Page 116 of Monsters Carve Thrones

Laura’s mouth snapped shut. “Fuck.”

Nausea curled in my stomach. “What do you mean?”

Laura sighed heavily, as if knowing she just opened a can of furiously wiggling worms. “I guess he didn’t bother telling you.” She sat on one of the workout benches.

I joined her, turning to face her. “He hasn’t really talked much about his experience. Well, your experience collectively, I guess.” I chewed my lip. “He has mainly been focused on me and making sure that I’m okay and healing. So, canyoutell me what happened?”

Laura’s brows drew together with concern. “Of course.” She took a deep breath before diving in. “While we were looking for you... he waswrecked, to say the least. He was unstable and furious and heartbroken. And he wasn’t sleeping all that well.” She paused. “He started using oxy to help himself sleep.”

My heart clenched.

“And then,” she wet her lips. “He started using them a whole lot more. We were worried about him, Adela. He was fucking brutal when he killed while high. It was... honestly quite horrifying seeing him like that.”

Tears burned behind my eyes, and I swallowed hard, thinking about the struggles he endured.

“And when we were taken by Waylon’s cousin, Waleria,” she continued. “He suffered horribly with withdrawals. We might have been able to come up with a plan to rescue you sooner if... if he weren’t like that.”

A deafening beat of silence followed. I opened and closed my mouth, unsure of what to say. I couldn’t exactly be angry at him, considering the pain he felt knowing what was happening to me. But a part of me was still... frustrated that he put himself in that predicament to begin with. If they could have rescued me sooner, I could have endured less abuse…

“Hey,” Laura reached for my hand. “Are you okay?”

I blinked. “Yeah, I am.” My chest tightened, and breathing suddenly felt difficult. “I hate knowing what you all went through. He did tell me that you saved his sanity. He told me you were there for him. You, Kieran, and Nico likely saved him.”

Her lip wobbled at that, and her gaze dropped to her hands in her lap. “It was scary. But I know all of us would do it all again if it meant we could see you alive again.”

My throat tightened when I noted the tear rolling down her cheek.

“Adela…” A small sob escaped her. “Waylon sent Waleria a video of him… he–he was…”

My entire world froze. He...what?Why didn’t Rafe tell me any of this?

Laura was crying now. “It was the worst thing any of us have ever fucking endured. It felt as if my heart was being ripped out of my chest.”

Instinctively, I pulled her into a hug while she sobbed.

“Rafe went fucking ballistic. I thought he’d break the chains. I sure wanted to. And that stupid bitch forced us to watch and listen to itthree goddamn times.”

A sob finally escaped my aching throat. I didn't know what to say, so I just held her with trembling arms. And we stayed like that for a while, holding each other and crying it out. Until finally, she pulled away, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

“Thank you for everything, Laura,” I whispered.

“Don’t thank me,” she said. “Just don’t get kidnapped on us again.”

I nodded solemnly, definitely ready to change the subject. “I’m excited to get back to the office.”

Laura narrowed her puffy eyes. “Don’t push yourself too hard.”

I gave her a half-grin. “I won’t. But Iamgonna remind them why they fear me.”

She grinned, and there was so much love in it. “That’s the Adela I know.” She threw a towel at me and moved down to sit cross-legged on the mat.

Before either of us could say more, the door opened. Rafe stepped in with a couple of glasses of iced water.

“You two look like you’re sweating out demons,” he said, setting the tray down. “And... crying them out.”

“You’ve got that right,” Laura said. “She’s just catching up.”

I stuck out my tongue at her and took the Sprite and a glass. We chatted for a few minutes. About nothing. About everything. The entire time, I thought about how he struggled. Laura said something that made him laugh, and my heart squeezed again. God, I loved this man more than anything.