Judson tightened the chains again, and I gritted my teeth. I straightened as much as I could. It helped alleviate the soreness, but my legs would give out eventually. I had become weak from the loss of blood and lack of food and water.
Judson left the room at that point, and I struggled to stay on my feet.
As the night wore on, my right leg locked and I fell forward, grunting at the renewed pain in my shoulders. Breathing heavily, I tried to regain my balance.
Only when I managed to straighten myself did a new sensation rush through my body.
Leave. Must leave.
It was the only thought I could process.
Standing on legs that could barely support me, I tried to step forward. My arms pulled tighter behind my back, but I wouldn’t let it stop me.
I had to leave.
I wanted out. Needed out.
An invisible force lured me forward like a siren’s call. I couldn’t resist.
Yanking on the chains, I continued to try to leave. A pop sounded from my shoulder, but even the pain of my arm being ripped from its socket didn’t make me stop.
Nothing would.
Chapter 18
“Today we’ll begin breaking that bond you have with the vampire,” Edward said as he entered the room. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but my legs had completely given out on me again, and I was pitched forward, struggling to draw a full breath. I wanted to guess it’d only been a night, but my gnawing hunger said it might’ve been longer.
My head pounded as I tried to get my breathing back to normal. My wrists felt bruised and cut to pieces.
Edward smiled as he approached me. “Your lips feeling a little looser than last night?”
“Nope.”
“Good. Judson, bring in the vial please.”
The other man walked in sans the cart of torture, which led me to believe whatever they had planned for me today would be much worse. A small vial dangled between his fingers. I didn’t take my eyes off it for a second. The substance inside of it was too thick to slosh like a regular liquid. Fear swirled in my gut at the sight. It felt like a completely unnatural reaction, but I couldn’t seem to force it away.
Edward stepped forward, running his gaze up and down my body.
“You did remarkable work yesterday, brother. Today is my turn though, and I think our friend will be a little bit more responsive. Her blood is working fast in his system.”
I didn’t have to ask what he meant. My blood had stopped seeping down my back, and the wounds on the front of my chest had started to even close. It wasn’t natural. The bond Acacia formed had increased my healing, but it wouldn’t aid me here. Healing would take more of my already dwindling strength.
“Judson.”
The other man stepped forward, along with his brother, then walked past and gave me more slack on my arms. They dropped forward, and I fell solidly to my knees. The unforgiving ground bit into my skin, but the pain was easy to ignore. The desire to leave this place, to get to whatever was calling me, struck again.
I climbed to my feet and started to walk forward, my arms hanging uselessly beside me. The one that had popped out of its socket had a twinge whenever it moved, whereas the other was so sore I didn’t think I’d be able to move it.
“She’s calling you again, isn’t she?”
I gritted my teeth as I tried once again to rip my arms through the cuffs and continued to walk.
“Don’t worry, young Hayes. This will certainly help you.”
My power flared, and the lingering amount of onyx in my blood sent sharp jabs throughout my body. I glared but refused to respond to his comments. The desire to leave overruled all other thoughts, completely shattering my masterful control over my powers.
Judson came up from behind and wrapped his arms under and around my shoulders to keep me pinned. Thrashing side to side, I tried to throw him off to no avail. He wasn’t as wide as I was, but he rivaled me with height. I anticipated Judson’s kick to the back of my knees and locked them just in time. The blow was enough to make me stumble, but I didn’t lose my balance.
I threw my weight back at Judson, trying to dislodge his hold, but I didn’t have enough strength to make it more than a shove. What I hadn’t expected was his blade. The sound of a knife hissed as it was unsheathed from its holster, the sharp slice against the back of my legs making them drop out from underneath me.
“That was unnecessary, Judson. He would’ve given us what we wanted eventually.”
“But effective. Give him the vial and let’s be done. I have a meeting in a couple of hours.”
Edward stepped forward with the vial he’d taken from Judson before stepping past me, the thick blood sloshing slowly. My esophagus itched, the strangest sensation of wanting to throw up before it even touched my lips growing, becoming almost unbearable.
“Vampire blood seems to reject another’s. At least for us.”
Edward liked to talk too much, and it grated on my nerves. At least Judson acted; doing this back-and-forth with Edward was getting old.
“Force it down his throat already,” Judson griped as he struggled to hold me still.
I hadn’t stopped trying to break free from his hold, but it was impossible. Too weak to do much else, I clamped my jaw shut as tightly as possible. Edward pressed his fingers on pressure points along my jaw for me to open, and when that didn’t work, he plugged my nose. My lungs became starved, and yet I still refused. For the fourth time in such a short period, darkness crept in my vision.
Releasing my nose, Edward tried a different tactic, pulling his arm back and hitting me with a left hook. The punch caught me off guard, and my tight grip on my jaw faltered. Edward moved like a snake and tipped the vial, pouring the blood down my throat and then pressing his hand over my mouth to prevent me from spitting it back out.
It felt like I was drowning. The blood filled every inch of my lungs, coating them and making it impossible to breathe. I clawed at my neck but the blood kept pouring down and down. The moment the viscous liquid hit my stomach, it seized up. I gagged, wanting to throw the blood back up, but Edward’s hand over my mouth prevented it.
