Blood spattered his face and clothes; many would be shocked to see him like this, as he always presented himself as so refined, but not me. I knew how much he enjoyed the blood.
“No, I think I’ve had enough for today,” he replied.
“Oh? How surprising. Do you have more pressing things to do? Is your whip arm tired?”
His sneer vanished as he smirked. “I can do this all day, son.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“But sometimes, it’s better to let others have a turn.”
I quirked an eyebrow at this. “Do you think someone else would ever succeed in getting any information out of me?”
“Oh no, but as a leader, I’m well aware of how important it is to keep my constituents happy.” When I snorted at this, he kept talking. “And others do deserve a turn.”
He didn’t give a fuck about his constituents, but he was smart enough to realize he had to keep those closest to him happy. They helped protect him and kept him in power.
A sinking sensation settled in the pit of my stomach as my ire grew. I had a suspicion aboutwhohe planned to make happy.
“It’s not fun if you keep all your toys to yourself,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t be fun for me to watch.”
“Oh, of course it will be. Let’s get this party started.”
My chains rattled when I rose and turned to face the door. My smile didn’t waver as the guards unlocked the door. With their swords at the ready, they entered the small space.
I studied the men as I kept my feet braced apart. I was outnumbered and overpowered, but I enjoyed making the duke’s men piss themselves.
With little more than a step to the side, I lowered my shoulder, threw out my chains to knock aside a sword, and slammed into the closest guard. With my shoulder in his chest, I lifted him off the ground and propelled him into the stone wall with enough force that his back shattered.
The other one came at me from behind, but before he could smash his sword into the back of my knees, I kicked up one of my legs so his blade clashed against my metal bindings. Sparks flew as his blade scoured my chains.
“Don’t kill him,” the duke commanded. “I’ll make sure you suffer forever if you do.”
When another lunged at me, I spun and seized them by the throat. With a sound more animal than man, I squeezed until my fingers tore into his flesh, spilling blood.
Twisting my hand to the side, I snapped his neck in one violent motion. When the man went limp, I dropped him as a rush of guards crashed into me.
My hands remained bound, but my fists flew as I battered back first one and then another. Some of their blows connected with my face and pummeled my torso, but I managed to drag some of them toward the bars as I closed the distance between myself and the duke.
Veni watched with an air of fascination as more of his men funneled into my cell until there was no room to move anymore. Gaius and Samael had joined him to watch the battle unfolding.
Overwhelmed by the sheer number of them, I couldn’t maintain their weight on me as my knees buckled.Ellery.
Her name was a whisper of hope that was swiftly deflating. Before my knees hit the ground, I dragged another one down before me and gouged out his eyes.
Gripping the screaming man’s hair and one shoulder, I tore his head away and flung it at the three fuckers watching from the doorway. It bounced off the cell door and spun away into the hall before the hilt of a sword crashed into the back of my head.
The blow shot my head forward as hands grasped me under my arms and more seized the chains binding my legs. They lifted my feet off the ground as more than a dozen men grabbed me and carried me toward the door.
The duke smiled as they led me past, but ice filled his eyes. “It’s a shame you’ve proven to be such a waste,” he stated.
My head pounded from the blow, but as the guards carried me past Tucker’s cell, I looked in at my friend. Curled on his side, he lay on the floor with his torn-open chest exposed to the air; I was sure his back looked as bad.
When his eyes met mine, I saw the hopelessness in them, but he still managed to shake his head at me. He didn’t approve of my instigation of Veni, but I’d taken out more of his men and terrified the others.
They carried me past him and Callan, who lay unmoving on his chest. I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive, but I doubted they would have returned him to his cell if he were dead.
