by Gemma James
As Mr. Stone strolls closer to where his son stands shackled to the ceiling, Pax loses some of his triumph. “How many should I issue, sir?”
“Whatever you think he’s got coming, double it. Only way to get through that hard-headed stubbornness of his.”
“I was thinking twenty.”
“Twenty?” Sebastian scoffs. “That’s an insult to the queen and the House of Virgo.”
The instant he uses my title, I know he’s got a hidden agenda.
“How is that an insult?” Pax asks, resting his hands on his hips, the whip curling around his leg.
“I touched what wasn’t mine, put my lips on her when she was most vulnerable. Is that all a queen’s virtue is worth?” Sebastian jerks his chin toward Miles. “You’re the resident virtue thief, are you not? Is twenty enough for the man who stole what was yours?”
Miles sneers. “You deserve that and more.”
“Then double it, and give me hers, too.” He glances at his father from over his shoulder. “Unless you’re too weak in the stomach to observe.”
“Give him the queen’s strikes.”
“With all due respect,” Miles says, stepping out of sync with the circle. “The queen is just as culpable.”
“I highly doubt that. My son is willful and headstrong. He’s never respected authority.” His tone is hard and unforgiving, not a hint of compassion for the man who went though so much…who lost so much.
“Give him the queen’s punishment.” Sebastian’s father nods at Miles. “She’ll suffer enough when he breaks.”
My stomach roils at witnessing the evidence of his father’s cold-hearted approach to his own flesh and blood. How did Sebastian learn decency and empathy growing up under the rule of such a hateful man?
“Very well, then.” Miles steps back in line, the downward curve of his lips imparting displeasure at the legacy member’s veto.
Pax stops behind Sebastian, sending a furtive glance my way, and the room falls completely silent in the seconds before he swings his arm for the first strike.
I jump, covering my mouth, and hold my breath as a painful-looking welt streaks across Sebastian’s back.
“Impressive,” Pax taunts. “You didn’t even flinch. But that’s just the first. We’ve got forty-nine more to go.”
“What the fuck are you waiting for?” Standing on tip-toe, Sebastian grabs the chains holding him captive and prepares for the next lash.
Too many bodies clutter the space to make sense of such silence, but for the next several minutes, Pax’s whip slicing the air and cracking on tender flesh is the only sound in the dungeon. Even my tears are silent, burning down my cheeks, unbidden.
Somewhere around the fourteenth strike, Sebastian lets out a grunt, because that one drew blood.
I want to hide behind my hands, protecting myself from the sight, the reality, the guilt. Perhaps, it’s the latter that keeps my focus on Sebastian, every muscle in my body flinching with the contact of that whip on his back. The higher the count, the more difficult it becomes for him to take the strikes in silence.
He’s not the only one. The men stand around him with various reactions, some unmoving like Mr. Bordeaux, while others are wound as tightly as Sebastian in those chains.
Landon startles at an especially brutal hit.
Liam’s mouth flattens into a horrified line as he stares at his feet.
Vance blinks in rapid succession.
After the last strike is issued, Sebastian’s barely standing on his own, the weight of his body kept upright by his shackled wrists. Blood streaks across the expanse of his back, from his shoulders to the skin above his jeans.
Pax drops the whip at his feet, his chest heaving from the exertion of torturing another human being. “If Mr. Stone agrees, let him down.”
The older man nods, and Vance is the first to move, reaching to unbuckle the cuffs around Sebastian’s wrists. He slumps toward the ground, legs too weak to hold him up just yet. Most surprising is how Liam is the one to haul Sebastian to his feet, followed by Landon. They help him to a bench, and Vance opens a first-aid kit and treats his wounds.
Wishing I could be with him, I get up from the cot on jittery legs and clutch the bars. That’s when he raises his head and meets my gaze. The breath stalls in my lungs as I prepare myself for any number of emotions in those gorgeous eyes.
Anger at my recklessness for not listening to him in the gazebo.
Hurt that I put him in this position.
But I only find love and protectiveness.
His father notices our silent exchange and is not pleased. “You need to grow up, son. Your grandfather would be ashamed that you’re still gallivanting around as if you don’t have obligations. Thankfully, he was too ill to accompany me here today.”
Sebastian shakes his head. “Only you would be thankful for someone’s illness.”
“Your mother would be heartbroken to see you like this, if she were here.”
“Don’t you dare bring her up.” Despite his weak and battered body, Sebastian stands, warding off anyone who tries to help him. “Unless you want me to bring up Caroline.”
His father frowns at the reminder of Sebastian’s dead sister. “Even after all of this,” he says, gesturing toward the shackles and the whip on the floor, “you still intend to provoke me.” For the first time since he entered the dungeon, Mr. Stone glances in my direction. “Until the auction, the queen needs to focus on her duty.” He pivots back to his son. “As do you. You’re hereby exiled from the tower until further notice.”
“No!” My protest echoes through the dungeon, and there’s nothing I can do to pull it back. Everyone’s attention lands on me, the weight of their stares pressing me back by two steps.
“Stay out of this, princess,” Sebastian warns.
Mr. Stone turns to Miles. “Take her out of here.”
