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LUCIAN

W hoever was behind this, I would make them suffer a million tortures, a thousand torments, before allowing them to beg for the mercy of death.

The very thought of what could have happened to her if she hadn't shown up at my doorstep on Monday and shared what was going on, thereby pulling me into this, was enough to make me sick.

In the carriage, Kleos clung to me, adorable and silly, giggling, pliant, flirty.All the signs pointed to a lust potion. I'd know soon enough if I was right, but I had very little doubt.

Someone had intended to rape her tonight.

Keeping myself in check, stopping the dark curses I wanted to cast on an unknown shadow, I ran through everything we'd discovered this week.

There were other potions to force a person to be obedient, to lose their wits, to feel tired; choosing a lust potion was a purposeful move with a specific goal.

I’d thought the culprit was a close relative aware of her history, but her parents, aunt and uncle, wouldn't have done this.

Would they? I couldn't dismiss it, but that was improbable.

Who else? The guy she'd danced with? He was too young to have tried the rituals on animals decades ago, and frankly not powerful enough to get away with it.

I was missing something.

Ever so aware of Kleos's presence, I felt her shift on her seat to press her thigh against mine, her bust folding onto my shoulder.

Please, let me be wrong. Please, please, please.

"You smell so good."

I groaned.

It wasn't the first time she'd mentioned my smell, but she hadn't sounded like that before. When she asked if I used a specific cologne, it had sounded like mere curiosity. Now, she purred the words, her pupils dilated, those dazed eyes zeroing in on my lips. She was obvious.

"Kleos." There was no way around it, I had to tell her. "You've been drugged with a lust potion. At the moment, anyone with a cock is likely to smell positively divine."

Her eyes widened.

After a second, I corrected myself. "Actually, never mind the cock. Pretty sure you'll jump anyone with a pulse in a few moments."

"Oh." A chuckle escaped her."Are you sure?"

"No." Only about ninety-nine percent certain, given that hearing about it amused her. "And I hope I'm wrong. But that's my primary theory given the symptoms. I'd need to test your blood to verify it."

Or wait ten to twenty minutes, at which point she was liable to fucking jump me.

What had I done to deserve this? There was no way I could let her do that. It didn't matter that I hadn't drugged her; she was in no state to consent to anything. If I let her touch me, I was taking advantage of the situation.

At the same time, I couldn't leave her alone. Her fever would only increase, especially if she was pushed to fuck and couldn't do it.

Tonight was going to be fucking torture. Quite literally.

"Thanks, Jaxx," I said to the driver as he stopped in front of the bridge.

I helped Kleos out of the carriage, half carrying her, as she was still draped over my shoulder, chuckling to herself softly.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept the specifics of my company to yourself?" I handed him five golds.

"Of course, Master Regis." He waved off the tip. "No charge."

I watched the proud horses trot out for a few seconds, wondering whether he'd keep his word. It was possible. It was also possible that my mother might ask , in which case, nothing could be done.

"All right, let's get you in your dungeon."

Again, she laughed.

I didn't bother to attempt to walk alongside her—it would have been akin to a particularly slow and awkward three-legged race. Instead, I lifted her up under the knees again.

"Like a princess," she drawled lazily.

She sounded tired. Please, please, please, let her sleep it off.

A quick look at the clock in the entrance hall showed it wasn't even eleven.

The sick, violent need to hurt the party responsible for her current state resurfaced.

They'd drugged her early enough to have plenty of time for fun before midnight, at which point she would have been helpless to resist the ritual.

I knew they would have prepared so she couldn't protect herself with a circle of salt tonight, but this?

The journey to the dungeon was long and awkward. Little moans escaped her lips, her thighs tightening a fraction, her chest pressing against mine.

Yep, no blood test needed.

None too soon, we were in front of the previously bare cell that I'd spent most of the afternoon decorating with some of the furniture in my spare bedrooms. They were like mine, all red and black and metallic, and the walls of the cell had shifted to a deep crimson to fit it.

Instead of a bland ceiling, there was a constellation of a million stars overhead.

"You're sure we're in the right place?" she checked with a tiny titter.

I lowered her onto her bed. "It's bad enough you have to be imprisoned. I wanted you to be comfortable."

I looked around, trying to consider anything she might need. There was a glass bottle of cool water on her bedside table, with three books and a candelabra, in case she needed more light than the four oil lamps on the walls could provide.

"I need to get some potions to help with your symptoms. I'll be back shortly," I assured her.

She nodded, sliding under the covers.

I couldn't have been more delighted that she seemed more tired than inclined to jump me.

Quickly, I rushed through the halls, heading to the crypt, and filled my pockets with everything I thought I might need—one potion meant to hydrate her, another, to lower her temperature, a third to help with sleep. For once, I really could have used Hypnos's power.

I ran back to her cell, encountering Zazel and Phobos on my way. The cat hissed at me.

"Yeah, well, I'm doing my best," I yelled back, irritated by the feline's judgement.

What did he know, anyway? He was a cat. And a demon.

Or maybe he'd just hissed at me because he was Zazel and he hated me, not because he suspected I'd attack his poor drugged-up witch.

Finally, I was back at the cell, pushing the iron door so hard it flew into the wall. I was that worried.

And then I gulped, and took a step back.

I should have stayed the fuck away.

How was I going to survive this?