Chapter 4
Full of Surprises
Cedar
I woke to another cup of blood beside my cot, although this one didn’t smell as if someone poisoned it.
I stared at it for a moment before finally conceding.
My face ached, and it felt as if the other guard kicked me in the ribs once I’d blacked out.
I lifted my shirt to find a few of my ribs were indeed bruised, maybe even cracked if the pain when I inhaled was anything to go by.
The blood slid down my throat easily, but the knowledge that a fully grown man wouldn’t satisfy the ache in my gut left me hungrier than I’d been before.
“Endless pain,” I muttered to myself as my back hit the wall behind me and my head sat against the cold stone.
The smell of her mixed with him wouldn’t leave my subconscious.
It was as if it were ingrained into my very core and would remain for the rest of eternity.
No backing away from it now, no matter how far I flew from this golden icy hellscape.
“Fuck!” I yelled as I kicked the empty cup across the room.
“You know, when I get angry in these little cells it helps to hit the wall a few times. It doesn’t do much except break some bones, but it’s better than yelling and talking to myself,” a voice said from the other side of the wall.
“Though, other times I find talking to myself to be the best medicine.”
I jumped up and stared at the dark stone for a moment. I knew there were other cells down here, it was a dungeon, but no one had ever spoken to me in all the nights I’d been stuck in this cold, damp box.
“Oh, now he can’t speak much at all,” the voice muttered.
I realized it was coming from the small vent beside my straw cot.
“Who are you?” I asked hesitantly.
“Oren. Who are you?” the voice replied.
“Cedar.”
“Nice to make your acquaintance, Cedar,” Oren stated.
The name sounded familiar and suddenly I remembered where I’d heard it. “Wait, are you… You’re the ruler of the Court of Wolves, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”
A sad chuckle came through the vent. “Falling for shit a smarter male wouldn’t have fallen for, Cedar.
That’s what.” He was quiet for a few moments.
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, be careful of the blood.
Normally it’s laced with some sedative. Makes it easier for the mind fucker to find whatever it is she wants if you’re half out of it.
It wasn’t today, no idea why. But, be prepared for the next batch to be once again. We’ve yet to get that lucky.”
I looked across the floor at my cup, unsure of who he was speaking of.
“Yeah, I noticed it smelled differently today.” I contemplated what to say next.
I wasn’t even sure if I could trust this male, if he was who he said he was.
I could only think of one true way to gauge how honest he was about his identity. “Raiden and Paine are looking for you.”
Sitting back on my straw cot, my back leaned against the wall, I pulled my knees up and leaned my head back against the wall, trying to get comfortable.
“He’s trying to take over Kostbare,” Oren whispered, the words so soft I almost missed them.
“I thought… it doesn’t matter what I thought.
I was a fool. Paine and Raiden have always been much smarter than I am.
I’m going to assume The Eternal Outcast plan didn’t work on them.
” I could hear the smirk in his voice. I realized there was a good chance he was who he said he was, or at least knew Oren if he knew Paine and Raiden.
The rulers didn’t communicate much outside their respective courts, except with each other.
Typically their given names weren’t common knowledge.
Hell, I didn’t even know of their names until I’d met Raiden and he mentioned his friends and fellow leaders. Silv and I only dealt with the coven leaders with our work.
“No. My best friend saw to that.”
“Mmm, the lovely Silvana?” I chuckled in response and he must’ve taken that as a yes.
“She is definitely a force to be reckoned with. The guards didn’t shut up about her killing half the coven leaders in the Court of Shadows.
I knew your name sounded familiar. You’ve done quite a bit of work in my court.
Before… well, before all of this or even during it,” Oren said, his voice trailing off as if he were remembering the past too vividly.
He wasn’t wrong. The Court of Wolves seemed to attract the worst of the worst. Silvana and I always had work there—before all this. Before I was captured and she went off to be the queen of the Court of Shadows.
“Yeah, I’m surprised you knew that. Always thought the coven leaders kept it to themselves when they hired outside.
But I’m sorry to say, I don’t think Silvana will be doing much side work with us anymore.
She and Raiden are soul bonded,” I said finally, finding I was slightly comforted to be talking to someone who wasn’t myself or even the birds I’d been imagining up.
