Page 8

“Oh, Huntyr,” he cooed. “You have so much potential.” He stepped forward and caressed my cheek. “You could be the one to save us all, you know. It is why I put so much pressure on you.”

I fought to stay upright.

“You understand why it must be this way, right, child?”

I bit the inside of my cheek before answering, “Yes, Lord. I understand.”

He smiled softly, tilting his head to the side as he scanned my face. “Good,” he replied. “Get some rest. I have a very special task coming for you soon. You’ll want to be ready.”

His hand slipped from my cheek as he stepped away, walking out of the door. I listened as his footsteps quietly disappeared, the sounds of him slipping into the room below mine affirming he was really gone before I let myself crumble to the floor.

Hells, I hated him at times. I hated him for hurting me, for turning me into this weapon—into this shell of a fae.

But I also hated myself for disappointing him, for bringing this punishment upon myself.

Darkness swarmed my vision. I could no longer see that lantern in the corner of the room. I knelt on the floor and pressed my forehead against the cool wood. My tears dripped and dripped and dripped as I allowed myself pity, only for a moment.

And then I stopped. I sat up, pushing myself onto my knees. I wiped the snot and tears from my face with the back of my hand.

I was better than this. I could overcome anything.

My back screamed in agony, the blood trickling down my skin until it hit the waistband of my training pants.

I was better than this.

If I could just do what I was fucking told and fight better, fight stronger, this wouldn’t happen. It was my fault, I reminded myself. My fault that Lord was upset. My fault that my skills were not perfect.

Mistakes would get me killed.

This pain? At least I still lived to feel it.

Iwoke up in my bed, unsure of when I had finally managed to crawl the few feet to the low cot. My shirt was still off, but that was a good sign. That meant my back was getting some air.

My mouth grew stiff with dryness and my muscles ached. I had to get up.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been asleep. Sometimes, the lashings would cause me to pass out for days. The worst was when they grew infected, or during the hot months when I couldn't keep the sweat from seeping into the wounds.

This wasn’t so bad.

I pushed myself up to my feet, stifling a groan as the scabbed skin on my back cracked. The sun crept through the fabric that covered the window, bright enough to be past mid-day.

I had to get up, had to drink water and eat something before I passed out again.

Don’t be weak, Huntyr. It’s just a whipping; it will heal like it always does.

I stumbled to my feet and almost fainted when the blood rushed from my head. I just had to—

A rush of pain hit me, followed by an unexpected wave of nausea. I half-ran, half-stumbled to the tiny bathroom connected to my nearly empty room, vomiting up nothing but stomach bile as I dropped to my knees near the toilet.

Fuck.That was not a good sign. I tried to spit in the toilet to cleanse the bile that now covered my dry mouth, but it wasnearly impossible. I hadn’t eaten anything. My body needed fuel if I was going to regain my strength anytime soon.

A knock on my door made me tense.

“Go away!” I yelled as I threw a hand up and flushed the toilet. Rummy was probably coming back to check on me, and I was in no mood for her antics. She needed no more reason to hate Lord.

The door opened anyway.

“It’s me,” Lord called out as he slipped inside. “I brought you ointment and something to eat.”