Page 21

Ellie

Ellie’s eyes fluttered open in the dim lighting and for a fleeting moment she feared she might still be trapped within that small room just waiting for that wretched male’s next strike.

Her chest rose and fell evenly, but the racing of her heartbeat betrayed her. Ellie refused to move until she was certain she no longer felt his oily presence.

Seconds ticked by. Minutes.

Silence.

Comforting silence.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Sweat rolled down her face and every muscle in her body ached as if she’d been ripped apart only to be violently shoved back together. Her eyes stung, her throat burned, and gods she was so, so tired.

Without moving, Ellie glanced down at her wrists. Her eyes widened a fraction more. Blood coated her hands. Her blood? Another’s? She couldn’t tell, even with the scent. It smelled foul. Old. Her stomach twisted and Ellie vaulted up despite the pain and vomited all over the stone floor.

Footsteps sounded behind her a second later followed by the rattle of chains. She spun, ready to defend herself. It didn’t matter that she always failed. She wasn’t going down without a fight. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

A feral sound she hardly recognized escaped her lips and Ellie’s hands clamped around flesh before slamming a body against the nearest wall.

Her heart thundered in her chest. She had him. She had him. She’d finally gotten her hands on this vile male.She—

The room spun from the sudden movement, causing her stomach to lurch again. Ellie tried to focus on the pulse beneath her grip. Rip out his heart, his eyes, his throat but just before she sank her fangs into his artery—

“Ellie.”

She halted, freezing mid movement.

That voice. It was soft and tender. That wasn’t the voice of the High Lord. This was one she recognized. It was—It was—

Ellie forced her eyes to focus. Her vision blurred and tiny balls of colored light blotted her view. She scented the air instead, then a warm hand met her cheek.

She flinched from the touch, but those gentle fingers didn’t pull back. His thumb moved back and forth until—

Oh gods.

Ellie yanked her hands away from his throat.

Kirian. She’d almost—

Her vision finally focused on a pair of eyes. His brows were knitted together, mouth slightly parted as he caught his breath. Bruises lined his throat. His arms.

Ellie sank back to her knees, her stomach twisting for entirely different reasons.

Kirian knelt at her side and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

“It’s just me.” His hand met her shoulder and a sob tore through her chest. Ellie collapsed into his embrace, a sob tearing through her body as she let the pain and fear rise to the surface.

He was alive. Kirian was alive. She could touch him. Smell him. She didn’t know how long it’d been this time, only that it’d felt like an eternity.

It always did.

The High Lord had somehow managed to create a little space in her head that felt like a prison. It was there that he kept her isolated, tearing through her mind one painful image at a time.

Ellie buried her face in Kirian’s tunic. It was filthy and torn and stained with his blood. She didn’t care. She just needed his warmth to chase away the cold and the nightmares. His scent made her feel strong again. Alive again.

Ellie steadied her breathing and focused on the mantra she’d developed to get her through every agonizing hour she’d spent in this place. It was the one thing the High Lord couldn’t take from her.

Another breath.

She could do this. Just a little longer, a few more days and someone would come for them. They’d free her and Kirian, then she could return home and let herself sit in a hot shower for hours. The servants would serve her a warm meal and Arianna would give her a steaming cup of hot cocoa.

Ellie let the full image form in her head. She imagined herself curling up in a plush armchair before a roaring fire. She’d swap stories and give whoever was present all the information she could recall. Maybe she’d even talk to Rion about the High Lord’s horrible mind magic. The vile images he’d conjured and the things he’d made her relive over and over again until she questioned whether the images were real.

Or maybe she’d keep all those gruesome details locked in her heart for eternity.

He’d convinced her that Kirian was dead. He’d shown her images of her sister’s blood on her hands. Of Rion lying in the dirt, his vacant eyes staring up at a gray sky.

She’d seen her beautiful city burn to the ground, the flowers scorched and stone crumbling. He’d shown her that she was the one to do it.

The High Lord had convinced her that she was utterly alone and like a fool she’d believed him. He’d broken through her mental barriers more times than she could count. And each incident allowed him to sink deeper. To taint more.

Ellie took another steadying breath then tilted her head up. Kirian loosened his hold, but kept his hands around her arms, as if he were trying to reassure her he was here.

How many times had he done that now? Were any of the bruises lining his body her fault?

