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Chapter Eleven

RUNA

Though the evening bell had rung hours ago, Victor’s cot on the other side of our shared room remained empty. No doubt, he’d found some harlot willing to open her thighs along with a vein for him.

An image of his lips pressed to Milani’s throat came to my mind unbidden. I’d spent little time in the company of vampires thanks to my over-protective brothers, who were certain every creature we met either wanted to eat me or screw me. Sometimes both.

Milani's acceptance of her fate as the leech’s dinner intrigued me. Given her lusty groans, I imagined she even found it…pleasurable. Watching them, I couldn’t help but be curious.

What would it feel like to have the vampire’s arms wrapped around me, trapping me in his dark embrace? For him to hunger for me and no one else. I trailed my fingers along the curve of my neck, imagining that it was his mouth on my flesh. His fangs inside of me—taking.

When I realized the direction my thoughts had taken, I jerked my hand from my neck. What was I doing? This place. This prison. It was messing with my mind.

I should have been relieved to have the room to myself, free of the vampire’s suffocating presence. Instead, sleep eluded me. I was vulnerable and exposed. No weapons, no magic, no brothers. Strangely, I had little fear of the vampire, confident he wouldn’t attack me in my sleep.

Why that was, I wasn’t certain. Just some strange gut instinct.

I desperately needed to rest. Exhaustion would get me killed in the pit. It was important that I save my strength for the battle ahead. Whatever that might entail. Flarking trials. While I might have blamed the vampire for our predicament, it wasn’t entirely his fault.

Raelynn could have spoken up for me, demanding her mate release her only sister rather than stare at me like I was a bug beneath her silken slipper.

When we were younger, she had often bemoaned her life as a peasant.

When we’d journey to the market, she’d stare off at the castle in the distance with a dreamy expression on her face.

Once our chores were done, she’d often pretend she was a princess in a fairy tale, swishing through the meadow, waving to her adoring citizens.

One horrifying night, turns ago, King Idris made Raelynn’s dreams come true while turning my life into the stuff of nightmares.

Memories stirred, smoke filling my nostrils. Screams of the past echoed in my ears. My vision blurred, and I spotted Father’s fallen body, cut down while defending his family. We were exhausted and stressed from running. Always on the move after Idris destroyed our village and started hunting us.

My sister and I cowered behind an overturned wagon.

Our mother shivered beside us. Anguish hardened her pale features. “Hathor, have mercy. They’ve found us. Your poor father,” she sobbed.

“Then maybe it’s time we stopped running,” Raelynn snapped, tears streaking her soot-covered cheeks. “I am tired of being hungry and frightened all the time.”

Mamma’s palm cracked her cheek. Raelynn’s shriek pierced my ears. I flinched, casting a nervous glance about us, praying she didn’t bring the soldiers down upon us.

“How dare you disparage all your father and I have fought for?” Momma grated, fury and heartache in her drawn expression. “If the false king gets his hands on our magic, the whole kingdom will suffer. Not just one spoiled girl.”

Raelynn silenced her sniffles behind her clenched fist, shooting a heated glare at our mother.

“Runa, child,” Momma barked, her tone thick with emotion. “When the portal opens, you take your sister’s hand and don’t let go. You hear me?”

Portal? Now? She couldn’t be serious. Her eyes narrowed to slits, and I was quick to nod my agreement.

“I mean it. No matter what. Once I’m gone, the two of you will have to take care of each other. I’m counting on you, Runa. Carcerem is counting on you. Keep your sister on the righteous path. Don’t let her lose herself to her childish fantasies.”

“I promise,” I said naively, believing this was a promise I would keep.

I’d never seen my mother open a portal before. Had no idea what was involved. To this day, I wished I had remained ignorant.

Momma clenched the dagger she held, uttering an incantation.

Purple magic whirled in her palms, and a shimmering sphere appeared.

I stared in awe while Momma drew more energy from the earth.

More than she’d ever taken before, making part of me ache in response.

She swirled her hand, making the circle larger until it was big enough for a slender girl to crawl through.

It was so beautiful. For a moment, I forgot where I was until my mother grasped her dagger in two hands, holding it above her chest.

“Momma, no. What are you doing?” I cried out.

“A life freely given, for you, my daughters. I love you both.” With one last glance at the two of us, she stabbed the blade into her heart.

