““Lakia yawns. “I hope all your courtesans aren’t defeated so easily.” “Yes, it will make for a tedious day,” Tarek replies, sipping his flask. I cut them a glare. Ameya just sacrificed her life. She wanted freedom from being a courtesan so much that death was a better alternative. I want to shred Tarek’s pampered face with my nails, but I do as Mathura said. I absorb my hatred and let it feed me, transforming it into something bigger, meaner, uglier. I will wait. I will crouch in the dark until the time is ripe, and then I will eat Rajah Tarek alive.””