Ellie moved her hand and noticed the chains that held her. Thick iron manacles drowned her thin wrists and heavy chains connected to a pair of anchors bolted into the stone at the rear of their cell. They hadn’t given her enough lack to reach the door.

The metal rubbed against her bruised bones. She remembered those. She’d tried to yank on the chains in an attempt to break them. And she’d done it for hours, refusing to give in until Kirian pulled her into his arms to quell her rage.

Ellie’s gaze drifted to the single shackle locked around Kirian’s ankle. She crinkled her nose at the swollen joint. He pulled his food beneath him to hide it.

“What happened?” she asked, a strange bit of hysteria creeping into her tone.

“Nothing for you to worry about.”

She tried to pry his foot out to get a better look, but Kirian held her firm. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“They did that because of me, didn’t they?” It was always because of her. His left eye was still bruised, though it had shifted to a yellowish color. There were still nearly black fingerprints around his arms. Those didn’t even include the ones she couldn’t see. He wouldn’t even be in this situation if it weren’t for his involvement with her.

No, he’d be worse off. He’d be dead.

Or maybe he’d be back in Levea, spending his free time with another female. One that would allow him to live a simpler life. There had been that one in school that—

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop thinking it. I’m fine.” He shifted her so she was sitting up more and Ellie winced from the movement. “Do you think you can eat?” Ellie shook her head, but Kirian reached for a bowl anyway. She tried not to look at the contents. The very smell made her stomach turning. “I know it’s not the best, but it’ll help keep up your strength.”

Ellie relented and drank the water first, thankful, despite the sour smell. Then she took a single bite of the gruel. Her entire body shuddered in response. It nearly resurfaced, but Ellie forced it down. Kirian was right, her body needed the nutrition. She couldn’t allow her strength to wane, not if she hoped to fight off the High Lord.

Another shuddering breath rippled through her as she struggled to collect herself. Kirian made to brush her hair away from her face and Ellie snatched his wrist. He winced and she quickly released the swollen area.

She clenched her teeth. They’d hurt him. Again. She’d obeyed, hadn’t she? She’d let the High Lord rifle through her mind, doing as he pleased with whatever information he found there.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and Ellie ran a gentle finger over the raised skin. “They promised to leave you alone.”

Kirian offered her a weak smile. “It’s okay. The guards were just frustrated. I wasn’t taken anywhere.”

A fresh wave of helplessness washed through her. She might be able to survive the torture and pain. She was Fae. She would heal but Kirian’s bruises from when they’d first arrived were still yellow. His ribs were still sensitive and despite how much he tried to hide it, Ellie caught him wincing whenever he moved.

Just like a human.

Just last month, he’d shown her he was capable of using magic. He wasn’t able to summon much more than a handful of water, but it’d given her hope that he might have inherited more aspects from his Fae heritage.

But watching the way his body was healing had her facing the painful truth. Kirian was far more human than she’d ever allowed herself to believe.

Tears burned her already swollen eyes. If they took things too far—If they punished him too much—Ellie’s voice cracked. “What are we going to do?”

“Hey,” he pulled her into a tight embrace and she listened to the steady rhythm of his beating heart. A lullaby that promised hope where she saw none. “It’s going to be okay, you’ll see. We’ll get through this just like everything else.”

He honestly believed it.

Ellie gave a breathless laugh that held no mirth. “We’ve never faced anything like this.”

“Myrna can be pretty scary.”

Ellie appreciated his attempt at humor, but it only caused a fresh wave of tears to rattle through her body. She just wanted to rest. She just wanted this nightmare to be over.

Kirian’s hands brushed her hair back, over and over in slow, methodical strokes. “It’ll be okay, you’ll see. We’ll get out of here and you’ll have all the bragging rights in the world.”

Ellie clutched his tunic, staring at the damp stone floor. Kirian rocked her back and forth, lightly resting his chin on her head.

Survive. They just had to survive.

She recited the mantra in her head again.

She wouldn’t forget who she was or the things she was fighting for.

I am Lady Evelyn of Móirín and the future High Lady of Levea. I am the daughter of the High Lord of Storms. Sister to Arianna, The Queen of Alastríona. I have been trained to endure. I will not falter. I have a mate. Gavin from Pádraigín , but a half-breed has claimed my heart. I will protect Levea at any cost, even if that cost means my life. The people are everything. I will not allow myself to be manipulated. I will not break.