As Pax unlocks my prison and passes me off to Miles, panic strangles me. “Let me say goodbye,” I choke out.
My keeper ignores my cries as he drags me past Sebastian.
It can’t end like this, with him broken and bleeding, and me with my heart shattered.
Just a goodbye, a final embrace. A touch of his hand on mine. Anything to carry us through the coming months.
But my pleas fall on deaf ears. Miles hauls me over his shoulder and stomps up the stairs, leaving Sebastian staring after us.
15
Gut-wrenching sobs hold me captive as Miles enters the House of Virgo. He strides into our shared suite and dumps me on the bed.
“Don’t pretend you didn’t bring this on yourself,” he says.
“I just wanted to say goodbye.”
“You should have said goodbye without going behind my back and letting him touch you.”
Hot tears slide down my temples. “We weren’t trying to hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me, my queen. You disrespected me.” His icy glare chills me to the marrow. “You’re one to lecture on the subject of mutual respect.”
“I’m sorry.” Another sob bursts from my throat. No matter how much I try, I can’t stop Sebastian’s agonizing grunts from looping in my mind. He took the brunt of those strikes so I wouldn’t have to. He paid for wanting me, for protecting me, for loving me.
“Can I see him before he leaves?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Please.” I’m not above begging, so I hold his gaze, mine awash with pain. “I won’t touch him. I just need to say goodbye.”
“Why would I allow you any sort of mercy?”
“I’ll do anything.”
I don’t know who this pathetic, sobbing girl is, but she was born from the ash of desperation.
He quirks a challenging brow. “Anything?”
A hard swallow displaces the lump in my throat. Every time I close my eyes, Sebastian’s bloody back is there, the crimson staining my brain. I can’t let him leave like this, not knowing if he’s okay, or when I’ll see him again.
Miles slowly nods, contemplation softening his anger. “I believe you both got off too easy.” He pauses, and I count the pounding beats of my heart. “If I let you say goodbye to him, I want you to let me get you off in front of him.”
My body shudders at the thought. “You want to hurt us both.”
“I want retribution.”
My heart drops, and I shake my head. “I won’t do that to him.”
“Then you don’t get your goodbye.” He strides toward the suite’s exit and slams the door behind him, and I don’t have to check to know he locked it.
Time imprisons me. The sun sets and rises, and Miles doesn’t return. I’m not sure how many days pass. All I know is I’m desolate and alone and hungry, with a fissured heart and wounded soul. The day after I refused Miles’ offer, I spotted Sebastian entering a black SUV through the bedroom windows, a duffle slung over his shoulder. Him leaving destroyed me on a physical level, and I vomited from the mere absence of his presence.
He took a huge piece of me with him that day.
I’ve reached the end of my strength, my last thread of hope. The sun arcs high in the sky, but I’m impervious to its warmth as I stand on the balcony, aimlessly staring at the landscape but failing to see the beauty in anything.
And that’s when I entertain the idea of climbing over the railing and just letting go. It’s an unfamiliar thought—one that terrifies me so much that I curl up in bed and embrace my pillow as if my life depends on it. Before everything went south that day in the gazebo, I’d had hope to cling to as armor against the next six months. Now I can’t see past the next hour.
I have nothing.
The suite is growing darker as the day wears on, and I haven’t moved from my spot on the bed. Even if I wanted to get up, I don’t have the willpower or the strength. I fall into a restless sleep, where nightmares of blood and tragic blue eyes plague me.
Someone shakes my shoulder, his tempered, smooth voice warming me like honey. My lids are too heavy, and I’m only capable of giving a quiet groan. Two strong arms lift me off the bed and cradle my body.
“Liam?” I say, head lulling against his chest as his familiar spicy scent infuses my nostrils. It’s like breathing in a hint of renewed life.
“It’s time to get you out of here, my sweet girl.”
I finally open my eyes, and the main sitting room comes into view. Miles is nowhere in sight as Liam carries me toward the front entrance to the House of Virgo.
“Where’s Mr. Sinclair?”
“He had a dinner meeting in the village. He decided to forfeit his bid in the auction. He sent me to hand you over to Pax early.”
“No.” I stiffen in his arms. “Take me back to the suite.” I’d rather waste away to nothing in that room than go to Pax.
“I can’t do that. We’re going to see Dr. Morgan first. We’ll talk about what comes next later.”
I don’t have the energy to fight him, so I relax in his arms as he cradles me against his chest during the elevator ride to the first floor. After we exit, he gently sets me on my feet, his grip steadying me.
“Can you walk?”
“I think so.”
“How long were you in that room?” His worried gaze takes in the sight of me, now that I’m standing before him in the light of the corridor.
“I don’t know. I lost track.”
His eyes widen. “It’s been five days since the summons.”
“Then I was in there for five days.”
“Jesus Christ, what the hell was Miles thinking?”
“He wanted retribution.”
Liam escorts me to Vance’s office, and the doctor gives me crackers and juice before he removes the device. “You’ve lost some weight,” he says, concern dragging his mouth downward.
“I haven’t eaten in days.”
