Aria couldn’t bring herself to think about the time she’d spent with Braith, the times he’d held her, kissed her, loved her, and fed from her. She couldn’t think about the bond that his father was maliciously trying to soil. Her blood wasn’t the reason, she told herself. That is not why Braith kept her around, and it was not why he would come for her. No matter what this man said, her blood wasn’t the only reason Braith loved her.
Her entire body throbbed as blood seeped over her arms and legs. Though he had concentrated on mainly biting her in the areas that Braith had, he’d left far more marks on her than Braith ever had. At one time he’d even struck up and down her arm much like someone eating an ear of corn. Always, just when she was about to pass out from loss of blood and torture, he forced more of his blood into her to revive her, heal her, and bring her back for more. She didn’t know if she could take much more of this, her skin felt as if someone had taken sandpaper and rubbed it over every inch of her. The mere thought of being touched was enough to make her want to scream. No matter what he did to her though, she would never tell him the answers that he sought.
His finger slid beneath her chin and he turned her head toward him. She itched to smack the smile off his face as he peered intently at her. Aria recoiled in revulsion as his hand enclosed her breast and squeezed. He laughed cruelly when a small gasp of pain escaped her. “What fun we’ll have together when he gets here.”
She almost yelled at him not to touch her, but she knew what he truly craved was a reaction from her, and she refused to give him that satisfaction. She would like to believe she would never give him the satisfaction, but this was merely the beginning of what he planned on doing to her, and Braith.
She thought she could handle almost all of what he would do to her, but could she handle what he would do to Braith if he was caught? Could she handle watching Braith turn into a dried up husk of a vampire like the ones that crowded the appalling room? And that might very well be the kindest thing his father did to him. What would she do if Braith was caught and forced to watch as this man and his revolting son violated her over and over again? It would destroy them both, far more than being bled dry and used as ornaments would.
Biting on her bottom lip Aria was able to suppress a small moan of torment as he lifted her hand and turned her wrist over. Raw, she was so raw, everywhere. His fingers ran up and down the tender marks he had left on the inside of her arm. He stopped and wiggled his fingers over the mark on the inside of her elbow. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he pressed down on the bite, causing her to wince as he continued to torture her.
He chuckled as he began to press repeatedly up and down her arm. She wasn’t certain how but she managed to keep her face impassive. The less reaction she had though, the crueler he became until he was pinching at her skin. Bruises began to appear almost instantly as he spitefully twisted the skin around each of the bite marks he’d placed upon her. She was unable to suppress a low whimper as he poked and prodded with ruthless glee. His merriment faded at her cry and he thrust her arm away in disgust.
“Take her back to the dungeons.”
“Wait father,” Caleb protested as two of the king’s men came forward. They clasped hold of her arms and lifted her roughly to her feet.
“You can play with her later Caleb. There are things we must discuss now.”
She found no relief at this short reprieve; in fact she found she’d prefer to just get it over with rather than having it go on endlessly. The guards hauled her from the room and down a set of steep, winding steps. She struggled to keep up with them but her feet wouldn’t cooperate with her mind. She tripped, fell, and was dragged briefly before she was able to gain her feet once more. It did little good as she was unable to stay on her feet by the time they arrived at the stairs to the dungeon.
Her toes agonizingly bounced off of the steps and her teeth clattered as she was propelled downward. They arrived at the bottom and were pulling her forward when something caught her attention. Fresh life streamed into her; a strangled cry escaped as she found the strength to jerk back from the guards. One guard’s hold momentarily slipped from her as she lunged forward and seized hold of the bars of a cell.
“You bitch!” she spat. Lauren cowered further into the back of the cell as she watched Aria like a mouse watched a cat. “Was it worth it!?” Aria demanded. “Was it!?” The guards were grabbing at her, but she clung to the bars. “You better hope I get a chance to kill you before Braith does!”
The guards finally succeeded in prying her free, one of them chuckled as he hauled her past the rest of the cells. “Those are some pretty idle threats little girl, considering you’re in here too.”
“Maybe we can set up a fight between them,” the other one pondered.
Their eyes lit with the possibility. “I think Caleb would be tempted by the notion.”
Aria jerked her arm free when they walked her into her cell. She glared at them as they slammed the door into place. “My money’s on that one, she seems a little feral.”
“Aren’t they all feral in the woods?”
“Go to hell!” Aria snapped at them.
“Blondie wouldn’t have a shot.”
They were both laughing as they made their way back out of the dungeon, taking the only source of illumination with them as they went. Aria turned before the light was completely gone, and using her blood, marked the wall. She’d been here for three days now, or at least as far as she knew it had only been three days. She may have lost a day somewhere between the pain and blood loss, but she knew for certain that she’d been conscious for at least three days in this cell.
Darkness descended over the dungeon. She rested her hands against the back wall and inhaled small, shuddery breaths. Now that the astonishment over seeing Lauren here was starting to wear off, the weakness and fright was creeping back in. She couldn’t let herself think about being trapped within this tiny cell. She was afraid she would lose her mind if she did, afraid she would become the shriveling, begging mess that the king was trying to turn her into if she focused on the walls surrounding her.
She had survived three days already; she’d be able to survive for as long as it took Braith to come for her. He would come; she knew it, just as she knew that he wouldn’t be the same as he was when she saw him last.
The Braith that was out there now was not the Braith that she’d left in this palace months ago. He was more in control, more aware, just as she’d hoped he would be without her. Even though he hadn’t come charging in here like a crazed demon, she didn’t doubt his love for a moment. Being in here, tortured, and tormented wasn’t going to change her belief in him. She knew that he was going crazy without her, that he was beating himself up over what had happened, and was probably impossible to be around, but he’d finally accepted the fact that she couldn’t always be first to him.