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CHAPTER20
CHRISTY
“How long has he been like this?” Leon asks as we follow Five through the castle.
“It’s hard to say,” she replies, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I checked in on Konrad yesterday at about midday, brought him food and water. Then when I went back this afternoon, I found him like…” Her voice trails off as she flicks her gaze to Thirteen who’s accompanying us. “It’s like he isn’t there anymore.”
“What do you mean?” I ask as we descend the stairs into the dungeon. My skin scatters with goosebumps at the memory of this place. I’ve only been here twice, the first time when I arrived and was locked in a dark cell for hours and hours, and the second time when Leon and Konrad had me strapped to a wooden cross and took more than just an orgasm from me.
“Like he’s just—”
“Switched off?” Leon finishes, a worried look on his face.
“Yes, exactly,” Five agrees. “I couldn’t wake him up. He’s…vacant.”
“Fuck!” Leon’s fingers tighten around mine, reminding me that he’d grabbed my hand the moment Five had come to tell us the news, and hasn’t let it go since. The warmth of his palm seeping into mine and the way he hangs onto me as though I’m his anchor, combined with the fact that he’s kept a respectful distance since he took my virginity, is just...confusing.
It’s been days since I woke up from my coma, and longer since that night he killed me, and even though my anger and need for revenge is still as strong as it was, there’s this slow creep of sympathy, pity,empathytowards him that’s messing with my head. It’s like the constant drip of rainwater onto limestone, no matter how hard the stone, over time it gets worn away. I don’t want my anger to be worn away.
Ineedit.
But then I just remind myself of what I saw in my vision and I know that whatever fleeting feelings these are, they're not powerful enough to stop me seeking revenge. It’s inevitable.
“What happened to him?” I ask, forcing those thoughts away.
“Trauma is usually the culprit of such a psychological reaction,” Thirteen replies as we head towards the cell.
“Psychological reaction to what?” Leon asks.
He looks lost, confused, and honestly I’m right there with him. Konrad has always seemed so impenetrable, unbothered by anything. Christ knows these men have committed terrible acts, so what could possibly have caused such a reaction in him? Or is this just another game, another act just to fuck with me further?
“To his past, to Renard’s death…” Thirteen replies, her voice trailing off as she looks at me. “Toyourdeath and subsequent resurrection.”
“Mine?” I ask as we stop in front of an iron door that’s been left slightly ajar. The smell coming from the room is horrific and I try not to gag. Why does it smell like death? Then I remember what Three told me and bile burns my throat. Konrad’s been down here throwing knives into the Baron’s severed head.
Oh, God.
Five focusses her golden eyes on me. “Yes, but there’s more to this than that.”
“What haven’t you told us Five?” Leon asks, tensing.
“When I found Konrad he was tied to the chair, his mask was discarded.”
“You looked at his face?” Leon snaps.
Five nods. “I had no choice. It’s okay, I put the Mask back on him.”
Leon nods sharply. We all know what that means for Five. “And?”
She blows out a sharp breath. “And his cock was out.”
“The fuck?” Leon’s skin pales.
“Without going into too much detail it looked…well used,” Five explains, her gaze flicking to me then back to Leon. He drops my hand and moves to push past Five who’s blocking the door.
“Wait, there’s more. He wasn’t the only one I found in the cell.”
“Who?” Leon demands.
