Cixi shifted slightly on the couch beside Cassian. Her fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the cushion. A cold tightness settled in her stomach as she imagined being handed over to those men after they had already lost their left hands.
Would they take them with them immediately or only after getting treated by a doctor?
Would they let them go home until they were healed, or would they keep them in the same basement waiting for their end day to arrive?
Cixi worried profoundly for her friends. She had the immortal curse, but Lily and Marion didn't. And the thought of her friends made her throat dry.
She pressed her tongue sharply against the inside of her cheek, desperately trying to steady her erratic breathing.
Turning her head slowly, afraid that any sudden movement might draw the Cassian executioners' attention, she found Lily and Marion standing stiffly behind the sofa, firmly held by the elite mafia guards, unable to escape even if they tried.
