He snapped his fingers and waved a hand to Luella. "Drag her."
One of the Umbra, a female Fallen with short-cropped dark hair, walked to Luella and lifted the top of the net by her head, twisting it until it formed a rope, then she began dragging Luella over the ground.
She screamed brokenly as rocks and roots dug into her bruised body.
Ambrose raised a hand, and a portal of darkness formed. Luella was dragged right through it.
A flash of utter coldness seeped into her skin. Everything went dark, as if all light had been stolen, the rain disappeared for a moment, then?—
Noise. Sounds. Rushing around her.
Her stomach churned with nausea. She was going to besick.
She was thrown onto something hard and wet. It rocked beneath her.
She knew what this was.
Aship?—
Through the netting, she stared up as a male came into view. Rain sluiced through the air, blurring his shape.
But as he drew nearer, Luella knew exactly who he was.
Dark, silky hair, elegant pointed ears rising from the sides. Pale skin. Green eyes, deep with shadows.
She trembled.
"Hello, conquered Princess," Caliban said.
58
THROWN AGAINST THE ROCKS
LUELLA
The netting was ripped away from Luella, and she twisted on the wooden deck of the ship, just in time to not choke on her own vomit as it rushed up her throat and spilled from her lips. It splashed on the wooden floor.
Caliban tsked. "Look at you. Really, Princess Luella. I was so excited to see you here." He touched his heart. Her mind recalled how those same hands had touched Enora, then held her beneath the lake’s surface. "And you dishonor me by nearly being sick all over my shoes." He hummed. "You know what they say about dogs. The bitches are ungrateful to the hand that feeds them. Not to worry. You will be well-trained in time—and eat out of my hand."
He crouched before her. He wore sleek, dark trousers and a matching dark blouse, the top few buttons undone, revealing his pale, smooth chest. His green eyes flashed brighter—for just a moment. His hand reached for her, faltered, then the shadows were back, and he gripped her neck, thumb pressing into the hollow of her throat.
Luella tried to turn her head away. He didn’t let her.
"Stop moving," he said. Shadows drifted over his neck, curling under the sleeve until they seeped beneath the cuff of the hand that held her throat.
Her eyes widened, heart stuttering, as the shadows dripped from his fingertips and ghosted over her neck. They were so cold, she felt like she could get frostbite from them.
The shadows curled around her cheeks, making her head still.
"There," he said, achingly gentle as he sat back. His fingertips grazed over the shadows, drifting down to the neckline of her blouse.
The rain threatened to drown her, slipping over her cold skin.
Oh—she had forgotten. Her blouse was cut.
Caliban’s shadowed eyes fell to her chest. He reached for the torn front of her blouse, his knuckles brushing the sides of her breasts. She shuddered in revulsion.
"Did anyone touch you?" he asked suddenly. It took a moment for his words to register. She shook her head, confused. "I said"—the shadows tightened—"did anyonetouchyou here?"