When it settled, a war erupted inside of my body, making it impossible for me to move. My fingers twitched as pain etched up my spine. Racking coughs that bent me in half took over moments later, liquid surging back up and splattering across the floors.
The pain from the onyx suddenly felt like child’s play. My body was being torn apart, shredded from the inside out. The initial relaxation I’d felt with Acacia’s blood had turned into fire. Two different vampires fought for domination inside of me. Time was meaningless as I lost myself to the torture.
“Still like this, I see.”
I craned my neck back to see Edward standing in the doorway with different clothes on.
“It seems your bond won’t break yet, but the vampire blood should be out of your system in a couple of hours. Until then, enjoy your meal.”
He left the room as a small woman stumbled inside, eyes wide with fright and hands trembling around the small tray of food she held. My stomach soured at the smell and sight of it, but I had to at least try to eat. My head swam as I attempted to sit up. The effects had worn off a bit, and I hadn’t spat out blood in a while, but time had lost all meaning in this room. I had no idea how long I’d been captive as one torture slipped seamlessly into the next.
The girl kneeled a few feet away from me and shoved the tray as close as she could. The food looked bland, tasteless and gray, but I ate it as though it was the perfect steak, grilled with charcoal.
The girl remained silent, watching me.
“Do you need to stay here?” I asked her after a while.
“Yes.” Her voice was quieter than a mouse.
“Who are you?”
“No one special. Just the serving girl.”
Hmm. I watched her from the corner of my eye. The shake in her hands hadn’t been a true tremble; she shook them with purpose and on rhythm. Her vo
ice was quiet, yes, but it didn’t shake with fear. There was a certain boldness to it, even her answers.
“How old are you?”
“Old enough, I suppose.”
“How did you get past the brothers?”
She didn’t expose herself besides the small smile that crept over her lips. It disappeared before she glanced up at me from under her lashes.
“My, my, you are quite acute, aren’t you? Your uncle was very forthcoming. He’s proud of you. But you must leave us be.” Her words were cold, and the look on her face morphed into something dark. “Enjoy your reprieve.”
The drug hit hard and sudden.
“Fuck.”
****
“Find the bitch. She drugged his food. I want her found.” Edward’s voice brought me back to the conscious world.
So she was the necromancer who was controlling my uncle, the one I’d fought with in the Other Side. Satisfied that I had a face to go with the entity, I refocused my attention toward the brothers.
The room had a chill to it, and I tried to pull my limbs closer to stave off the chill, but I couldn’t move them. I was strung up in the same position as before, the arm that had popped out of place screaming in agony. I grunted in discomfort, drawing Edward’s eyes to mine.
“Oh good, he’s awake. What did you two discuss?” he asked.
“Nothing of great importance,” I answered, my words cut up and broken by the chattering in my teeth. It was more than a simple chill—they’d frozen the room.
Edward nodded, and a series of jabs hit against my back. My muscles were tight because of the cold, making the pain excruciating. He hit pressure points where our magic tended to pool. My control was shot, and the familiar burn of the onyx in my bloodstream raced through me.
“Unfortunate, isn’t it? Losing your control? Having it ripped from your hands. You will answer me, Abel. Don’t think I won’t get my answers one way or another.”
Edward had a bit of a crazed look in his eyes. It seemed his fragile ego had been bruised, and he needed to repair it any way he could.
“I’ll leave you in Judson’s capable hands for as long as you decide you don’t want to speak.”
Edward closed the door behind him, and I was left alone with his brother once again.
Judson would periodically switch his torture techniques as the hours passed, from brutal beatings, to the whipping again, to more outdated torture devices. All the while, the room remained chillingly cold. The day wore on and on, no breaks. Afterward, I was left in the same position, strung up with my arms behind my back, one shoulder still popped out of its socket. At that point, it had just become numb, the pain nonexistent.
Everything I suffered through meant Rowan wouldn’t have to. Every moment I spent there, never giving them information, I was protecting her. I had to keep reminding myself of that. Even when the chill became so unbearable that I couldn’t fall asleep.
The next day began the same way.
“Would you like to tell us where your sister is? Would you like to tell us how you managed to get into the Other Side and who you spoke to? Would you like to tell us what the girl said?”
“No.”
The torture started once again.
Chapter 19
“We might want to stop the cold torture. He’s getting drowsier each day and isn’t responding to any of the methods I’ve used.”
“Fine, but for a couple of days only. If he doesn’t break soon, we’ll have to bring in the vampires.”
“I thought you wanted to keep them away from him.”
“I do, especially now that the other vampires have her, but we may not have a choice.”
The voices drifted away. If I could, I would’ve lunged forward, demanding more information.
Vampires have Rowan? Which coven? Did my parents finally catch up to her and give her to the coven?
But that wouldn’t make sense. Not unless the vampire coven was working with both our family and the Menard family, another rival necromancer family that I thought were my captors. That went against most of our treaties. And if necromancers allied with vampires, they were very particular about who they picked.
