Chapter Five #4
But of course, why would Parrish leave them alone?
He was an asshole, and he enjoyed having power over people.
He also enjoyed taunting them, trying to get a reaction out of them, and he already knew Bastien.
He knew that there was nothing that would get a reaction out of him better than his sister and her well-being.
It was probably why Parrish had allowed Bastien and the others to get so close.
He wanted Bastien to see Celeste and know that he wouldn’t be able to get her out of there.
A secondary door opened. The enforcers were instantly alert, but they didn’t try to stop Parrish when he walked into the room.
It looked like he was taking an evening stroll instead of entering a dirty room where his mate was chained to the wall and surrounded by people who wanted to kill him.
“Bastien!” he said, smiling and exposing his fangs.
“It’s been a while. I have to say, I didn’t expect to see you again.
I had the impression that you didn’t approve of your sister’s bonding with me. ”
“Even she doesn’t approve of it,” Bastien snapped. “No one would.”
Parrish pressed a hand against his chest. “You wound me. Here I am, taking care of your sister, and this is how you thank me?”
“Am I supposed to thank you for torturing her? For using her?”
“She’s my mate. She’s mine to do with as I see fit.” He moved closer to Celeste. Bastien stepped forward to do the same, but Dermot grabbed his arm and shook his head. “There’s a shield on him, too,” he said, not looking away from Parrish.
Parrish’s smile widened as he looked from Dermot’s face to where his hand rested on Bastien’s arm. “Oh? Do you have something you want to tell me?”
Dermot instantly dropped his hand. Bastien never looked away from Parrish.
“Yes, I do,” he told him. “I’m going to kill you, and when I do, I’ll make sure it’s painful.
You’ll experience the pain you caused my sister tenfold.
I will not stop until I’m satisfied, and it’s going to take me a while to feel that way.
I have years of hatred to get revenge for. ”
Parrish couldn’t possibly be a normal person because he looked delighted by those words. “Are you going to torture me?” he asked.
“Until you bleed out, and I’ll make sure it’s as slow and painful as I can make it,” Bastien promised.
Parrish looked behind Bastien. “And I see that you’ll have help.” He crouched next to the mattress and grabbed Celeste’s chin.
She made a wounded sound, but Bastien stayed where he was. Giving Parrish even more of a reaction wouldn’t help Celeste.
Parrish forced her to look at Bastien. “Well, it’s good that I have help, too. Your own sister is working against you to protect me. How could it be otherwise, though, right? I’m her mate. I’m the most important person in her life, and I always will be.”
Parrish got to his feet and grabbed the chains from the wall. He was close enough that if Bastien took two steps, he would be right in front of him. For a second, Bastien let himself enjoy the thought of wrapping his hands around Parrish’s neck and squeezing. It wouldn’t work, though.
“Don’t you think about that when you think about killing me?” Parrish asked as he freed Celeste. He didn’t let her move away, though. He wrapped a hand around her arm, squeezing until she squeaked. “You’re going to hurt your sister if you hurt me. Is that something you’re willing to do?”
“I’m willing to do a lot if it means freeing my sister from you,” Bastien said through gritted teeth. “Let her go.”
“You know, I don’t think I will,” Parrish said in an almost gentle tone. “She’s my mate. We should be together. In fact, there are laws that mean that you can’t intervene.” He looked at the enforcers standing closest to him. “Am I right?”
The enforcers didn’t say anything. They continued glaring at Parrish, clearly unwilling to play his games. The only game Bastien wanted to play was seeing how deep he could bury Parrish, but unfortunately, that wasn’t something he could do now.
Instead, he had to watch as Parrish dragged his sister toward the secondary door.
He did take a step forward, but Dermot grabbed his arm again.
Bastien knew that there was nothing he could do.
Dermot hadn’t had time to undo the shielding spell that was on Celeste, and apparently, there was another one on Parrish himself.
It might just be a shield like the one that protected the village, but it could also be something more dangerous that would hurt or kill anyone who touched it.
“Well, this little family reunion has been a pleasure,” Parrish said, looking around the room.
“A lot of strangers, though.” His gaze stopped on Rose, who was trembling.
“And traitors.” Rose flinched, but Parrish ignored her in favor of turning back toward Bastien.
“You should say goodbye to your sister. You’re never going to see her again. ”
Celeste cried, and Bastien almost risked everything to get to her. Dying right now wouldn’t help her, though. He needed to be alive to save her from Parrish, which meant that he had to watch as Parrish dragged her out of the room, not knowing when or if he’d ever see her again.