like she expected Riley or Waylon to crash through it any second. “You say dangerous things.”

“I know.”

“You ask me to die?”

“No,” I said, my voice low and steady. “I’m asking you tolive.Because this?” I raised my wrists slightly. “This isn’t living.”

Olesya stared at me, unmoving. And then... she nodded. Just once. “I don’t like him,” she murmured, eyes darting toward the floor. “No one does. He’s not human.”

A bitter smile curled my lips. “I know.”

She glanced at the door again. “I will think. But if we try this… and we fail…”

“We won’t,” I whispered. “And even if we do... at least we tried.”

The door suddenly flung open. Olesya jumped and moved quickly toward the corner, pretending to busy herself with the sheets. Riley breezed in, dressed in her usual tight pants and smug expression, a bundle of clothes under her arm.

“Well, look atyou. Pretty little thing,” she sang, tossing the pile onto the bed.

I stared at her. “What is this?”

“Outfit change. You’re going outside today.”

That got my attention. My chest tightened with a flicker of suspicion.

Outside?