He hadn’t come for me yet, as he knew listening to this was far worse for me than anything he could ever do. That wouldn’t keep him at bay forever, especially since I was the one hereallywanted to see bleed.
The duke also knew he’d never get me to break. No matter what he did to me, I’d never tell him where Ellery went, but he’d mistakenly believed Tucker might cave to his wishes. He was wrong.
Callan and Tucker were the only others here who knew the location of the second encampment, and while I didn’t worry about Tucker revealing it, I was concerned about Callan. I’d greatly disliked the minstrel when we first met, but he’d proven to be a resourceful, agile fighter.
He was loyal to Ellery, and even more so to his sister Luna. But while the lute player was far better and more adept at fighting than I ever could have imagined, he’d never withstood the torment Veni could unleash. I didn’t know if he had it in him to do so.
They hadn’t returned with the amsirah who revealed the location of the encampment; I assumed he was dead. They had no further use for him.
The other two amsirah, who remained imprisoned with us, hadn’t made a sound since their earlier beatings. They’d returned them to their cells, but I didn’t know if they were dead or unconscious.
Pressing down on the place where my missing finger once existed, my thoughts turned to Ellery. From what I’d heard, they’d arrived in time to discover her and the giant still in the camp, but the rest were gone.
Some of the duke’s men had stood outside my cell, glowering at me when they first returned to the dungeon. I’d smiled in return.
From their death stares and dirty, bloody clothing, I guessed Ellery had made them pay for daring to arrive at my old home. Oh, how I loved that woman.
If they’d managed to evacuate the encampment in time to avoid capture, she knew we’d been taken. I had no doubt she’d try to come for me, but I had to find a way to free myself before that happened; I just had no ideahowI was going to do that.
She was strong, but she might also get herself killed if she tried to rise against Veni without being fully prepared. I couldn’t let that happen.
I hoped Ellery didn’t do anything reckless to get me back. She’d been doing well about keeping her more impulsive, destructive instincts leashed, but I was sure my capture had upended her world.
If our roles were reversed, I wasn’t sure I could maintain the restraint it would take for me to get her back. My first instinct would be to march on the palace and set it on fire, and I’d probably get myself captured or killed in the process.
Ellery had managed to maintain enough control to get the others to safety. She had to continue to remain rational enough to plan her next move.
And she has to stay away from the gargoyles.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Ryker
My blood rancold when I recalled the creatures trapped beneath the earth. Ellery already felt guilty about keeping them there, and she would do anything to save us.
But while it would be tempting for her to go for them, she couldn’t free them. If they turned on her, they’d kill her.
I prodded my mostly healed wound as apprehension crept through my veins, and the dungeon fell silent. A few seconds later, Tucker’s toes scraped the ground as they dragged him back to his cell and slammed the door shut.
When the duke appeared in front of me, I waved at him. “Enjoying yourself, Veni?” I inquired.
He scowled before using the back of his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow. Hehadbeen the one delivering Tucker’s beating.
“I’m going to find her, son, and the longer it takes me to do so, the more I’m going to fuck her while you watch. I bet you won’t be so cavalier after that.”
“That’s if you catch her. I’m sure you’ve realized she’s a lot better at this than you are. Just think of all the times you could have captured her, but you never realized you sat with greatness. You literally caught her in my bedroom inyourfucking castle.”
Granted, I hadn’t known about Ellery’s power then either, but it was fun to watch his face redden until his ears looked like they were on fire. His eyes narrowed before he regained control of himself.
He tilted his head to the side to study me. “How long did it take you to learn about her power?”
“It was quite a bit of time, and I wouldn’t have known unless she told me, but I’m not ashamed or angered by that… unlike you.”
I was pissed off and felt betrayed when Ellery first revealed all her secrets, but not anymore. She had a reason for those secrets, and one of those reasons was standing across from me.
She’d always known that if Ivan or any of the other aristocrats learned of her power, they’d try to harness it for themselves. In doing so, they’d destroy her.
“I also wouldn’t have known she was the Hooded Robber without her telling me,” I told him.