This had to be a different coven. But that meant Rowan would be in peril. Edward kept questioning me every morning about where Rowan was. Had it just been a ruse to get me to ask about her?
It had to be a ploy. They had to know I was awake and were trying to psychologically torture me. How dare they try to use Rowan against me. Getting to my feet, I used whatever strength I had left to rip at my chains. I needed to get their attention. Then I’d tear them apart.
My powers, which I had buried so deep I could barely feel them, sensed freedom. They swelled under my skin, rushing through my veins like a hot, potent drug. Edward had been consistent about injecting me every morning with onyx to keep my powers suppressed, but he hadn’t yet dosed me this morning. While the remaining amount was like a second-degree burn, after everything I’d endured for however long I’d been their captive, it was barely even a nuisance.
The clairvoyant Death Lines shot out of my fingertips once again, searching for someone to latch on to. They caught onto three bodies in separate parts of the house. The ease of weaving my lines through them was shocking.
Uncertain of the layout of the house and its occupants, I needed to create as much chaos as I could in the little time I had—or as Rowan liked to call it when we were kids, a chaos experiment. Create as many distractions to get the attention off you. It never seemed like it should work, but it had every time.
I sent one body in my direction while the other two headed into the house to cause the chaos experiment. If the brothers came downstairs for our daily meeting, they would discover my magic; Edward seemed very tuned in.
Footsteps pounded down the hallway, and my ties with one of the ghouls broke suddenly. Gritting my teeth, I focused harder on bringing the one closest to me to this room. If I could get him to release me, I might have a chance. The footsteps kept coming, but they were too rhythmic and my power was too strained for it to be the ghoul coming up the hallway.
Judson rushed into the room with his fists flying.
“You fucker.” He beat me until my control snapped and I was barely conscious. Blood dripped down my lips onto my chin and bare chest as my head lolled forward.
This had been a different kind of attack than usual. He hadn’t held back and used control to inflict lasting pain; instead, he lost it and attacked until his fists were bloody.
Judson left me alone then, still hanging with my arms behind my back. My head pounded with pain, and I debated on just giving up for the day. But their earlier conversation still haunted me.
Where is Rowan?
The tattoo we got together on our eighteenth birthday flared, and a little piece of her sparked as if letting me know she was still alive, but it only eased me for a moment. I would die before I allowed Rowan to go through this sort of torture. And I’d never let her be tied to a vampire. Not like I had. After what Acacia did, I would never allow any of them to touch Rowan. Their kind couldn’t be trusted. And if they had powers like Rowan’s or mine on their side, it was dangerous.
The normal creaks and groans of the house during the night amplified, sounding more like pounding footsteps. Muffled shouts echoed from upstairs.
Fueled by the determination to protect Rowan and my betrayal by Acacia, my powers sparked between my fingers once again. Whatever the commotion upstairs was, it could prove to be the distraction I needed.
Digging deep, I sought out my powers. The moment they flared to life, the onyx in my blood ran hot. Pushing through the intense pain, I sent my lines out, searching for a ghoul to control.
The first body I came to felt just barely out of my reach. Pushing harder had the onyx in my blood shooting straight to my brain. The pain left me stunned for a moment before I reactivated my Control Lines. Seeking out the body was easier this time, and when I latched on to it, I commanded it to me.
It moved around my cuffs, managing to get one undone before another set of footsteps came from the hallway. With my ghoul working ever so slowly, I moved him to the darkest corner of the room. Bracing myself for one of the brothers, I waited and listened. The door slammed open to reveal a single silhouette, the body not as tall or large as Judson. Just Edward, then. And that meant he’d finally remembered to dose me with more onyx.
The onyx moved through me faster than they’d expected, which they concluded had to do with the bond I shared with Acacia. They still hadn’t been able to break it, which worried me—if they couldn’t, how would we be able to? Right after securing Rowan, it was next on my to-do list.
Dropping my head, I started to think of the best ways of attack once Edward began his usual monologue, but a sweet scent hit my nose first, and the soft footsteps didn’t match Edward’s. Had the girl necromancer come back?
I lifted my head and stared at the ghost ahead of me. She looked more like a small, mischievous angel. My Control Lines, still active and wrapped around the ghoul, didn’t even feel the urge to touch this spector.
White-blonde hair fell in soft waves down to her navel. Eyes that shone bright and glowed with magic overtook most of her features. A twinkle that almost matched the look in Rowan’s eyes sat deep inside of her. She stepped forward, and her lips opened in a surprised O.
“Wow, you do look a lot alike. I mean, I know you’re twins, but wow.”
I squinted at the figure, convinced I’d finally lost my mind.
“Oh, sorry!” The little pixie ran forward and past me. The clacks of the chains lowering sounded behind me though the relief I should’ve felt never came, the idea that I would be placed back in the same position too ingrained by that point. She gave me enough slack that the one arm still cuffed dropped uselessly before me, the same one that had popped out of place and remained that way. Flinching, I brought my other arm forward, keeping my control on the ghoul taut just in case I needed him again. I didn’t trust myself to even have enough strength to take on this pixie.
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