Raziel led Nyx back through the Pride's camp. Lions parted before them, some with respect for their King, others with hostility for the human who'd killed one of their own.
"They want me dead." She said, scanning the faces in the crowd.
"Most of them, yes. That's why you're staying in my den until the Five Kings arrive. Anywhere else, you'd be dead by morning."
"Your den. So, I'm still your prisoner."
He stopped walking, and turned to face her.
"Yes. A prisoner I can do with as I please and also someone who's under my protection, so I'm bound to defend you with my life." His jaw tightened. "The first one is easier. The second might actually get me killed. You decide what should I chose?"
Before Nyx could respond, he resumed walking, his pace forced her to keep up or be dragged.
They reached his chambers. The moment they entered inside, Raziel released her arm and grabbed supplies from the corner: water basin, clean clothes, the same medicinal paste as earlier.
"Sit." He said, gesturing to the furs by the fire pit.
Nyx stayed standing, arms crossed despite the pain in her shoulder.
"I'm fine."
"You have bruises on your ribs from where James hit you, your shoulder is still bleeding through the bandages." He put down the supplies. "Sit. Down."
"Or what? You'll make me?"
"If I have to. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice."
Nyx weighed her options. Fighting now would waste energy she needed to plan for her escape. She sat. Raziel knelt before her.
"I'm going to check your wounds." He said. "Tell me if anything hurts more than it should."
"Everything hurts."
"Very helpful." His hands were gentle as they unwrapped the bandage on her shoulder. The claw marks had stopped bleeding, but the area was still red. "This should have healed by now." He frowned.
"I'm human. We don't heal as fast as you do."
"I keep forgetting that." He reached for the paste. "Three hundred years without humans. It's strange, having you here."
"Strange. What a word choice!"
"What word would you use?"
"Nightmare." She looked into his eyes, refusing to look away as he pressed the burning paste directly on her wound. "I went from prison on Earth to prison here."
"You're not in prison."
"Really?" Nyx gestured around them with her hand. "Can I leave this room?"
"No."
"Can I leave the Pride Lands?"
"No."
"Can I go anywhere without guards following me?"
Raziel's jaw tightened as he wrapped fresh bandages around her shoulder.
"That's what I thought." Nyx pulled away as he finished. "I'm in a cage. It's just bigger than the one on Earth."
"You killed one of my warriors tonight." He stood up. "You survived my council. In three days, you'll face five Kings who have the power to end you without a word." He paused. "That's not a cage. That's a battlefield. And right now, I'm the only ally you have."
"You're not my ally. You're my captor pretending to be my protector."
"Then what would you call someone who just risked political rebellion to defend your life?"
He was right. Raziel had stood before his own council and declared she was under his protection.
"I don't know." She admitted. "But not a friend or an ally."
"Get some rest." He said, turning away and heading toward the exit. "Tomorrow we start preparing you for the Five Kings. You'll need to understand each of them, know what they value, and how to survive their judgment."
"And if I can't?"
He paused.
"Then I'll have stood before my council for nothing, and you'll die in three days." He glanced back. "So, I suggest you learn fast."
"Where are you going?"
"To deal with the warriors who want to kill you while you sleep. I need to make it very clear that touching you means death." He started to leave, then stopped. "Try not to escape while I'm gone. I'm really tired of chasing you."
"Can't promise that."
"I know. That's why I'm posting guards at every exit. Consider it insurance."
Then he was gone. She stood up immediately, ignoring the pain in her ribs.
Time to work.
The room wasn't large. It had furs for sleeping, a weapons rack, and a corner where Raziel stored his supplies. There were two exits: the main door he'd just used, and the open side that overlooked the plains.
Nyx moved to the study the other one. She looked down.
Easily 50 feet. The ground has stones. Survivable if I landed right otherwise paralysed.
The main exit was wider, made for someone Raziel's size to pass through comfortably. She walked towards it, listening. There were two to three guards there.
She needed to understand their rotation, their weaknesses, when they were most likely to be distracted.
Nyx went back to the room, examining the weapons rack. The bone knife she'd used to kill James was no longer there. The other weapons were useless, designed for display rather than combat.
Then her gaze landed on a decorative wall near the sleeping furs. She walked closer, running her fingers over the intricate weaving. It was a thick rope, woven into patterns that probably meant something to Lions. But to her, it could be her weapon to escape.
Nyx sat on the furs thinking about all the possibilities. She closed her eyes.
She was mapping guard rotations by sound when she heard footsteps approaching. Her eyes snapped open as Kira entered the chamber.
"Looking for escape routes already?" Kira asked in her cold voice.
She stood at the entrance, holding something in her hand.
"How did you get past the guards?"
"I'm his second in command. They let me through." Kira stepped into the chamber, and Nyx saw the bone knife in her hand. She tossed it at Nyx's feet. "Take it."
Nyx stared at the weapon, then at Kira.
A trap?
"Why?" Nyx asked.
"Because if you're going to be here, you should be armed." Kira crossed her arms. "Raziel's making enemies protecting you. If they come for him, they'll come for you first. You should be able to defend yourself."
"You want me armed?"
"I want you prepared." Kira walked closer. "Because in three days, five Kings will judge you. And unlike Raziel, I don't think pretty speeches and displays of strength will be enough. You need to be something they can't ignore."
"What do you suggest?"
"Don't try to be a human. They'll kill you for that." Kira stopped a few feet away. "Be a predator. Be something they respect. Show them you're not a prey but a competition."
"I'm one human against shapeshifting Kings. How exactly am I competition?"
"You killed James with just a knife while wounded. You survived council without begging or breaking. You looked my King in the eye and called him 'kitty.'" She paused. "You're either the bravest fool I've ever met, or you're actually dangerous. For his sake, I hope it's the second one."
"And why do you care?"
"Because he's my King. And I've never seen him like this before."
"Like what?"
"Uncertain, questioning and weak. Whatever you do in the next three days, just don't make him regret defending you. He's risking everything for you. Don't waste it."
Before Nyx could respond, Kira turned and left, leaving Nyx alone with a knife and too many questions.
Slowly, Nyx reached for the knife. The blade was of good quality, sharp enough to cut throat or gut.
Nyx put the knife into her belt and returned to the fur. She arranged the fur in such a way that she could see both entrances.
Guard rotation: every two hours, based on what she'd heard. Change happened quickly, maybe thirty seconds of overlap.
The rope in the wall hanging: maybe, fifty feet. It was enough to reach the ground if she tied it properly.
Raziel's schedule: he'd left to handle the warriors. How long would that take? An hour? Two?
She then heard Raziel's voice from outside, he was shutting down the whispers about her in a commanding voice.
Why?
Why would a King risk his throne for a human he's supposed to hate? Political advantage? Curiosity?
None of that made sense.
But Nyx didn't have the luxury of understanding his motivations. She had to focus on her own survival, escape,and freedom. Everything else was a distraction.