Page 23 of Vengeance and Vipers

‘Let me go!’

But all he does is stand there with an arm wrapped around my middle and the other grasping my hair as he looks into my face.

‘Now, more than ever, don’t trust me,’ he says. ‘You stay away from the bars no matter what. Promise me, Victoria.Julia.’

‘I promise,’ I whisper with wide eyes that bulge further as he pulls me in and kisses me hard on the lips through the bars.

‘Good girl,’ he breathes and lets me go abruptly, pushing me away.

I stagger back, reeling, but still have the presence of mind to grab my prize and slink to the back of my cell.

I eat the still-warm stew, though the hunger that was gnawing at me has disappeared.

Maybe it was just boredom making me want to eat.

I still finish the bowl off, though, and scrape it clean before I put it outside my cell, pushing it over to his side a little.

‘You were very good, little thief,’ Krase drawls from the shadows, making me crab crawl back quickly out of his reach when he leaps towards the shared bars, his tail coming through to grab me. ‘Too good.’

* * *

AXEL

‘Did it work?’ I ask in frustration, watching Iron for signs that he’s fucking with us.

‘I can’t tell,’ he mutters, sounding far away.

I guess he sort of is since he’s focusing on the magick.

I snort. ‘Thought you were all-powerful now.’

‘The estate’s defenses are old and complex. Bringing them down isn’t a two-second job.’ He opens his eyes and gives me a look of disdain. ‘The lessons I had in all this shit were a long fucking time ago, okay? Give me a damn minute!’

I put my hands up in placation, stepping away and turning to Jayce with a roll of my eyes.

‘This is bullshit,’ he mutters. ‘Iron is trying to delay us, keep us distracted.’

‘I don’t think so,’ I say, taking a look behind me where Iron is sitting in a chair at the table with his eyes closed again. ‘I can’t see him bothering. He’s not like you. Doesn’t get off on playing those kinds of games.’

‘When why is this taking so long?’ Jayce heaves a sigh. ‘What if she’s …?’

I look away. ‘She’s strong. She just has to hold on,’ I say quietly, my fists clenching.

‘And here we sit, useless as chocolate teacups,’ Jayce seethes, walking briskly to the window that overlooks the gardens. ‘What if she’s dead?’

I rub over my heart. I can feel her there still if I concentrate hard. I’m sure I can. It’s not just wishful thinking.

‘I think we’d know,’ I whisper so Iron doesn’t hear because I don’t trust him despite my defense of him.

Jayce puts a hand on his own chest and closes his eyes. ‘You’re right,’ he says finally. ‘She is still there, but faintly.’ But when he looks at me, his eyes are tortured, much like mine probably are. ‘But we wouldn’t feel if he was hurting her, letting others hurt her.’

I shake my head. ‘Have to be closer for that, I guess.’

‘When we … when we get her back, she’s going to be broken,’ he whispers.

‘She’s strong,’ I say to him again, ‘stronger than the Demon King. She won’t be broken, only bruised.’ I put my hand on his shoulder. ‘We’ll help her to heal from whatever he’s done to her. She won’t be alone. Not ever again.’

He grips my hand hard and nods. ‘Never again,’ he echoes.