Chapter 75
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
Ryker
I was pretty sure Callan passed out before they finished whipping him as the weapon continued to slash against muscle, but no more screams issued from the musician. I didn’t think they’d kill him; Veni wouldn’t be so careless as to destroy someone who might know something so soon.
Callan hadn’t caved to the duke’s demands this time, but he might break the next time. Sometimes the threat of impending torment was worse than the actual torture, and while I was determined to escape this place, as of now, there was no hope of being able to do such a thing.
I saw no weaknesses in these walls or those bars, and while I wore these chains, my powers stayed suppressed. However, there might come a time when an opportunity presented itself, and when it did, I would seize it and break free.
When Callan’s cell door clanged shut, I braced myself for what was to come. As far as I knew, the other two amsirah remained unconscious, which meant I was the only one left for him to make suffer.
Veni knew he wouldn’t get any information out of me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy stripping the flesh from my back again. Footsteps sounded as they approached, and then the man I’d loathed for every day of my life stepped in front of my cell.
When our eyes met, I smiled at him. “Not tired yet, Veni?”
Blood spattered his face and clothes; many would be shocked to see him like this, as he always presented himself as so refined, but not me. I knew how much he enjoyed the blood.
“No, I think I’ve had enough for today,” he replied.
“Oh? How surprising. Do you have more pressing things to do? Is your whip arm tired?”
His sneer vanished as he smirked. “I can do this all day, son.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“But sometimes, it’s better to let others have a turn.”
I quirked an eyebrow at this. “Do you think someone else would ever succeed in getting any information out of me?”
“Oh no, but as a leader, I’m well aware of how important it is to keep my constituents happy.” When I snorted at this, he kept talking. “And others do deserve a turn.”
He didn’t give a fuck about his constituents, but he was smart enough to realize he had to keep those closest to him happy. They helped protect him and kept him in power.
A sinking sensation settled in the pit of my stomach as my ire grew. I had a suspicion about who he planned to make happy.
“It’s not fun if you keep all your toys to yourself,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t be fun for me to watch.”
“Oh, of course it will be. Let’s get this party started.”
My chains rattled when I rose and turned to face the door. My smile didn’t waver as the guards unlocked the door. With their swords at the ready, they entered the small space.
I studied the men as I kept my feet braced apart. I was outnumbered and overpowered, but I enjoyed making the duke’s men piss themselves.
With little more than a step to the side, I lowered my shoulder, threw out my chains to knock aside a sword, and slammed into the closest guard. With my shoulder in his chest, I lifted him off the ground and propelled him into the stone wall with enough force that his back shattered.
The other one came at me from behind, but before he could smash his sword into the back of my knees, I kicked up one of my legs so his blade clashed against my metal bindings. Sparks flew as his blade scoured my chains.
“Don’t kill him,” the duke commanded. “I’ll make sure you suffer forever if you do.”
When another lunged at me, I spun and seized them by the throat. With a sound more animal than man, I squeezed until my fingers tore into his flesh, spilling blood.
Twisting my hand to the side, I snapped his neck in one violent motion. When the man went limp, I dropped him as a rush of guards crashed into me.
My hands remained bound, but my fists flew as I battered back first one and then another. Some of their blows connected with my face and pummeled my torso, but I managed to drag some of them toward the bars as I closed the distance between myself and the duke.
Veni watched with an air of fascination as more of his men funneled into my cell until there was no room to move anymore. Gaius and Samael had joined him to watch the battle unfolding.
Overwhelmed by the sheer number of them, I couldn’t maintain their weight on me as my knees buckled. Ellery.
Her name was a whisper of hope that was swiftly deflating. Before my knees hit the ground, I dragged another one down before me and gouged out his eyes.
Gripping the screaming man’s hair and one shoulder, I tore his head away and flung it at the three fuckers watching from the doorway. It bounced off the cell door and spun away into the hall before the hilt of a sword crashed into the back of my head.
The blow shot my head forward as hands grasped me under my arms and more seized the chains binding my legs. They lifted my feet off the ground as more than a dozen men grabbed me and carried me toward the door.
The duke smiled as they led me past, but ice filled his eyes. “It’s a shame you’ve proven to be such a waste,” he stated.
My head pounded from the blow, but as the guards carried me past Tucker’s cell, I looked in at my friend. Curled on his side, he lay on the floor with his torn-open chest exposed to the air; I was sure his back looked as bad.
When his eyes met mine, I saw the hopelessness in them, but he still managed to shake his head at me. He didn’t approve of my instigation of Veni, but I’d taken out more of his men and terrified the others.
They carried me past him and Callan, who lay unmoving on his chest. I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive, but I doubted they would have returned him to his cell if he were dead.
The other two amsirah also didn’t move as the guards stopped before a rack of spikes. I studied the lethal contraption with a wary eye.
Been here. Done this.
While that was true, I wasn’t looking forward to what was about to come. Gaius emerged from the crowd.
When our gazes met, he grinned at me. “Your father has decided to give me the honor.”
Of course he had. Gaius was much like the duke, and Veni recognized that in him. Gaius was someone Veni would keep a close eye on; he’d enjoy watching him work, but he’d keep him close… for now.
“You know you never had a chance with her, right? The entire time you were pursuing her, trying to wedge your way into her life and into her bed, she was already mine. She told me everything about you, even that kiss you forced on her, and not once did she desire you. She laughed about you.” She hadn’t because he unnerved her, but Gaius didn’t have to know that.
“You and Veni have a better chance of fucking a poltergeist than you do Ellery.”
Gaius’s face hardened, and malice shimmered in his eyes. From down the row of cells, Tucker groaned.