She steps in front of us, eyes flicking between me and Kieran. “Who was the girl at your home yesterday?”
My stomach dropped.
Cherry.
I kept my expression blank, forcing myself to meet her stare. She couldn’t sense lies, which was the only advantage I had right now.
“How the hell are we supposed to know?” I shrugged as best as I could with my arms shackled. “We were here with you.”
Vespera hummed, unconvinced.
“Well, Sera says differently.”
Fucking Sera. I always knew she was trouble.
Kieran let out a noise and pulled on his chains again as he glared at Vespera. If looks could kill, she’d be long dead.
I clenched my fists, mind racing. This was bad. Any sign of disloyalty—a crack in her kingdom, we would be as good as dead. She didn’t give second chances. The council doesn't tolerate traitors; hell, she killed Drake for refusing orders.
If they knew about Cherry, she wouldn’t just be on the run, but she would be hunted and sentenced to death for being a threat to the queen, protecting a dragon, even if she were her granddaughter. That means nothing to her.
I swallowed hard, forcing a smirk on my face even as the coppery taste filled my mouth. My lip throbbed, split open from the beating earlier, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I leaned forward.
“Sera’s just salty because Darian won’t take her back. I guess betrayal isn’t such a turn-on after all.”
I catch Kieran’s judgment burning through me, but I’m stuck in a corner here—and he’s not exactly helping me come up with a solid excuse to protect my Cherry.
She studies me in silence, the air thick with something dangerous. “I think you're lying.”
White-hot agony sears through me before I ever get a word out. A strangled gasp rips from my throat as I feel a gash tear across my chest, slicing down to the waistband of my pants. Pain crashes through me like a tidal wave—blistering, unrelenting, consuming every nerve. Blood gushes freely, dripping onto the floor.
I clamp my mouth shut, refusing to give her the satisfaction, but Kieran doesn't. He lets out a roar of pure fury, shaking the chains so hard the metal groans under the force.
“You bitch. Leave him alone and hurt me, not him.” His voice was raw, a mixture of rage and helplessness, but she barely spared him a glance.
She only had eyes for me in this moment.
“You’re loyal,” She admits, stepping impossibly closer, her voice deceptively soft. “I’ll give you that.”
Her fingers trace along my jaw before gripping it hard enough to hurt. “But even the most loyal men break eventually.”
I will never be loyal to her again.
I force out a ragged chuckle. “Guess we’ll see about that.”
Her nails bite into my skin before she finally lets go—like she’s disappointed that I didn’t scream from the pain. Then she takes a step back, her gaze cold as her eyes blacken slightly.
“Nyx,” she says, smooth and venomous.
The three-eyed panther at her side hisses low, and I can feel those damn eyes boring into me, sizing me up like I’m its next meal. I don't dare meet its gaze. I've stared death in the face before—but that thing? gives me the creeps. One look from that third eye and it's over.
They will know about Ravena.
“Where is Darian?” Kieran snaps, trying to take the attention away from me.
Forever the daddy of the group.
Even with one eye swollen shut, blood caked down his cheek, and his body trembling from withdrawal and whatever else the fuckers did to him—he still looks like the kind of man who’d tear out someone’s throat with his teeth and not give a fuck.
