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I hear Thad yelling to us, and just as I turn to see what he’s saying, there’s suddenly a hand clamping over my mouth and a dark figure blocking my view. I try to scream, but three more figures show up in time to squash any fight.
My head swims as sparks fly all around us, and booming voices yell in the distance.
Dice’s hand is pulled from mine as a sickening feeling hits me and darkness shades my eyes. It isn’t until I’m dropped into a cage that I realize what just happened.
“No!” I scream as the door gets slammed shut.
The hooded men walk away, never revealing their faces. I look around at the single-celled room I’m in, taking in the dirty stone floors and rickety cages that deceive the eye into thinking they’re weak.
Another figure appears, and I leap back, covering my stomach. That’s when I see Dice in his grasp, and my breath heaves out as he tosses his limp body in.
Instead of rushing the cage door while it’s open, I dive to Dice’s side, seeing blood trickle from his head from a hit he must have taken. A sheen of tears cloud my vision as I turn him over to his back. With panicky, shaking hands, I check for a pulse, relieved to find he’s breathing.
He groans then, and I look around, trying to find a way out of here.
He grabs my hand as his eyes fly open, and he curses as he goes to the cage door. His dagger is gone when he reaches for it, so instead he slams his fist into the bars. Blood sprays from his hand, but he doesn’t flinch.
He starts kicking incessantly at the door, not understanding like I do that it’s impenetrable.
Chains are on the walls, and I shudder. I remember the chains. They locked us up when we misbehaved. My magic is stifled, not working from inside the bars. It’s hell all over again.
“Dice,” I say on a choked sob, and he stops kicking the door to run over to me, taking my jaw in his hand.
“They saw us get taken. They’re going to come. Okay? They’re going to come. We’ll be fine,” he says, stroking my cheek.
His eyes betray his lie. He’s trying to keep me together, saying what I need to hear. But they’ll never find us. The master is always three steps ahead. How did he find us?
Dice tugs me to him, hugging me close as I shake in his arms. I don’t want to fall apart right now. I’d be strong if it was just us in here. But it’s not. Our child is in here too, and I know what these monsters do to children—they get tortured just the same.
After several long minutes, possibly hours, Dice finally releases me, tilting my chin up again so he can kiss me. It’s a soft, reassuring kiss, full of hope and comfort. There’s nothing sexual about it.
When we hear the sound of footsteps approaching, he moves to be in front of me, and fear turns my blood into ice.
Morgana steps in front of the cage, a smirk on her face and malice in her eyes. I knew we should have killed her.
“You two will have to do. Your princess is hiding really well. But you’ll draw her out, won’t you? They love a good rescue party.”
“You? You did this?” D
ice growls. “They’ll kill you this time. Gage won’t save you.”
Darkness swirls all around her, encompassing all she is.
“They can try,” she drawls.
My breath is kicked out of me when I’m suddenly flying back against the wall.
Dice yelps as he’s kicked back as well by some unseen, phantom force. My hands hit the wall, spread wide, as though hands are grappling me and pulling me into position.
I cry out when the chains I noticed earlier suddenly snap into place around my wrists, restraining me without mercy.
Dice curses as the chains snap to him. “You see, you two are apparently loved. They came for you once,” she says, motioning to me. “They’ll come for you again. So will your sister, who happens to be a very important little girl to the Gemini who poses the greatest threat to me.”
“How the fuck did you find us?” Dice barks, ignoring her taunts.
He’s looking for information we can use against them in the future. I’m worried there won’t be a future.
My instincts demand I shield my stomach, but the chains just rattle, mocking me with the sound as they keep my hands tethered to the wall near my head.
