Chapter 19
nineteen
Orelia raised her hands in surrender. A voice she recognized told someone to hold her, and the knife fell from her throat.
She yelped as her arms were pinned behind her. Warm furs brushed her back, and a man breathed erratically in her ear.
The rest of the fae from the tavern prowled toward Vade who was on his knees trying to get free. The veins in his neck bulged, and even in the dark, his black eyes promised blood.
Balor stopped in front of him and let out a deep breath. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” He twisted his neck from side to side.
Vade snarled indistinguishably. Her words had been muffled when he’d used the tendrils on her, but with how furious he looked, even the shadows restraining him couldn’t contain his rage.
Balor punched him in the face.
Vade’s head whipped to the side, and he groaned.
Orelia whimpered and tried to go to him, but the man holding her held her back.
Balor’s grin was lupine. “Aww, that’s sweet. She cares about you and doesn’t want to see ya hurt.” He kicked Vade in the ribs, hard enough that she knew at least a few had been broken.
Vade folded over and coughed against the shadows wrapped around his face.
“Stop! Please!” Orelia begged.
The others standing nearby chuckled, and the Myrker holding Vade captive let out an eerie cackle she never wanted to hear again.
“Why would you care about what happens to this monster, lass? Have you no idea who he is?” Balor asked.
“I know who he is,” she snapped.
“Ya sure? The Vade I knew wasn’t much for talkin’, so I doubt you know all he’s done.
Tell you what . . .” Balor freed a seax from his side and ran his finger along the knife’s iron edge down the tapered point.
He stepped behind Vade, grabbed a handful of his hair, and pressed the tip of the knife to his throat. “Let’s play a game.”
Vade’s chest heaved, his skin glistening in sweat, anger palpable.
Orelia could do nothing but watch.
“You answer a question right, and I won’t touch him. But get one wrong, and he’ll pay for it.”
Orelia knew her words wouldn’t deter the man, but she tried anyway. “Please don’t hurt him.”
Ignoring her, Balor pulled Vade’s head back, exposing his throat. “How old was he when he abandoned his tribe in the Points?”
“Eight!” she blurted out before she realized her mistake. “I mean, seven!”
Balor grinned. “Had it right the second time, but it doesn’t count.”
Vade didn’t move, even as the man pressed the knife into his throat, drawing blood.
Orelia tried to go to him but was easily yanked back. “Try runnin’ again, and I’ll put a knife to your throat, too,” the man holding her said.
“Next question,” Balor said with excitement lifting his voice. “How did he come to work for the king?”
She looked to Vade for a hint, but he only swallowed, the lump in his throat bobbing. Orelia didn’t know what to say. She just knew he left, then started working for Aradonis, but not how it had come to be.
“I’m waiting . . .” Balor moved the edge of the seax to the base of Vade’s throat.
Shit. She didn’t even know what to guess. “The king saw how good he was at killing and asked him to work for him.” A pathetic attempt, but it was all she could think to say.
“Nope.”
“Wait!”
Balor punched Vade in the face again. And again. And again.
On the fifth hit, pain lanced through her face. Orelia screamed, her legs giving out.
“What the hells is wrong with you, girl?” The man holding her asked.
She panted, not understanding what was happening.
Balor’s brows drew together. “Ain’t nobody touched you, so why do you have a bruise on your face?” He stalked forward, pointing his knife at her.
Vade laid on the ground, moaning, blood trickling from his brow down the center of his face. Both nostrils leaked crimson that disappeared into the shadows covering his mouth.
Orelia thrashed against the hands holding her as Balor approached, eyeing her cheek. “Fren, hit him for me,” he said without taking his eyes off Orelia’s.
Pain coursed through her face again and she turned away, like she’d taken the hit herself.
Balor’s grin turned vile. He turned and faced Vade.
“So, you get hurt, she gets hurt. Gotta admit, I ain’t never seen that before, but it makes this game all the more interesting.
” He sheathed his knife. Call it punishment, payback, whatever it was that Balor had against him, Orelia knew he was about to unleash the hells on Vade so she would suffer in the process.
“Don’t hurt him!” she screamed.
Balor raised his arms like he was conjuring a storm. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
Orelia panicked, her breaths quickening.
Vade’s eyes were wide as he awaited what was to come.
Balor turned and kicked her in the stomach with a mighty grunt. If not for the man at her back, Orelia would’ve fallen flat on her ass.
She tried to breathe, but the wind had been knocked out of her. Through her blurry eyes, she could see Vade folded over. He quickly tried to stand, thrashing feverishly as the other Myrker struggled to hold him down.
