A moment later, a mousy, annoyed-looking woman with Fomadin’s blond hair and green eyes came into the room, saw the mess that Perian had made and curled up her lip.
“You wanted him here,” she complained, “why don’t you clean it up?”
Venoran stepped closer to her and said, voice a silky threat, “Are we inconveniencing you? Do you not want to help?”
Perian watched her swallow, saw the fear that briefly fluttered across her face, and then she said, “Fine.”
It was not anything that resembled fine. Fomadin gave Venoran a shove.
“Behave,” he said. “That’s my sister.”
The threat was suddenly gone, and Venoran gave him a friendly-appearing smile.
“Did you want to clean up this mess?” he asked.
Fomadin laughed. “Of course not.”
And that, apparently, was how Venoran kept his friends? Could Fomadin really not see what was right in front of him? Perian wouldn’t want any woman he cared about tobe anywhere near Venoran, ever, and he certainly couldn’t imagine bringing him to his sister’s house.
Fomadin’s sister came and cleaned up the vomit, shooting an annoyed glance at Perian while she did so. But Perian could see the strain in her eyes, and he was pretty sure that whatever was going on, she’d gotten in over her head. But she cleaned in silence and then left the room.
“So,” Venoran said, turning his vicious smile on Perian. “It seems the tables have turned. From the pet of Summus to someone who needs to be hidden away.”
Perian didn’t say anything.
“Whatsecretsyou must have,” Venoran teased, licking his lips hungrily and making another shudder of revulsion curl across Perian’s skin—but that just made the desire leap higher, and this was, truly, the grossest thing Perian had ever experienced. What people liked when it was consensual was their business, but what Venoran liked was that Periandidn’tlike it.
Perian would rather watch Molun get patched up by the doctor again. (Not hurt again, never that, but he would relive it over and over if he could just get out of this.)
How had this happened? How hadCormalconnected with these men? Perian understood that Cormal hated him, but he’d always seemed to take his job seriously. Despite everything, Perian couldn’t imagine him being in league with someone who had escaped from prison.
Or had it all been a set-up? Had he really hated Perian so much that he’d set Venoran free, even after what he knew the man had done to all those people? No, no, surely not. But then why was Perian trapped with Venoran now?
The man smirked, dark and vicious. “What have you done that means we get to play with you and no one at the castle ever gets to see you again?”
Perian shook his head. “I haven’t done anything.”
A step closer, Fomadin watching with amusement on his face as Perian tried to inch further away from Venoran. The bed was so narrow there wasn’t really anywhere to go.
“Clearly that’s not true,” Venoran said. “And just look how unfair the world is. You get bundled out of the castle and are supposed to just slip away, while I’m brought right to the Queen and falsely accused!”
“There was nothing false about the accusations against you!” Perian fired back, even though antagonizing this man was a terrible idea. He couldn’t help but protest.
Theman reached out and grabbed Perian’s head, yanking it back hard enough that his scalp screamed with pain and his neck hurt. Tears prickled in his eyes, and the man smiled a cold smile.
“Some people like a little pain, didn’t you know that? No one got anything they didn’t ask for.”
Perian was trying to breathe shallowly, trying to fend off that sick, dark curl of pleasure that was growing only more excited by Perian’s reaction. His stomach heaved again, and the man correctly interpreted the expression on Perian’s face because he pulled away just before Perian leaned over and threw up again.
Venoran cursed, and Perian dry-heaved and tried not to breathe through his nose.
He slammed out of the room, and Fomadin said, “You’re going to tell us all about it, you know. We’ll make sure of it.”
Perian just shivered and was so grateful when Fomadin left and the door closed again. A moment later, it was opened by Folna.
“Please help me,” he said.
She shot him a resentful look. “You shouldn’t be here.”
