Cruel.

A word everyone had used to describe my father and his actions. A word I'd used to describe Claude when I first met him. A word to describe the slaughter of Felix's family. A word Claude used to justify his actions to protect those he loved.

A word to encompass how agonizing a betrayal could be.

I curled in on myself, wanting to fill the hollow feeling in my chest, and being unable to. My hand clenched the tattered ruins of my bloody dress above my breast, my knuckles pressing hard into my skin, sure to leave bruises. The intangible pain wouldn't go away. It left me breathless, nauseous, my body trembling. Physical pain was nothing compared to this. I would take a hundred daggers through the heart over this. It hurt so much.

The awful scenes kept repeating in my mind. Kaz and the gun. My father falling. Kieran's cold gaze. Claude's betrayal.

After being arrested by Claude, I'd been taken away by Nadir—dragged from my father's body, from those who I thought were my friends, from the academy. I didn't even try to fight back. I'd been too confused, too horrified, too traumatized. Nadir didn't speak to me the entire time. Even when we arrived at the estate I was currently confined in, he'd simply brought me into this room and then locked the door behind him on the way out, leaving me alone to reel in the disquieting aftermath of everything with no explanations for anything.

Cruel—a word I would use from now on to describe how life treated those who lived.

Maybe I should have noticed the signs. I had blown all the warnings off, having had complete trust in everyone. So how could they...

I dug my knuckles harder into my sternum, the pain there still duller than the pain of my heart. My head hung down, my tangled hair falling in my face.

A figure suddenly crouched down in front of me, their hands wrapping around my wrists, pulling my own hands away from my body. I tried to break free, struggling against their grip, but my body was too weak, fatigue coming up on me quickly.

"Cleo, stop it."

At the sound of Kaz's voice, I froze, looking up as tears gathered in my eyes for the thousandth time. "Kaz."

I didn't know how much time had passed since the ball. A day? A few days? A couple weeks? Either way, I hadn't seen anyone but Nadir since then. And Nadir only stayed long enough to bring me food, treat my wounds, and perhaps check in to make sure I was still alive in between. He never answered any of my questions, never interacted with me more than he had to.

Seeing Kaz made my mind go to war against itself. Part of me wanted to hug him, to be held in his arms and be comforted, but the other part of me forced me to remember what he'd done, sending cold blood through my veins. He'd killed my father. He'd lied to me.

I didn't know what to think of Kaz anymore, and that hurt, too. But he was still a familiar face in this lonely room. He could have answers to my questions.

Kaz's expression was impassive as I looked up at him, his fingers tightening around my wrists as he spoke. "Nadir told me you haven't been eating."

My heart lurched. After everything... that was what all Kaz had to say to me? I couldn't even form a response. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed it down. "What's going on, Kaz?"

"You need to eat," he said lowly.

"Not about that. Why am I here? What's happening? Where is everyone?"

"I'm not here to answer any questions," he said. "I'm only here to make sure that you eat what Nadir brings you."

I hesitated. What was with Kaz's responses? Why was he treating me like an actual prisoner? "Why haven't I seen you until now?" I asked.

"Are you going to eat or not?" he responded, ignoring me, and avoiding my eyes.

"I'm not hungry," I said, my voice hoarse, a brick settling in my gut.

Just the thought of food brought bile to the back of my burning throat. I ate what I could. Enough to keep the hunger pangs away. Enough to keep painkillers from tearing up my stomach lining. And that was enough. Because every time I tried to eat, every time I fell asleep, I remembered my father would never get to do either of those things again. Because of me. So why was I allowed to? Why did the world have to go on without him? How could it?

The thought made my chest tighten, and the crushing pain threatened to overtake me again.

"If you don't eat something, I will force you to."

Kaz's words made my breath catch in my throat. I whipped my attention back to him, a shiver crawling down my spine at his cold demeanor. "What..."

He held my gaze evenly, releasing my hands finally. "Your body is still recovering. You need to eat."

I brought them to my stomach, where the worst of my injuries were, wrapping around myself. This didn't make any sense. He was telling me I needed to recover even though he'd been one of the reasons I'd been injured? Did he think I forgot he didn't care if I was in-between him and my father? Did he think I'd ever forget?

I bit my lip. I didn't want to talk to Kaz. "Where's Claude?" I asked. "I want to see him."

"No," Kaz responded with no hesitation.

"Why?" I said, my voice getting louder, my heart pounding in my chest. "Why can't I see him?"

Kaz straightened out, turning toward the door. "Eat and recover, Cleo."

I scrambled to my feet, pulling on his arm to stop him. "No, Kaz. Talk to me. You owe it to me."

"I don't owe you anything."

My grip when slack as Kaz ripped his arm free of me. For a second, I stood there, the urge to cry coming over me again, but then anger coursed through me. I stepped forward, grabbing Kaz again. "Why are you doing this?" I demanded. "Why did you guys do this to me? You all lied to me and took me prisoner! And now you won't even talk to me! Why can't I see anyone? Was everything a lie? Did you hate me the entire time? Did you just get close to me to... to..." I couldn't finish my sentence, my throat tightening.

