Chapter 73
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Ryker
My blood ran cold when I recalled the creatures trapped beneath the earth. Ellery already felt guilty about keeping them there, and she would do anything to save us.
But while it would be tempting for her to go for them, she couldn’t free them. If they turned on her, they’d kill her.
I prodded my mostly healed wound as apprehension crept through my veins, and the dungeon fell silent. A few seconds later, Tucker’s toes scraped the ground as they dragged him back to his cell and slammed the door shut.
When the duke appeared in front of me, I waved at him. “Enjoying yourself, Veni?” I inquired.
He scowled before using the back of his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow. He had been the one delivering Tucker’s beating.
“I’m going to find her, son, and the longer it takes me to do so, the more I’m going to fuck her while you watch. I bet you won’t be so cavalier after that.”
“That’s if you catch her. I’m sure you’ve realized she’s a lot better at this than you are. Just think of all the times you could have captured her, but you never realized you sat with greatness. You literally caught her in my bedroom in your fucking castle.”
Granted, I hadn’t known about Ellery’s power then either, but it was fun to watch his face redden until his ears looked like they were on fire. His eyes narrowed before he regained control of himself.
He tilted his head to the side to study me. “How long did it take you to learn about her power?”
“It was quite a bit of time, and I wouldn’t have known unless she told me, but I’m not ashamed or angered by that… unlike you.”
I was pissed off and felt betrayed when Ellery first revealed all her secrets, but not anymore. She had a reason for those secrets, and one of those reasons was standing across from me.
She’d always known that if Ivan or any of the other aristocrats learned of her power, they’d try to harness it for themselves. In doing so, they’d destroy her.
“I also wouldn’t have known she was the Hooded Robber without her telling me,” I told him.
I smirked when one of his eyes twitched. Much to the duke’s annoyance, I’d spent a lot of time hunting the Hooded Robber after Ellery robbed me.
“I’d heard that rumor,” the duke said.
I rested my back against the wall and stretched my legs out before me on the cot. “It’s the truth. Of course, I didn’t know it was her until she told me. She’s good like that. So, while you think you’re hunting her, I can assure you that she’s already hunting you.”
“The past doesn’t matter; what matters is the future, and her future lies with me.”
“Or your future lies at the end of one of her lightning bolts.”
His jaw moved back and forth as his teeth ground together before he strode away. “Bring me the minstrel,” he commanded.
I shouldn’t have antagonized him before he turned his attention to Callan. If we somehow survived this, I would apologize to the musician for it, but I loved pissing that man off.
One day, if I had my way, it would be him on the other end of the whip. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the one who would pay now.
Rising away from the wall, I pushed on the place of my missing finger as a lock clicked, the door clanged, and manacles snapped into place. Only seconds later, a whip slashed into Callan’s flesh.
It took only four lashes before Callan cried out. I bowed my head as I listened to his screams and rubbed at my wound. Even though it no longer physically hurt to do so, the reminder of all I’d lost was an emotional toll that tangible pain could never match.
One day, I’d cut away pieces of the duke.