Sector B

56

"You think he'll be okay by himself?" Amir asked, still very apprehensive about leaving Jamison alone.

"He won't try to run if he knows what's good for him." Decha huffed. "N9899 will let us know. That place is secured. I made sure." Decha stepped in front of the door to his home and typed in the code. When the lock clicked, he opened the door.

The sound of giggling interrupted the room's silence. Amir and Decha didn't pay any mind to it until they went into the living room. "Holy heavens..." Amir's jaw dropped at the sight before them.

Decha watched Amir's expression change and narrowed his eyes, then he looked up and his heart almost stopped.

Rory was on the staircase, smiling and posing as Jessica took pictures with her camera. Rory was twirling around like it was a photoshoot.

But rather than looking at his mother acting out with playful behavior, his eyes focused on Rory. He recognized the garb she wore. The royal blue skirt outlined her figure extremely well. And the white shawl that was draped over her shoulder but didn't cover her skin irked him.

There was a flower hairpin clipped in her hair that made her stand out even more by complimenting her skin. It even drove Amir to a state of hypnosis.

It all went in slow motion for them. From Rory's smile to her shy eye fluttering, and then her twirling.

Then the dreaded moment came. Their eyes met. Rory's smile widened when she saw Decha, and it almost gave him a heart attack. "Amir..." Decha clenched his fists.

Amir didn't respond. He was also entranced. Amir didn't believe it was the same Bracketer who went to Grandell. The one person whom he suspected and despised was now a newly transformed and beautiful Astellian princess.

"Shite." Both men uttered at the same time.

"Oh! Decha!" Rory grabbed her skirt and flicked it up so she could walk down the stairs. A breeze went around the furniture and sent a chill down both spines of the Generals. Decha almost got whiplash just from her movement.

Each step she took matched the beat of his heart.

"Who do I have to kill?" Amir murmured. "To make sure no other man is rewarded with this feeling?"

"There are 50 Generals stationed around the house." Decha clenched his teeth. "I'll kill half and you work on the other side. And if you tell a soul about this, I swear that I'll rip your eyes out before I kill you."

"Lucky dastard." Amir scowled as Rory approached. He hated to admit it, but he felt attracted to her. In just a matter of seconds, Rory had them in the palms of her hands. They had animalistic rage brewing with an urge to shed blood.

Decha could smell the perfume before she got close. The sweet scent made him feel like he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks.

All she had to do was give the word, and both men would drop to her feet and wait for her orders.

"Decha," Rory grinned at him and reached for his arm. When her fingers wrapped around his wrist, his eyes dilated and his mind went completely blank. In one swift moment, he snatched Amir away and shoved him out of the door.

"What the heck!?" Amir shouted. He turned around but came face to face with the door as Decha slammed it closed.

"Decha!" Jessica sneered. "That was rude! Let Amir back in!"

"If you open that door," Decha advised Rory as she grabbed the knob, "I'll kill him."

Rory released the knob immediately and stepped back. She knew by his tone that he wasn't joking. She wondered if the two got into a fight before they arrived. If so, she didn't want to be involved. "There's something I have to tell you—"