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“Then choose me. Choose to torture me. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“You pathetic excuse for a man. What has she done to you? The Ladon I knew would never beg. Never plead. What happened to the strong warrior revered by all of Lourova? What happened to the powerful commander whose armies would’ve followed to their death? Surely, this miserable man before me isn’t that Ladon Castelli.”
I didn’t have a retort for her. I didn’t know what spell Emilie had cast on me. But I didn’t regret it. I could be both a loving companion and a fierce warrior. She hadn’t made me weaker. She made me stronger.
I took another step and grunted with the effort it took. Reyna laughed before raising her whip and slicing down my chest.
Searing hot pain erupted as a gash appeared right in the center of my chest. One long line from my sternum to right above my belly button. Like the lashes she’d given Emilie, the heat of the lightning sealed the wound, but the pain remained.
It took my breath away. It was like little bolts of lightning were still traveling beneath my skin, burning my insides even though they could not be seen. They spread from the initial gash, coursing through my muscles and bone until they fizzled out. Even then, my whole body ached and trembled in the aftermath. And that was only one lash. If this was what Emilie had felt…gods, my heart split in two for her.
Reyna snapped her fingers, and the door to her room opened, allowing her two guards to enter. I was too dazed to hear her speak, but I found myself being dragged out of the room by one of them, while the other picked up Emilie’s limp form.
I reached out for her. I even attempted to pull at my magic, but I was too weak. It wasn’t enough to save her. My lips moved, but I was unable to make a sound. “Emilie.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Emilie
My eyes were swollen and heavy, but I managed to open them. I blinked a few times before truly seeing. I didn’t recognize my surroundings. The ceiling hung low and was covered in stalactites. I was almost certain if I stood, I could touch it. Looking around, I only noticed one light hanging aside the door. It was so dim; it didn’t even reach the far corners of the room.
I tried to sit up, but my body revolted. Every nerve in my body was on fire, simmering while my blood boiled. I couldn’t fight the exhaustion, so I sank to the floor again. The pain lingering on my back reminded me of how I got here.
Reyna had attacked me. Viciously and repeatedly. I could only remember bits and flashes. I’d been unconscious for much of it, but what I did remember was vivid and terrifying.
I’d thought I was going to die. The pain was all-consuming. And the anger in her eyes—I thought she might burn a hole through me just from the look alone.
One thing I didn’t remember, however, was how I’d gotten to this room.
I looked around again, head falling to either side as I lay prone. There was nothing in this room. No mattress. No connecting bathroom. No windows or even a dripping grate in the ceiling. Only a dark room with four dark black stone walls carved right into the mountain itself.
The air was freezing. It chilled me right to the bone, and I assumed we had to be deep into the mountain. A shiver rippled through my body, but I didn’t have the energy to rub my arms and try to restore some of the warmth I was so desperately missing.
I groaned. My tongue was dry and swollen. Like I hadn’t had anything to drink in quite some time. How long had I been out? Hours? Days? There was no way of knowing. I needed water. And probably food too, though I had no appetite. My stomach was so knotted; I couldn’t dream of eating anything at that moment.
Once again, I tried to sit, but my arm gave out and I slammed back into the floor. Closing my eyes, I let exhaustion overwhelm me.
The sound of stone scraping against stone tore me from my deep sleep. I looked to my left just as the heavy door slammed shut.
“Wait,” I rasped, but there was no point. Whoever it was wouldn’t be able to hear me through the thick barrier. I sighed and let my head fall to the side.
That’s when I noticed a small platter sitting on the floor. With much difficulty, I managed to sit up and crawl on my hands and knees to the meal I’d been given.
My shoulders slumped when I saw what awaited me. A small cup of broth, which was room temperature at best, and a glass of water that I was able to drink in three gulps. By the time I’d finished, I was hungrier and thirstier than I had been to begin with.
I leaned against the wall and hissed as the cool stone met my back. More flashbacks hit me, and I remembered that I hadn’t been wearing my clothes during Reyna’s assault. But now I was wearing a thin white cotton shirt and black leggings. I hadn’t been given socks though and my feet were freezing against the icy floor.
Reaching around, I tried to feel the wounds on my back. My fingertips met smooth skin, like it had been melted and solidified without pores or wrinkles. I couldn’t find the mole on my shoulder that I’d had all my life. Every small mark that made me human was gone, leaving behind deep ridges and shiny skin.
I felt dizzy and sank to the floor again before I passed out.
Each time I closed my eyes, my dreams were worse than the last. They started off normal enough. Usually with Ladon in some compromising position. Ladon with his hands in my hair. Ladon with his head between my legs. Ladon whispering naughty things in my ear…
But then they abruptly shifted to uncomfortable territory. A crowd gathered around us. Strangers watching me. Unfamiliar hands touching me.
Cyrus appeared too, his eyes lingering on his brother before turning to me. My cheeks flushed, and I threw him an apologetic look. I whispered, I’m sorry, but he shook his head and walked off into the shadows of my mind.
My mother appeared too, and I asked her to save me. I begged her, but she looked at me with such disappointment. She seemed to say that this was the punishment I deserved for letting her down. For not living up to her expectations.
