Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Soi-Ji

Soi-Ji had followed her, suspecting General Fleu was up to something. He was taken aback when he saw Raven push the General over the railing, and even more so when he discovered the empty vial.

It had remnants of a black liquid, which was confirmed to be daki poison after testing. It didn’t take him long to put the pieces together.

She’d manipulated the prince of Nadia into taking her to the lake, using their political tension to her advantage to secure her release.

Had she also made a deal with the prince as a backup plan?

A small sense of pride welled up in Soi-Ji when she chose to fight rather than take the easy way out. Most women would have given in and cried. But not Raven. She refused to surrender.

However, she didn’t realize the extent of her back injury.

He was certain that a few months ago, she could have executed those moves, but lack of training and exercise would affect even the best warriors.

He used this to his advantage during their fight, which is why he offered her a way out. Soi-Ji treated her like any other opponent. He was determined to win, no matter what.

His heart ached when she screamed. It was unavoidable. As a woman, she responded to power and dominance. She wouldn’t respect him if he went easy on her.

He paced outside the operating room, waiting for news about her condition. There was so much blood, he couldn’t assess the damage and had to call for medical help.

She lost consciousness soon after, either from shock or pain. The doors swung open, letting in a gust of cold air.

“Ah, I didn’t realize you’d be out here. I was just about to—”

“How is she?”

“She’ll survive. If we’d been any later, she would’ve lost her eye. There will be scarring around the injury,” the medic said, scrolling through his tablet. “Her client count will likely decrease.”

“She only has one client,” he said.

The medic looked uncomfortable. “Should I arrange for her to be transported to the brothel?”

Soi-Ji’s hand moved on its own, knocking the tablet to the ground.

“Why would I want that?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to offend. I just assumed—”

“You think because she’s scarred, I don’t want her anymore?”

If anything, he liked her more.

The medic’s eyes widened, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. “Where would you like her moved?”

“To our suite. Immediately.”

***

Raven

Raven was awake, but she kept her eyes closed. She hadn’t slept this well in a long time. She dreamt of Fleu, choking and falling into an abyss.

The cherry on top would’ve been defeating Soi-Ji, but he was quicker, more aggressive, and stronger. Most importantly, he didn’t treat her like she was fragile. Soi-Ji was a true warrior.

He had pursued her like any other opponent. That made her happy. Did she still have her eye? Raven’s hand flew to her face.

She slowly opened her eyes, and to her relief, she could see. But there was a price. Her fingers traced a scar that ran from her eyebrow to her cheekbone.

It wasn’t her first scar. At least this one made her look tough.

“The doctors were able to save your eye, but the tissue around it couldn’t be repaired,” Soi-Ji said.

She turned towards his voice. He was lying right next to her.

“How about a rematch? I’ll make sure to stretch this time,” Raven said, sitting up.

“Maybe another time,” he said.

“Don’t be a sore winner—”

His hand cradled the back of her neck, and he pressed his forehead to hers.

“I’m glad you're okay. Are you mad at me?” he asked.

Her cheeks tingled, and she pulled away, rubbing the warm spot he’d left behind.

“No.”

He smiled and kissed her, pushing her back onto the bed.

“Good. Now tell me, how do I meet your king?”

“My what?”

“The king of your people.” He frowned. “You promised to reveal everything if I won.”

“We don’t have kings anymore. What would you do if you met our leader anyway?”

He shifted his weight onto his forearms, trapping her beneath him. His body was heavy, even though it was only a fraction of his weight.

“Establish communication between our people. Share knowledge and resources.”

“We don’t consider women as resources,” she said.

“I’m sure your leaders will see it differently if we have something valuable to trade,” he said matter-of-factly.

The leaders would jump at the chance for information about the ships, medicine, and anything else they could get their hands on. They would send thousands and even leave her there as a bargaining chip.

They might even recruit her as a spy.

“Ow.” Raven touched her scar. “I think my memory was affected. I need some time to gather my thoughts.”

His frown deepened. “That’s not what we agreed on. We agreed on complete transparency.”

“You don’t understand what you’re asking,” she said.

“I’m asking you to keep your word,” he said, his voice dropping lower.

“On one condition, I—”

“You’re not leaving. I’ll bring whoever you want here as my guest,” he said.

That was the best offer she’d ever received. Would she sacrifice thousands to find Tori?

“She would have to be free, just like in our world,” Raven said. “She should be able to come and go as she pleases, choose her own love life and career.”

“And you stay as you are?”

She nodded.

“And any other women who come here, they’d have to follow our rules and traditions?”

She gave a nod in response.

“And the rest of our deal stands. No more added conditions.”

“Yes, just bring her here, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“How do you get in touch with them?” he questioned.

“I need a radio.”