If not for the binding spell, if not for her foolish fucking mistake, he wouldn’t be suffering for her misdeeds. Orelia started sobbing, breathing in choked gasps. Vade was hurting because of her. She’d never forgive herself.
“Final question,” Balor said with a triumphant grin. “What tribe is he from?”
“Sharpe!” she threw out, exasperated.
Vade’s brows scrunched when he looked at her.
Balor sneered. He stalked toward her, and the fear for Vade turned into fear for herself.
“Just let us both go, and there won’t be any trouble,” Orelia said in a shaky voice, bracing for him to kick or punch or hurt her in some other way.
Laughter erupted. The other fae looked at one another mischievously.
When Balor stopped in front of her, Vade tried to stand again and failed.
Balor twirled a strand of her hair in his fingers. Orelia pulled her head away, but the hard chest at her back didn’t let her get far. She twisted, trying not to let him touch her.
He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “I’ve imagined punishin’ him for disgracing his people for years, lass. Even a pretty lil’ whore like you won’t stop me from killin’ the bastard.”
Her heart pounded as brown eyes looked at her with unsettling interest. “What if I help you? Will you let him go then?”
“Help me how?” Balor’s gaze flicked to her mouth, and he licked his lips.
“I’m a witch. I can heal you. Surely you and your men have injuries that need tending. Let me help in exchange for letting us go.”
The dark chuckle Balor let out made her skin crawl. “That’s good information to know. Never met a witch ‘fore. I’d bring you along so you could heal us in the future, but now that I know you feel his pain, you’ll have to die too. Pity.”
Orelia trembled, her mouth unable to find any words that might change his mind.
Vade mumbled something, and Balor looked over his shoulder. “Does that make ya angry?”
Sweat and blood coated Vade’s face, and she knew if not for the shadowy restraints, the scene would be playing out much differently. He spoke again, but the words were indistinguishable.
“Well, she ain’t exactly your woman now, is she? You ain’t claimed her.” Balor turned his seax over in his hands, the dark wood of the handle permanently stained in blood.
When he came closer, Orelia whispered for Santh to protect her.
“Shh, no need to fret, lass. I ain’t gonna cut ya.” He lifted a thick strand of her hair with his blade and let his eyes roam over her face. “Quite a beauty,” he said, making her sick to her stomach.
The tip of the knife traveled gently down her cheek, her neck, and stopped in between her breasts. Orelia tried to steady her heaving chest so as not to get pricked.
“I just wanna see what’s under these clothes.” Balor grabbed her tunic and cut it down the middle.
Orelia screamed for him to stop.
He tore the fabric away in rough movements, then tossed it aside.
A hand wrapped around her mouth from behind, muffling her screams.
Balor put his face right in hers. “Them green eyes sure do look pretty with tears in ‘em.”
Orelia prepared for what was sure to come next, her whole body shaking.
“Lay her on the ground,” Balor ordered.
As the rest of the fae approached, Orelia kicked and screamed, trying to get a visual on the weapons on her belt so she could call on one, but a firm hand held her head still. Two of the men grabbed her arms and legs and carried her.
“Right here,” Balor said, pointing to the ground.
She kicked and flailed the best she could as they laid her in front of Vade like she was on display for him.
Vade’s fists were clenched so tight that blood dripped from his palms. His eyes met hers, and she’d never seen them so full of violence. Not against her, but against the men doing this.
“I want him to watch,” Balor said through his teeth.
“Please, stop!” Orelia pleaded.
The man holding her arms smiled down at her. “I get second,” he said.
Balor huffed. “I don’t care what order ya go in, but I got her first.”
Orelia could barely see anything through her tears. “I’ll give you whatever you want! Just please don’t do this!”
Balor backhanded her across the face, and she winced through the sting. Blood dripped from somewhere—her nose, her mouth, she wasn’t sure. Orelia sobbed, looking to Vade for help. “Use your shadows!”
The men chuckled.
“Can’t use ‘em with both hands caught in another’s power. Seems all that time away made him forget that small piece of information,” Balor seethed.
Shadows had wrapped around his entire body as Vade fought and snarled like a wild animal.
Sweat dripped down the face of the man holding him, and his tattooed arms shook, like it was taking all his power to keep Vade controlled.
Balor yanked her pants down until they were around her ankles. Orelia rocked her body back and forth as best she could, managing to get a knee free, and hitting him hard in the groin with it.
He coughed a few times but recovered quickly and backhanded her again.