His posture tensed, but he didn't answer.

I let him go, the implication of him not answering me making me numb. Was it true, then? They'd all betrayed me? They'd all lied to me? The entire time? How was that possible?

Even Claude...

No. It couldn't be true. Claude had told Kaz to stop. Claude had told Nadir and Kaz they'd figure out a different way— even if it was what they originally planned, Claude hadn't wanted to go through with it at the end.

But if that was true, why did Claude lie to me about where he would face off against my father? Why lie to me about that?

"I want to see Claude," I said, trying not to sound too desperate, and failing. "Please, Kaz. Let me talk to him. Or if not him, at least Adora or San."

"Listen to Nadir's orders from now on," was Kaz's only response.

Gritting my teeth, I moved around him, throwing myself in front of the door so he couldn't leave. "Look at me, Kaz."

He clenched his jaw, turning his head to the side.

"At least let me see Felix." At the very least, Felix couldn't be in on this. There was no way. He hadn't even been friends with any one of them until recently. "I... I won't eat unless I see him or Claude."

"Don't be difficult, Cleo," Kaz sighed.

"You want me to sit here locked up? After I spent the past few months finally thinking I could be free? This is no different than it would have been if I'd just gone home a long time ago. And then maybe my father would still be alive," I said, angry.

Kaz advanced on me, and I flinched back involuntarily, hitting the door. He stopped too close to me, eyes narrowing. "Your father deserved to die."

"No," I said, my mouth feeling dry. I swallowed and tried speaking again. "He deserved to pay for his crimes by being imprisoned. And instead, you killed him and imprisoned me instead. After promising you wouldn't kill him."

Kaz's hands formed fists by his side. "I never promised you that, Cleo. Perhaps Claude did, but Claude's words are not mine. Your father had to die."

I blinked rapidly, trying to keep my tears at bay as my vision began to blur. "Why? Why did you have to do that?"

"Do you really have to ask that?"

I stared at him. "What makes you think you have the right to decide who lives and dies? I never said my father shouldn't have been punished for his crimes. All I asked was for you not to kill him. That's all I asked. If we had just stuck to the original plan—"

"Then would you have rather I let your father kill both you and Claude?" Kaz snapped. "Because that's what would have happened."

I didn't back down. "No. You had the upper hand, Kaz. You didn't have to kill my father. After you shot him the first couple times you could have stopped. You should have stopped!"

Kaz closed his eyes, breathing out. "I won't ask for your forgiveness, Cleo. I did what had to be done. And I have no regrets for what I've done."

My lips trembled. "What..."

"You know the Levant family is responsible for the Blood War and countless deaths," he said, his tone harsh. "Massacres. They want the eradication of vampires. They reign over vampires by terrorizing them. You know that. And you know nothing will change as long as they exist. I only took the step no one dared to or was able to before."

"The Levant family?" I repeated.

"Your grandfather is next."

"And then?" I asked, my heart in my throat. "Am I after him?"

The fierceness on Kaz's face broke.

"Maybe you should just kill me now," I continued, hot tears streaming down my face. "It won't hurt more than what I've already been through."

Kaz lowered his gaze. "I won't kill you, Cleo. I won't ever hurt you again."

"How can I trust you? You didn't hesitate to shoot at my father when I stood in front of him. Did you actually want to kill me too?"

"No," he said loudly, his eyes meeting mine again. "I didn't..." He cut himself off, pressing his lips together. "I don't expect you to understand my reasoning."

"You could just talk to me," I said, reaching for his hand.

He pulled it back. "No. Because I'll continue to hurt you. I won't stop until I've succeeded in my goals."

"If you won't kill me, then the Levant family will never be completely gone. I'm a Levant, in case you've forgotten."

He lowered his head to his chest, voice falling. "...You won't be for much longer."

A beat passed, and I repeated his words in my head. Hadn't he just said he wouldn't kill me? Then how would I not be a Levant anymore? Did he want me to change my last name? "What do you mean by that?"

"The reparations owed for the war crimes committed by the Levant family are long. And included is the altar diplomacy between the daughter of the Levant family and the son of the Vlahos royal family."

What he was saying wasn't processing. What did that even mean? "Altar diplomacy?"

"When the marriage is complete, the royal family will take full control of the Levant family. Then there will be no reason for any vampire to ever fear them again."

A sinking feeling appeared in my chest. "Marriage? Who's getting married?"

"You," Kaz said evenly, his gaze burning into mine. "You will marry Claude and become a member of the royal family."

Long overdue, but here it is!! The sequel to What's at Stake! I hope everyone is excited!! I wanted to get this out today because it's my birthday and it'd be fun to start it on my birthday 🥳

I never got to share this amazing art by Gebburi on Instagram! The final scene between Claude and Cleo in WAS.

Remember, you can read ahead for both The Stakes Between Us and Hired 2 Love on my Patreon, or wait for free here on Wattpad!