Chapter seven: Summoned
Chapter 7 – Summoned
The knock came just after noon soft but final. Levi had been pacing the room, counting his steps against the carpet lines, when the sound froze him in place. Each thud echoed in the silence of his confinement, mingling with the distant hum of machinery from somewhere far below.The door opened without waiting for an answer. A tall man in a dark shirt, gun at his hip one of Lucien’s guards stepped inside.
His expression was unreadable, his movements precise, as if he were a clock wound to perfection. “The boss wants you.”Levi’s mouth went dry. “Wants me for what?”The guard didn’t reply, only gestured for him to follow. Anxiety twisted in Levi’s stomach. The hallway beyond was lined with tall windows, sunlight spilling in through heavy curtains.
The warm light felt alien against his skin; he hadn’t seen daylight properly since the night he was taken. It almost felt blinding, and he squinted against it, as if the brightness could burn away the memories of the dark.They walked in silence, the guard’s footsteps a steady cadence, an unyielding rhythm. Each turn exposed another camera, fixed to the ceiling, little red lights blinking like malevolent eyes.
Levi tried to avoid their gaze, feeling their cold watchfulness creep into his skin. It was a stark reminder of his captivity, a constant surveillance that made it impossible to escape the feeling of being hunted.The guard stopped before a wide set of oak doors, the kind that seemed to invite only the privileged to enter. He pushed them open, revealing a study larger than Levi’s entire apartment. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves framed the room, crammed with leather-bound volumes that looked ancient but well-kept.
A fire burned in the hearth, casting a flickering light across the rich, patterned rug—something reminiscent of comfort, starkly juxtaposed against the chill in Levi’s heart.At the desk sat Lucien.He didn’t look up right away, scribbling with a fountain pen, his posture precise, his hand steady. Levi could sense the hours of hard work and thought that must fill those pages. Only when Levi shifted uneasily on his feet did Lucien finally lift his eyes, like a predator finally acknowledging the presence of a less powerful creature."Levi.”
Hearing his own name made him tense. Until now, Lucien had only referred to him as Adrian, the name of his brother—a name he resented, a name that had become a chain.“You know who I am,” Levi said, his voice sharper than intended, filled with a defiance he wasn't entirely sure he felt.
Lucien closed the pen and set it down with deliberate care, the sound slicing into the silence of the room. His gaze stayed fixed, calm and unwavering. “I know enough.”The guard retreated, the doors shutting with a heavy thud, leaving Levi alone. The weight of the silence pressed against his chest, every muscle in his body coiled tight, ready for an escape—or a fight.Lucien leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled, his voice cool as he asked, “Do you know why you’re here?”Levi shook his head. The truth lay hidden beneath layers of fear and anger, emotions that felt like a raging tempest inside him.“Because you’ve been testing me.” Lucien’s tone wasn’t angry, but it carried weight, as if the very air thickened with his words. “Ignoring food. Refusing small orders.
Do you think these acts make you strong?”“They make me me,” Levi snapped, surprising even himself at the edge of defensiveness.For the first time, Lucien smiled brief, fleeting, but unmistakable. “Good. Honesty.” He rose from his chair, moving with deliberate slowness until he stood just a breath away, an imposing figure that seemed to fill the space between them. Levi found himself rooted to the spot, unwilling to back down but terrified of what might come next.Lucien examined him, eyes tracing the tightness of his jaw, the tremor in his fingers. Not mockingly—more like he was memorizing him. “Defiance suits you,” he murmured, his voice low and like ice water against Levi’s skin.Levi clenched his fists, refusing to buckle. “I’m not your brother.
You took the wrong man.”Lucien’s expression remained unchanged. “There are no wrong men in my house.”Silence stretched between them, thick with something Levi couldn’t name an undercurrent of tension that thrummed in the air. Finally, Lucien stepped back, returning to the desk as if dismissing the moment, though Levi felt it linger like smoke in a closed room. “You’ll learn the rules. Two of them: Don’t lie. Don’t disobey.”Levi’s chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. He wanted to shout, to argue but he bit it back, caging the anger that threatened to spill over.Lucien opened a drawer, pulled out a small black notebook, and placed it on the desk. “Keep this.
Write what you want. But remember—every word is mine to read.”Levi stared at the book, the leather smooth and unyielding, unwilling to move. What was it—a gift, a leash, or a prison?“Take it,” Lucien commanded softly, yet the authority behind his voice made it feel more like a demand than a request.Levi reached out, snatching the notebook as though it might burn. The leather felt warm in his hand, too real, too personal—a piece of himself offered up yet again.Lucien’s gaze lingered on the small act of obedience, a satisfied glint in his eyes.
Then, as if finally realizing the weight of what was left unsaid, he turned back to the papers on his desk. “That’s enough for today.”Levi backed toward the door, pulse still hammering in his ears. He expected the guard to reappear, muscle-bound and unyielding, but instead, Lucien’s voice halted him at the threshold.“One more thing.”Levi froze.Lucien didn’t look up from his writing, as if the act of conjuring words mattered more than what he was saying. “Fear me if you must. But never bore me.”The dismissal was clear, an unwritten threat hidden within the opulence of his office. Levi slipped out, the heavy doors closing behind him with a finality that made him feel like a ghost retreating from life.Back in the hallway, his limbs trembled, the atmosphere pressing down on his chest.
His grip tightened around the notebook, the weight of what he held both a comfort and a shackle. It was something he couldn't ignore he was now part of Lucien’s world, whether he wanted to be or not. And he didn’t know if he could survive the perils that lay ahead.
