I was sent to destroy him. Now, I'm the one being destroyed.

Every day in Viktor's empire is a new nightmare. They tell me it's for the mission, that my suffering is worth the cost. But they don't see the way he looks at me. They don't feel the way his hands linger—how his voice worms its way into my mind, twisting my thoughts until I can't tell what's real anymore.

Each task he gives me strips away another piece of who I was. He forces me to do things I can't even say out loud, things that stain my hands and haunt my sleep. I tell myself it's all for the mission. I tell myself I can still escape.

But Viktor's obsession is a noose around my neck, and I think I've stopped trying to untie it.

If I keep going, I'll lose what little humanity I have left. If I stop, I'll lose something even worse—him.