As I screamed, my mother fell to the ground. Crimson swirls wafted from her body, combining with her spell, swirling together. The shimmering circle she’d created became a mirror, reflecting the image of a quiet wooded area.

Safety.

Mind reeling and my body oddly cold, I grabbed my sister’s hand, obeying my mother’s final wish. “Hurry, Raelynn. We must go,” I said, forcing words past the fist of anguish that squeezed my throat.

“You go,” my sister said through her tears, jerking her hand free.

Panicked, I grabbed it once more, holding tight to her sweaty palm. This was not the time for my defiant sibling to be difficult. “You heard Momma. We must go.”

“I heard her,” Raelynn choked out. “I’ve done nothing but listen. When is someone going to listen to me? Ask what I want?”

The whirling portal sparked and wavered. We were running out of time.

“Raelynn,” I barked, annoyed with her theatrics. “Stop being a priss and come with me.”

“I’m done listening to Momma,” my sister said with a sneer. “And I’m definitely not listening to you. Go through the portal and continue to run and hide. I’m taking fate into my own hands. Choosing what is best for me. ”

“You can’t do that. Momma said—”

“Momma said. Momma said,” she mocked. “Tell you what. You keep doing what Momma said. See where that gets you.”

Raelynn tugged back on her arm, and anticipating her resistance, I held tight, planting one foot inside the portal. Prickles of fire nipped at my toes, scratching at my ankle and tugging my leg.

“Raelynn, come on!” I barked, pulling harder. “Don’t do this. We’re supposed to stay together.” Stupid girl never did anything she was told.

“Better hurry,” Raelynn taunted as the gleaming mirror shrank around me, her fingers slipping through my grasp. I never could best her when we fought.

Fiery bites nipped at my flesh. The portal pulled me deeper, and the mirror continued to shrink. Stubborn wretch.

“Bye, Runa.” She fluttered a mocking wave.

I gnashed my teeth. I sure as heck wasn’t losing a limb to her foolishness. With one last glance at my sister…

I let go.

Looking back, I could have done more. A lot more. If only I’d held onto her tighter instead of giving in, demanded she enter the portal with me and dragged her by her hair, kicking and screaming if needed. Instead, I’d let her slip away, allowing her to run straight into Idris’s eager arms.

With my failure, I practically set the false king on the throne myself, plumped his cushions for his royal buttocks, sat him down, and served him the kingdom on a platter.

Without Raelynn’s portal magic, Idris could never have siphoned so much power from Carcerem. I told my brothers that my sister died in the attack because, in my mind, she had. Raelynn was as dead to me as I was to her.

Today, in the throne room, it was clear that she’d wanted me gone—to rid the world of the reminder that she, too, had once been a commoner. Now I was in the Fallen Trials, there was an excellent chance she’d get that wish.

I huffed a deep sigh. This line of thinking would see me blurry-eyed and exhausted come morning.

At the moment, the only thing I could do about my situation was rest. Tomorrow, I’d come up with a plan.

A plan that would free both myself and my brothers so we could get back to White Bridge, the only home I had left—before the collectors.

I squeezed my eyes closed, attempting to relax my knotted muscles.

A scuff echoed, making my ears twitch. I tensed. “Custodis, is that—”

Brutal hands clamped down on my limbs. One slapped against my mouth, smothering my scream. Panic exploded across my nerve endings.

The fingers on my mouth stank of grease and filth. The sting of his salty skin raised my gag reflex. It would serve them right to have me retch all over them.

Unseen attackers groped my body, tearing at my clothing. Fabric rent, frigid air kissing my bare flesh. Muted screams fell on callous ears. Outrage made my temples pound.

Gamma cell was full of bottom dwellers. The worst of the worst. The kind of criminals who couldn’t win an honorable fight, so they slunk about in shadows. There would be no mercy for me from this bunch.

Claws raked my stomach, shredding my leggings. A painful grip clamped around my ankles.

How many were there? Two? Three? Spineless monsters seldom committed their crimes alone.

Sadly, this wasn’t my first experience with this particular brand of assault.

Except in the past, I’d had my illusions to send my attackers screaming, so shaken they’d think twice before laying their hands on another unwilling victim.

Also, my brothers were usually in earshot.

My last attacker never walked without a limp again.

Nor was he left with the equipment necessary to commit a similar crime. Kronk made sure of it.