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The man nodded and turned back to the group, whispering something to them. Tempest nodded to the man, and he waved them forward. Tempest led Kirata around the group and into the small entrance a short distance from them. Aiden was sitting at a table in the next room, his head in his hands.
“Aiden,” Tempest said softly as she walked towards him.
He looked up, then stood and hugged her.
“Tempest!”
Aiden held her tightly, his relief evident in his embrace. He brushed her hair back from her face and looked down at her.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.
Tempest shook her head. “I’m here; I’m fine.”
Aiden cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently. Tempest melted into him, returning the kiss with as much passion as he gave.
Finally, they pulled apart, both of them breathing heavily.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Aiden said, his voice rough with emotion.
“I am, too,” Tempest replied.
They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other. Finally, Aiden broke the silence.
“I have something for you,” he said, stepping away from Tempest and walking towards a tunnel leading away from the room.
Tempest called one of the guards over before following Aiden and gestured at Kirata. “Take care of her. If anything happens to her, your life will be forfeit.”
The guard’s face turned white, but he nodded quickly.
Tempest hurried to catch up to Aiden and locked her fingers with his. His surprised look quickly melted.
“You remember?” he asked.
“Everything. I’m so incredibly sorry for what I’ve put you through.”
“We can talk about that later. For now, we have other important things that need to be taken care of.”
She followed him through the winding tunnel deeper into the mountain. Goosebumps rose on her arm as it grew colder the farther they went.
Aiden led Tempest into a room off the side of the tunnel, and Tempest gasped. Soleil hung from the wall, chains wrapped around her legs and wrists.
“Don’t worry. She can’t escape. The chains block a god’s magic. She is as weak as a mortal right now,” Aiden explained.
Tempest couldn’t help but feel sorry for the woman who hung before her, even though she knew Soleil was responsible for so much pain and suffering.
“What are we going to do with her?” Tempest asked, her voice shaking.
“We can’t kill her. That would be too easy. She needs to suffer for what she’s done.” Aiden’s voice was hard and cold.
“But what can we do?”
“We’re going to torture her. Make her feel the pain that she’s caused others.”
Tempest swallowed hard, her stomach-churning. She didn’t know if she could handle doing something like that, even to someone as evil as Soleil.
“You don’t have to do anything,” Aiden said as if reading her thoughts. “I’ll take care of everything. Just promise me you’ll be there for me when it's over.”
“No.”