I could hear the slight uptick in Oren’s breath. “Truly?”
I started to nod my head, only to realize he couldn’t see me.
“Truly,” I said aloud.
“Good. That’s good. They both deserve it.
That sense of happiness,” Oren said gently.
“It would explain her burning down buildings and the increased torture they all whispered about. Constantly worried if they’d be in the next batch of soldiers sent out.
The next one up against the silver-haired female. ”
Quiet enveloped us. The sun rose and I felt sleep trying to take me, but my dreams had been anything but kind lately. The sun’s rays filled half my cell and then darkened again, sleep still not fully claiming me.
Eventually I found the courage to finally ask him.
“Oren, why are you here? How are you here?”
He didn’t reply at first, and I wondered if maybe sleep had claimed him, but he let out a breath that told me otherwise.
“The Eternal Outcasts came to my court… they started taking women and instead of reaching out to Paine like I should have, like I was advised by my circle, I listened to Keres, and it cost me everything. Cost my court, everything.” I heard him inhale sharply as if trying to compose himself and grasp a better handle on his emotions before he continued.
“Whatever you do, Cedar, you can’t let him in.
They’ll try, especially once they realize how valuable you are.
How much knowledge you have of all of us, the inner workings, the weak spots, the strong covens.
Don’t let him take over any more courts, Cedar.
Please. I’m not sure how much longer I have, so promise me… ” He trailed off.
I swallowed back the emotion that his voice brought me, the pleas clear in his words.
“I’ll do whatever it takes, Oren. We’ll get out of here. Don’t worry.” I wasn’t sure if that was the truth or not, but it didn’t hurt me to hope. We were both quiet once again, and eventually sleep finally claimed me, and so did the nightmares.
“Tell me how you’re feeling, Cedar,” she whispered from above me. My gaze turned up to see I was chained to an ornate bed frame, my hands shackled in shadow stone cuffs just like they had been in my cell.
My wrists ached beneath them, and I pulled with all of my strength. A poor attempt to break free, and I knew it wouldn’t do any good I still had to try.
I felt her nails as they dug into my bare chest, forcing my gaze back to her as a hissed gasp escaped my lips. “I asked you a question.”
“And I asked you to go fuck yourself, Cora,” I growled.
She giggled, the sound not her own as it glided across my skin.
“Oh, Cedar, you truly do not know how much trouble you’re in, do you?
” she purred. I watched as she leaned down, her tongue running over my nipple before her teeth took their place.
Her fangs slicing through my skin. I watched as her eyes locked with my own and she slowly licked the blood away from my skin—the deep crimson color staining her lips.
My hips inadvertently arched up, and I wanted to groan when she rubbed herself against my cock.
“It seems you liked that after all.” I jerked the chains again, wanting to rip her throat out, but she just laughed at my inability to reach her, to fight her.
My fangs burned in my gums, just as they did whenever she was near enough to smell.
“You’re never leaving here, Cedar. You’ll be mine forever. My raven.”
My body started shaking side to side against my will.
My eyes cracked open to find the female herself gazing down at me, her hand on my arm as she attempted to wake me.
But it wasn’t the same version of her. This one was docile and shy, yet still bored, as if everything happening right now was beneath her—the same version I’d witnessed days ago when she showed up with Keres.
“Well, I’m glad to see your color is returning to normal. You didn’t look the best when I walked in the other night.”
My hand shot up, ignoring her words, wrapping around her throat and squeezing. I watched as her eyes widened and her nails dug into my hand in an attempt to escape my grasp.
“Cedar, please,” she gasped through a brief breath she’d been able to suck in.
“My life would be so much easier if I were to end you here and now,” I growled as I released her, shoving her backwards and away from me.
I tried to remind myself that Silvana wouldn’t want her sister dead—at least not before she had the opportunity to see how horrid she was, then maybe she’d allow it. “What do you want?”
Her fingers grazed over her neck where my hand had laid and I envisioned holding on long enough to leave bruises behind. What fun that would be.
“Mas—Keres thought that… well, I mean, I wanted to bring you fresh blood and I thought I’d check in on how you were doing. See if there was anything I could get you or bring you.” Her eyes dropped to the floor and she chewed on her lower lip nervously.