CHAPTER 53: UNCOVERED

The faint murmur of voices stirred Lilith from unconsciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly, her vision blurred and her head pounding. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Panic jolted through her like a lightning strike.

She tried to move—only to find her wrists bound tightly in front of her with coarse rope. A thick cloth was tied around her mouth, muffling any sound. Her legs were bound as well, making it impossible to stand. Her breath quickened into shallow gasps as she realized she was lying on the cold ground, just beside the carriage she had willingly stepped into earlier.

Terror clawed at her throat as she forced herself upright into a sitting position. Her limbs trembled violently, every movement a struggle. She bent her head, her fingers trembling as she tried to rip the gag away with her teeth. The cloth was soaked with the taste of dust and something bitter. Her eyes burned with tears of fear and rage.

Her heart pounded louder than the voices. She brought her wrists to her mouth, desperately trying to gnaw at the rope, but it was too thick, too strong. Her teeth scraped uselessly against the fibers.

Then—footsteps.

Her breath caught.

She froze, the air around her seeming to vanish as she slowly lifted her head. Fiona stood only a few feet away, arms folded casually, leaning against the carriage like she had all the time in the world. Her lips stretched into a smile—not one of warmth or relief, but a cold, calculating grin that twisted her features into something almost unrecognizable.

Lilith’s blood turned to ice.

"Ah, don’t bother with that," Fiona said sweetly, her tone like honey laced with venom. "Those ropes are far stronger than you think. Even if you did manage to break free..." She gestured lazily to their surroundings. "Where exactly would you run to, Lilith? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Miles away from any soul."

"Who are you, and what do you want? I know you’re not Fiona. Show your true self, you coward," Lilith spat, fury lacing every word despite the tremble in her voice.

The woman’s smile only stretched wider, crueler. "Ah, I’ve always loved your smart mouth," she said with a mocking chuckle. "One of the many things I adored about you."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed. "What’s your plan? Keep me tied up like this forever? The prince will find me, and when he does—he will kill you."

That earned a laugh—loud, sharp, unhinged. "He’s going to kill me?" the imposter echoed, mimicking her tone with a sneer. "No, Lilith. He’ll never find me. He’ll never find us. We’ll be long gone. We’ll travel far away, start a new life—get married, have beautiful children. Just like I always dreamed, before that bastard Hades destroyed everything."

Lilith froze. Her blood ran cold.

"Leon... Leonidas?" she breathed, her voice barely a whisper.

The thing before her gave a low bow, form shifting, features melting away until Fiona’s face disappeared—replaced by a man in a brown tunic, black cloak draped over his shoulders, and a deep scar slashed across one side of his face.

"Yes, sweetheart. It’s me," he said, crouching beside her with a twisted tenderness in his eyes.

Lilith recoiled, her stomach turning. "It... it can’t be. How are you a shapeshifter? Why are you doing this?"

He reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face as she flinched away. "I’m only taking back what’s mine," he murmured. "But let me tell you a short story, since you deserve the truth. After Hades left me for dead, bleeding on the cold floor like a dog, I clawed my way to a clinic. I survived—barely. Then, one day, someone came to me. He lead me to a god with powers. This god gave me the gift of shapeshifting, in exchange for my loyalty."

"My new master. He had one command—take you far away from Hades. And that was easy because you were already what I wanted. A few hours ago, I received wonderful news that you were in the market with that serving girl. It was the perfect opportunity." His voice darkened. "I took her form, played her part... and here we are."

He grinned again, like it was a love story.

Lilith stared at him, disbelief etched into every corner of her face. "You must be insane. You kidnapped me!"

Leonidas chuckled darkly. "No, Lilith. I’m not insane—I’m a man in love. I haven’t stopped thinking about you for a single day. And now that I have you... you’re never leaving my sight again."

Her glare sharpened, voice rising with fury. "I want nothing to do with you! After everything you did, you think I’d ever marry you? You’re delusional."

"Well, you don’t have much of a choice," he said calmly, a sick sort of calm that made her skin crawl. "You’ll marry me. You’ll have my children—six of them, to be exact. Our perfect little family."

Lilith’s heart pounded against her ribs. "You’ve completely lost your mind. You’re not getting away with this. The prince will surely find me—and when he does, he will kill you."

At the mention of the prince, Leonidas’s expression darkened, the light in his eyes snuffed out by a sudden blaze of rage. He moved closer.

"I would advise you never to say his name again," he said, voice low, trembling with a fury he could barely contain. "He’s your past, Lilith. I am your present... and your future."

Lilith clenched her jaw and stared straight into his eyes, her voice steady. "You’re a fool, Leonidas. The prince—"

The back of his hand struck her face hard. The sharp metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she crumpled to the ground with a gasp. Pain lanced through her cheek, and tears sprang to her eyes but she refused to cry.

Rough hands grabbed her by the jaw, lifting her face, and a fistful of her hair was yanked to drag her upright. She glared at him, breathing hard, her lips trembling with pain but her gaze never wavered.

Leonidas leaned in close, his breath hot against her face . "I don’t want to hurt you, Lilith," he said, wiping the blood from the corner of her lips with his thumb. "But if you keep testing me... I will."

Then he smiled—a hollow, haunting smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Just keep that pretty mouth shut... and everything will be fine."

Leonidas released her jaw, only to seize her by the arm and haul her roughly to her feet. Lilith stumbled, her legs weak beneath her, but he showed no concern. He dragged her toward the carriage, yanked the door open, and shoved her inside with enough force that her head struck the edge of the seat with a sickening thud. A sharp cry escaped her lips as she slumped forward, dazed.

He kicked her legs into the carriage without a second glance and slammed the door shut.

"Bole and Andus will take you to the cottage," he said through the window, his voice cold. "I will be there before dawn—or morning at the latest. Be a good girl while I’m gone."

He gave the carriage door a mockingly gentle pat, then stepped back. A moment later, the carriage lurched into motion.