Chapter 50
The shackles dug into Rory’s wrists as she yanked on the chains. Half of the hair from her ponytail hung in her face, and she tried to shake it out of her eyes.
Her ponytail.
Since cutting her hair, the shorter front strands refused to stay up, and she had to use hairpins to keep them back.
Hairpins she could use to pick the locks.
Now to figure out how to remove them from her hair.
Craning her neck, she inspected the chains. They hung from a hook higher on the wall. In her current position, they stretched her arms to the point of pain, but if she stood, there would be slack.
Pressing her body against the wall, she dug her heels into the floor, but the blood made them slide around. “Shit.” There had to be a way.
The pools of blood were mostly isolated to the area under her body, with only droplets further out.
When she spread her legs wide, her body dropped lower, and the weight ripped the crotch of her leggings.
She was thankful Gedeon hadn’t touched her there, but she didn’t want her exposure giving him ideas if she couldn’t escape in time.
After wrapping her hands around the chains, she lifted herself enough to gain her footing. Her arms screamed as they took the brunt of her body weight, but she managed to stand and leaned over to find the pins in her hair.
Her fingers passed over one of the thin pieces of metal, and hot, happy tears pricked the backs of her eyes as she pulled it out and studied the cuff on her wrist. From this angle, her hands didn’t come close enough to touch.
As she twisted to see her options, the door to Gedeon’s room slammed open, and he stormed through, dragging a lifeless body by the leg. It didn’t take Rory long to recognize Lauren, and she lunged forward on instinct. “What did you do?” she screamed in a panicked fury.
One of Gedeon’s guards must have caught her when she and Sam were doing their rounds last night.
Lauren looked like a fresh corpse, but Rory caught the slight rise and fall of her friend’s chest. She forced herself not to react in case Gedeon thought the Angel was dead. Lauren also had immortal healing, and if Rory could distract the Lux King long enough, Lauren could heal and escape.
Gedeon dropped Lauren’s leg and crossed the room in seconds.
Rory tried to back up when she saw the pure rage in his eyes, but he wrapped his hand around her neck, pushing her up the wall.
The lack of airflow made her panic, but when he called on his searing light and pushed it into her, she wished for death.
Her throat was raw, but it didn’t stop her screams as she convulsed under his hold.
“I’m done playing,” he sneered, leaning closer. “I will enjoy carving my name into your dead body before having it delivered to Caius.” He said her mate’s name like it was vinegar on his tongue.
Another shot of light covered her entire body, and she felt it in her soul. “Caius!” she screamed over and over, sobbing. “Please, spare him,” she begged the Seraphim in the aether. “Save him.”
She couldn’t hold on any longer. There was no time left for Caius to come and no golden child to save her.
“Caius,” she whispered under her breath. “I’ll meet you in the aether.”