TORTURED SOUL, general kirigan ✔

CHAPTER EIGHT

"You're a bastard, Liliya. I hope Ivan treats you well," Arina responded, her scowl deepening as she stepped away. The two began to walk separate ways before Liliya scoffed.

"I rejected Ivan a long time ago," She called before Liliya just left. There was no way she was going to give in to Arina's snarky remarks. They both knew how she stood with Ivan. He was a friend and most of the time, he was an acquaintance. He was older than him and infuriating. He had some odd superiority complex and Liliya was usually fine with it. But since the mission to Shu Han, something was different. Liliya didn't like it.

However, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. It was not worth her time. Arina wasn't worth her time at the moment. She finally felt context. Kirigan might just be using her for all Liliya knew but she at least had him. It was better than nothing and he seemed to enjoy her company. She just hoped that what they had wouldn't stop him from sending her after the Shu boy. She needed to get him for Kirigan and to prove it to herself that she could.

Her thoughts ran away with her as she trudged to her room. The monotony of the day was beginning to get to her. Without Genya around to break it up, it was tiring. Liliya didn't know when Genya would be allowed to see her again, she just hoped it was soon. She missed the woman's smiles and teasing remarks. She also missed being able to talk to someone without fear of judgement. It was nice.

Liliya walked into her room and pulled her kefta off, discarding it on the dresser. She crossed over to the bathroom, snatching up her hairbrush. Pulling her hair out of the ponytail, she began to brush through it. Her under eye bags were still visible and Genya's work had worn off the previous day. She hoped that Kirigan didn't mind. She hadn't even stop to consider her appearance around him. She probably looked a mess the previous day.

She placed the brush down on the sink and stepped back, pushing her fingers through her hair. Did he care what she looked like? Suddenly, she was reconsidering everything. Her fingers moved to the collar of her blouse and pulled it down slightly. Her gaze flicking over the two deep scars and she wondered if he had seen them. She had turned away from him when she changed but had his shirt shown them. She hadn't even considered that.

But before she could question it further, there was a hand around her waist. She expected it to be Kirigan or Genya but when she looked back, she was met with an unfamiliar face. An unfamiliar face and a knife pressed against her belly.

"Quiet, girl, or I'll kill you quickly," The man said. His accent was thick and she was sure that it was Shu. It must have been a Shu accent. A million questions flew through her head as she turned her gaze away from him. Her breathing became shallow. Her hands shaking. She knew that she had to stay calm. These situations were familiar. It was not the first time she had been threatened. Staying calm was the objective. She nodded her head in compliance and he pulled her back. She quickly lost her footing and was dragged towards the bathtub. Far from the door on the other side of the room. At least he was smart.

"Who are you?" Liliya asked as she stood in front of the tub. Her hands gripping the edge of the porcelain. The Shu man was stood in front of her now, crowding her and giving her no way of escaping. The knife pressed harder into her belly. The material of the blouse slicing under the pressure. It was at the same level as her intestines it seemed which meant that he probably wasn't trying to kill her. That brought her some relief.

"That doesn't matter. I just have a message for you. If you happen to survive this, I want you to know that the boy will never be found," The man said as he pushed the knife into her intestines. A cry of pain escaped her lips as it sliced through her skin and pushed into her. A whimper escaping her lips as her body collapsed to the floor. Her hands moving to press against the wound. The knife still embedded within her.