Tristan had brought me to a set of stairs that spiraled downward.
“Before we go down there,” Tristan said, stopping me at the first step. “I need you to remember that you can leave at any time. But I also need you to understand that you don’thaveto leave. Whatever happens down there, every person inside this castle will support your decision.”
“You’re freaking me out, Tristan,” I whispered sheepishly.
He said nothing as he turned around and continued down the stairs. Once we reached the bottom floor, I realized that these were cells. It was a dungeon. He continued his silence as he escorted me down the hall to the cell at the very end, hidden in darkness.
As his hand touched a torch on the wall, it lit with a bright blue flame, a color I had never seen before, and he stopped in front of the bars. Slowly, my feet moved with weighted trepidation as I approached the cell, scared of what I might find inside. Based on Tristan’s grim expression as he glared into the darkness, my heart drummed rapidly.
I finally reached his side and allowed myself a single deep breath before turning my head.
My breath escaped me.
Sitting inside the cell, chained and bloody to a point beyond recognition was… Aamon.
Chapter 22
MORRIGAN
The cell door creaked open, leaving behind a quiet, scraping sound that I had grown far too accustomed to.
It was a sound I knew I would never forget. One that would be embedded in my mind any time I closed my eyes. It meant thatAamonwas here.
“Wake up, little bird,” he whispered. “I’ve come for a snack.”
I didn’t bother trying to fight him. If I did, it would only be more painful. It usually ended with him hitting me and using his powers to render me speechless anyway. The last thing I wanted was for him to have a reason to push me any further than he alreadyhad.
“You know,” he said as he crawled over my body, pulling out the dagger from his side, “I’d be willing to strike a deal.” He lowered his nose to my shoulder, brushing it against my skin, and I could barely fight the nausea that rose in my throat. “A trade.”
It didn’t take long for me to decipher what he was insinuating. But it didn’t matter how badly he hurt me, I wouldneverlet him touch me. Neither of them. I would die before that happened.
“No,” I hissed at him, staring at the wall beside me while he traced the blade along my arm, forcing me to anticipate the cut.
He clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Such a stubborn girl. I’m convinced youlikethe pain.”
I sucked in a breath as it punctured my skin, rougher than usual. I quickly realized that he didn’t even bother compelling me. He knew I wasn’t going to scream anymore.
“If you didn’t, you wouldn’t make life so hard for yourself here.”
Suddenly, his tongue slid along the cut, making it burn even more as he tasted my blood, and I prayed forhimto come to me… to bring my mind elsewhere… to let me slip into a dream where I was anywhere else but... here.
After letting out the most nauseating groan, he lifted his head and moved his lips to my ear. "You’ll give in, princess. You just need a little more breaking first.”
As I stared at Aamon in the cell, an infinite amount of emotions rushed through me all at once.
Hate. Disgust. Rage.Fear.
Why do I still fear him?I asked myself.Look at him… in his cage.
A spiteful smile teased on my lips, and Tristan grabbed my hand at the same time, opening the door to his cell as he led us inside. When Aamon noticed our presence, he looked up and froze when he saw me.
How did he get here? Did Cain kill him?
“We meet again,princess,” he said through a mouthful of blood.
“How long has he been down here?” I asked Tristan, unable to remove my eyes from Aamon.
Even though he sat chained on the floor, a small part of me expected him to stand up and charge me. Would his powers still work here?