The two men exchange a worried glance as I tug my panties back into place. I’m wearing the same dress from the day Sebastian and I were caught in the gazebo, and I can only imagine how frightful I must look—my hair tangled, body unwashed, teeth neglected. I broke mentally, and it took six months in this place for it to happen.
“You’re taking her to Pax now?” Vance folds his arms, his tone relaying how much he detests the idea.
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we do have a choice?”
“Wishful thinking and reality are two separate things,” Liam answers, taking my hand. “But I hear what you’re saying.”
Liam ushers me out of the exam room, and the mood between us is unsettled and morose as we head in the direction of the library.
“Pax is going to hurt me.”
“He will if he gets the chance.”
I tighten my grasp on Liam’s arm, expecting him to enter the library and hand me off to a barbarian. Instead, he walks past the usual place of exchange.
“Where are we going?” The question ends on a squeak that gives away how close I am to crumbling.
“He’s waiting in the dungeon.”
The strength leaves my body, and I’m little more than deadweight as he catches me in his arms.
“I can’t do this,” I say, almost hyperventilating as an onslaught of terror hits me.
“Listen to me,” he says, steadying me on my feet.
“No! I’m done listening. You can’t do this.”
He cradles my face, his thumbs swiping away the moisture on my cheeks. “Calm down, my sweet girl.”
Something about his tone busts through the panic, and I blink until my vision clears. His caring gaze holds my own, deep brown eyes conveying the seriousness of what he’s about to say.
“Do you trust me?”
“I want to.” But not if he’s going to hand me over to a monster more frightening than my uncle.
“You have to know,” he pauses, voice cracking, “I’d never do anything to hurt you. Do you believe me?”
“Yes.” Any doubt I once harbored about his intentions are gone—not when every part of my soul screams that he loves me. Same as Sebastian. My gut tells me I can trust my life in either of their hands.
“Then I need you to walk down there with me and follow my lead, okay?”
“W-why?”
“I don’t have time to explain.” He caresses my cheek, and on some unconscious level, I lean into his touch. “Can you do this for me?”
Swallowing hard, I nod, and he entwines our hands before resuming the nerve-wracking journey to the darkest trenches of the tower. After opening the heavy iron gate to the dungeon, Liam pushes me forward.
Pax is waiting in the middle of the room, in the very spot where he tortured Sebastian five days ago. I can almost envision the drops of blood on the floor, though someone has since cleaned the area. His smile comes off as more sinister than usual, maybe because he’s standing naked from the waist up with his feet bare.
Likes he’s ready to play.
“Took you long enough,” he tells Liam.
The chancellor presses his hand on my back, forcing me closer. “Your month hasn’t even started yet, so I wouldn’t get worked up over a few minutes.”
Pax grabs me by the arm, and as he pushes me to my knees, my whole body quakes apart. As I watch the keeper of the dungeon remove a chained collar from a rack on the wall, my teeth chattering from terror, Liam settles a comforting hand on my head, his palm slowly smoothing down the back of my skull.
It’s a subtle reminder to have faith in him, and it’s enough that I’m able to catch my breath.
“You can leave now, Chancellor,” Pax says, his bare feet bringing him back to where I’m kneeling on the cold, hard floor. That collar captures my focus, stretched between his brutal hands.
Liam steps to the side, allowing Pax access to me. The monster leans over, his attention on fastening the collar around my neck, and that’s when everything changes. Liam reaches into his expensive suit pocket, and I spy a flash of a needle, followed by Pax’s
huge gray eyes as he slumps to the floor in front of me.
“What the—?” He manages to cast a questioning glance at Liam before his eyes roll back in his head. A nudge of Liam’s shoe to the prone figure on the floor confirms what I already know.
Pax is out cold.
“Wh-what did…what did you do?” My voice is foreign to me in that moment, constricted by shock and confusion and a dizzying amount of fear as I meet Liam’s gaze.
Without answering, he pulls me to my feet, and the collar drops to the floor, Pax never having the chance to secure it around my neck. Liam drags me toward the back room where the summons took place.
“Wait, please!” I yank on his hold, trying to slow him down. “What’s going on?”
“There’s no time. The sedative will wear off in a few hours. We need to be far away when that happens.”
“What?” Digging in my heels, I finally force him into a reluctant halt. “Where are you taking me?”
“Out of here!”
“But they’ll take you out of the auction,” I shout back.
“I don’t care about the auction.” He grabs me by the nape and lowers his face until we’re breathing the same air. “I care about you.” A heavy beat passes. “We’re not coming back, Novalee.”
My mind goes blank, unable to comprehend the meaning behind his words until Sebastian’s face flashes in my head.
He’s still allowed to bid in the auction.
He’ll be back at some point.
But if Liam takes me out of the tower…if he makes it off the island with me…
I might never see Sebastian again.
“I need a second to think.” Pushing him away, I bend over, hands on my thighs as I breathe.
“We don’t have a second.”
Behind me awaits the threat of a monster’s reign, but also the promise of a reunion with Sebastian. In front of me lies an escape route with a man who also loves me.
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
“I worried you might say that.”
Lifting my chin, I glimpse another needle, but the prick of it registers before I even think of fighting him.
