Chapter 1
Ryker
I cleaned the rest of the gruel from the key I’d discovered hidden within my food and twisted it in my hand. It was too dark to see the small metal structure, but my fingers traced its curves and jagged edges.
Where did it come from? Who put it in my food? Is this a sick game the duke is playing?
It was the final question that caused me to hesitate the most. I wouldn’t put it past him to create a new, twisted mind game just to fuck with me.
But even though that was probably true, I still bent over to run my fingers along the chains binding my feet until I located the keyhole. Since I couldn’t see anything in the pitch-black cell, it took some maneuvering, but I finally slid the key into the hole.
It fit perfectly, but that didn’t mean it would turn. Holding my breath and fully expecting the key to have been magicked into sending a bone breaking jolt of something through me, I twisted it.
The ensuing click was lost to the weeping of the man in one of the cells further away from me. For the first time, I was glad that he’d been crying for hours.
While only Tucker, Callan, and the other two men remained in the dungeon with me, I still worried the sound would somehow travel beyond these walls. But then, if this was another game of Veni’s, I was certain the sound had already reached him somehow.
If this was just a trick, I’d make him regret giving me the chance to free myself in anyway. And Veni knew that.
He wasn’t stupid, no matter how badly he wanted to fuck with me, he wouldn’t take the chance of me escaping. So then, what the hell is going on?
Not knowing the answer to that question wasn’t going to stop me. I pulled the key free of the lock and stuck it between my teeth before carefully removing the manacles from around my ankles. Careful not to make a sound, I set them on the floor.
I lifted my head to search the shadows for any hint of something other than the rodents scurrying through the dungeon, but the darkness remained complete. The door at the end of the hall was still shut.
Despite those things, I expected someone to materialize on the other side of those bars, holding a torch, and laughing as they taunted me for thinking I could escape this place. Only the rats moved, and no light appeared.
I shifted my attention back to my bounds. Trying to get the chains off my wrist proved to be more difficult, as maneuvering the key into the hole became a frustrating endeavor.
I bit back a slew of curses when the key slipped from my fingers and cringed when it hit the ground. Getting onto my hands and knees, I felt across the cool, rocky ground before discovering it again beneath my cot.
Gritting my teeth, I resettled on my cot and returned to work. A steady stream of curses ran through my head as I struggled to fit the key into the hole.
None of the duke’s men had returned yet, but they would soon. I had to get these shackles off before then, or I could lose this opportunity to escape.
Finally, I managed to twist my wrists and hands in such a way that I could slide the key into the hole. I used my teeth to turn it, and the ensuing click made me smile.
When the chains fell free, I didn’t experience a rush of power returning to me like I’d expected which meant more than those manacles was keeping my abilities bound. This whole dungeon was probably designed to keep us suppressed.
I didn’t have my powers back, but I still held the key. The man’s crying had finally stopped by the time I removed the key from the hole.
Without the manacles to clink with my every move, I silently crossed my cage to the front of the cell. Feeling over the bars, it took a little time to locate the keyhole, but my heart hammered as my fingers slid over the small shape.
Stretching my arm outside of my cell, I slid the key over the panel until I located the hole again. The key slid easily in but this time, when I turned it, the door didn’t open.
Rage and frustration burst hotly through me, and I smashed my hands against the bars before restraining myself. Bashing the bars would only make things worse and might draw someone into the dungeon. That was the last thing I needed.
Okay. Stay calm and think this through.
I hadn’t experienced a rush of power returning to me after removing my chains, but that didn’t mean I was completely shit out of luck. Since my love for Ellery had deepened, lightning resided within me now too, and I didn’t have to pull from the air or earth anymore to unleash it.
Maybe, if I concentrated, I could pull forth that power. I focused on bringing it out from within me like I did when I killed Ivan.
With my eyes closed, I searched deep inside, but instead of feeling the rush of energy, I only experienced the empty hollowness of nothing.
“Fuck,” I bit out through my clenched teeth.
“What is it?” Tucker asked from the next cell.
I didn’t dare tell him what was happening. I couldn’t stand to get his hopes up while I failed to break free.
“This place is a fucking nightmare,” I said.
“I can’t argue with that.”
With care, I shuffled back to my cot and rested my hands on it. I slid them over the surface, discovered my abandoned tray of food, lifted it, and sat again.
I placed the tray on my lap as I felt over the remaining food until I found the bowl of gruel again. I didn’t bother with the spoon as I plunged my fingers into the bowl.
I pushed through the sloppy mess until my fingers brushed something hard. It scraped the bottom of the bowl when I gripped it.
Smiling grimly, I pulled the small, metal object free and held it before me. Even though I couldn’t see it, I had no doubt it was a second key.