Balthazar snorted, staring at me defiantly.
I could practicallyseethe wheels turning in his mind, assessing my motives.
Finally, he broke eye contact. “Fine,” he said. He crossed the room, stood before Roman, and touched the metal restraints.
The irons securing Roman to the ceiling melted, and he crumpled to the ground like a bag of sand.
“Roman!” I cried out, rushing to his side. I scooped him in my arms and struggled to my feet. He was dead weight in my hands, all two hundred plus pounds. “Where can I put him? Anywhere but here,” I grunted, straining from his weight.
Balthazar coolly assessed me. Without answering, he pivoted and stalked from the room.
I staggered behind him, determined to not let Roman fall.
Balthazar opened a door, and we entered a prison cell, much like the cell Roman was kept in at the Hypogeum beneath the Colosseum.
Water dripped from the ceiling. The room was dark and dingy but didn’t have the smell of decay.
“Drop him anywhere. He can drink from that leak in the ceiling, and I’ll make sure he gets enough sustenance to survive,” Balthazar said, sounding bored and disinterested.
Given the weight, I crouched and lay Roman on the ground as gently as possible. Then, I let a few drops of water spill into my hands and sniffed it. It smelled somewhat fresh.
Roman pulled his legs up toward his chest and curled into a ball.
I touched his cheek, lowered my head, and whispered. “I’ll return as soon as I can, my love. You heal and grow strong again.” I kissed him softly, then rose and whirled to face Balthazar.
“How do I know you won’t betray me?” I said, an edge to my voice.
“You can’t, can you? You’ll simply have to take a chance. I promise you I won’t bother to care for him while you’re away, but I’ll have one of my servants do the job.” Balthazar yawned.
I shook my head and glanced at Roman.
He’d already fallen asleep, probably exhausted from his ordeal and injuries.
“How will I find you again? I don’t even know where we are. We could be in France for all I know,” I said.
Balthazar chuckled. “France,” he said, grinning. “Why would I take you to France? I only took myloverthere.”
My stomach twisted thinking of my mom and Balthazar cavorting around Paris or Marseille, the oldest French cities. “So, where are we then? Are you going to leave it to chance whether I can even find you again?”
“Of course not. Leave it to me.” He swaggered toward me and waved his arm.
Suddenly, my feet were glued to the ground like he’d done when I met him. I struggled to lift my feet, but nothing happened. They might as well have been encased in cement.
Balthazar crouched and lifted my dress. He stroked my shin, my knee, and my thigh.
Bile rose in the back of my throat from his touch. “What are you doing?” I tried to grab his hair, but he shoved my hand away.
“I’m ensuring you won’t get lost or betray me.” He plucked my dagger from its sheath and held it before me. Then, he waddled behind me. He sliced my leg from the ankle, behind my knee, and up to my butt.
I screamed from the pain.
Balthazar wiped the blade of my dagger back and forth across my skin, coating it with blood from my wound. Then, he rose and showed it to me.
“This dagger will always know your exact location. And, since it’s bonded with you, you’ll be able to find it. It will be like a beacon to you and a way to keep track of you. I’ll be able to watch you from your dagger, so you won’t be able to hide from me. If I don’t like what you’re up to, I’ll simply kill Alexander, and then I will kill you.”
I glared at him, breathing in quick, angry snorts. “You’re a bastard.”
“I am. To me, that’s not an insult. It’s a compliment.” He inclined his head and studied me, a slight smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “You’re different than Alina.”
