Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Thorin
I rock back and forth on my toes as I stand alone in the dining hall, taking in the beings around me. Healers of all types are here, most in their late teens or early twenties, but there are the occasional women in their mid-fifties. Everyone has their clique. The water types seem to stick together—sirens, selkies, kelpies, mermaids. Unsurprisingly, the dragons always stay in hordes. Then there are the sphynx, gryphons, and other intellectual types. They seem to mingle, everyone else kind of commingles indiscriminately. Oh, but the elves are loners.
Speaking of elves, the violet-eyed goddess, Villiana, strolls in with her head held high despite the myriad of bruises on her body. All around, girls snicker and stare, calling her the trophy—I’m going to assume it’s not a term of endearment.
The metal tray feels heavy in my hands as I keep my eyes locked on Villiana. She moves around the room like a dancer, weaving through the crowds to the breakfast line. She keeps her head down as the brownies fill her tray, not looking up again until she’s turned to find a table.
Taking a deep breath, I give myself a quick pep talk. Okay, you got this! One foot in front of the other.
Not giving myself the chance to back out, I follow behind, making sure to keep a good distance between us as she approaches an open table. How the fuck am I supposed to do this? Hi, I’m Thorin! I have to be your friend or I’ll be cut into pieces for all eternity.
Dropping her tray on the table, her eyes snap to mine with malice. “What do you want? Here to gawk at Locren’s trophy ? Or do you normally stalk random beings?”
A flush creeps up my chest, burning hot into my cheeks. I am so bad at this. “I’m new,” is the only thing I manage to squeak out.
Villiana picks at the end of her braid, staring me up and down. “Clearly,” she huffs. “You can sit here but don’t expect me to be all sunshine and rainbows. You don’t make friends at Bonecliff.”
Okay, ouch. This is going to be harder than I expected.
“Thanks.”I give her a soft smile, positioning myself across from her.
For a few moments we sit in silence, only the clank of my fork against the metal tray as I push my food around in silence.
“Are you going to tell me your name?” Villiana’s melodic voice breaks the tension.
“I thought you didn’t make friends at Bonecliff. Why the hell do you want to know my name?” The snark just slips out of me without thought. Locren is going to murder me.
Villiana puts down her fork, gawking at me in disbelief for a moment before a smile tugs at her plump lips. “I like you, pixie.”
Am I doing it? Am I making a friend-not-friend? “I’m Thorin, I’m twenty years old and have been tortured by The Collective for the last seven years. I have absolutely no being skills, am snarky ninety percent of the time, and also apparently have diarrhea of the mouth.” Oh dear gods, please let the floor swallow me now.
“Villiana,” she chuckles. “I’m twenty-three and have been here for three years, but on the run for close to fifteen. I generally hate everyone, everyone hates me, and I too don’t know how to make friends.” Stabbing the mystery food, she picks up the fork and points it at me. “Now we’re even.”
After breakfast, Raffi, my guard, comes to pick me up at the same time as Villiana’s. They don’t let us walk close together, making sure I’m a good fifteen feet ahead of her.
“After your donation I’ll be taking you to the guards’ quarters. Locren says you’re to teach the different ways to administer the bliss,” Raffi murmurs, squeezing my arm tight in his fuzzy grip. He’s an arachnid shifter and seems to stay in a half shifted state. I don’t know if he thinks it makes him look more intimidating or if he’s stuck like that, but it’s a crazy sight to see—by crazy I mean he looks ridiculous. His whole body is covered in short muddy brown hairs, face and everything. He has two prominent eyes, black and soulless, with a bunch of smaller ones going up his forehead. Oh, and you can’t forget the nubs he calls fangs poking out of his cheeks.
“I’m well aware, thanks.” I try to pull out of his grasp but he growls in warning.
Dick.
“When you get into the donation room, don’t do anything stupid. You never question me, or I will make your life a living hell.” Raffi practically drags me into the wide-open room. My arms shoot up, shielding me from the blinding light overhead. Dear Sól, did they pull the sun into this place? His long legs continue forward, leaving me to stumble blindly behind.
“Up you go,” he demands roughly.
Muscles locking up, I stop dead in my tracks.
“No.”
The chair in front of me is a simple metal set up, but the armrests are wide with two leather straps dangling on each side. My vision tunnels, pulse races, skin vibrates. I can’t be strapped down anymore. “No. I–I can’t.”
Raffi picks me up by the waist and drops me down into the seat. I try to jut forward but he jams his boot between my legs, pressing my back against the cold metal with a knee to my chest. Fight or flight taking over, I claw at his arms with desperation.
“I told you not to fucking fight me,” he barks, forcing my arm into place.
All I can do is screw my eyes shut and bite my cheek until I bleed as he pulls the leather tight enough to cut off all circulation.
“Thorin,” Villiana’s sharp voice cuts in. I didn’t even realize she entered the room. “Look at me,” she commands, forcing me to turn my head to the side.
“At me. Not him. Open those big gold flecked eyes and focus only on me.”
Using sheer iron will, I crack my eyes to meet her soft face. Villiana starts to say something, but I don’t hear her, too entranced by her beauty. Her skin is the most buttery soft yellow I’ve ever seen. I can’t help but imagine what it feels like. Her onyx hair is braided down her back making her violet eyes shine brighter than the artificial light hovering above us. I get so lost in her that I don’t realize that my guard has already left the room.
I rush out a sorry , completely embarrassed by my blatant ogling.
“You can stare at me all day if it means you won’t go back to that place in your head. You’ll be giving a donation at least once a day. We can’t have you losing yourself to this torture room.”
A deep blush burns into my cheeks. Is she flirting with me?
“You’re just so stunning,” I say absentmindedly. Villiana’s eyes widen as she bites her lip to stifle a laugh. “ Fuck , sorry I’m so weird.”
Can I die now?
“Seriously, it’s fine,” she insists, flipping a braid over her shoulder. “And you’re very beautiful yourself.”
“ME?!”
“No, the other being in the room.” Moving her head back and forth, Villiana motions to the empty room. “Take the compliment. I don’t give them out often.”
Dropping my eyes, I can’t stop the small grin that pulls at my lips. “Thank you.”
Two doctors in long white coats waltz into the room, grabbing metal trays from the far side of the room. Each fills their tray with needles, tubes, donation bags, and a tourniquet. One doctor pushes the tray of supplies in my direction and I feel myself slipping again. Each squeak of the misshapen wheels has my heart racing faster. But it’s the dry specks of blood on the lip of the tray that sends me over.
“Oli, our dolly is making such a mess. Why don’t you clean her up with your tongue.”
“Look at me while I slice apart your pretty little body. Your fear makes it all the more fun—painting my face with spurts of crimson, while you paint him with cum.”
“Thorin!” Villiana tries to distract me from my flashbacks but it’s no use—this is so much worse than the camp. Rivers of tears freely run down my cheeks.
The piercing sound of a hand meeting flesh echoes around the large room. “Mind your business and keep your mouth shut, trophy.”
“Key word being trophy. Get your godsdamn hands off of me, Bax.”
My lack of response doesn't stop her from trying though. She murmurs sweet words of encouragement over and over—never wavering for a moment. The sound of her voice soothes a small piece of me.
Villiana’s kindness tries to pry its way into my heart. Unfortunately, her attempts are all in vain. I hate myself. She should heed her own warning: you don't make friends at Bonecliff. I'm just going to betray her in the end.