Page 50 of Hell Bound

It sparked a fragment of something in my mind, and my mouth watered. I could practically taste the dish, but the chocolate was in some type of steaming golden liquid I’d never seen.

Can’t have a memory of something you’ve never had, Lil.

I’d just keep telling myself that.

Tavila had long disappeared from Asmodeus’s lap, her use expired when he realized that she wasn’t wringing the reaction he wanted from me.

He’d watched me intently when every dish came out, likely hoping for tears I would never give him.

I couldn’t stop my stomach from growling, but Iwouldcontrol my tear ducts, dammit.

He stood out of nowhere, shoving his chair backward so fast it tipped.

“Enough. I tire of your pathetic display.”

As if he wasn’t the one who’d commanded this!

He wanted all the courtiers to stare and whisper and point at me. Once the shock of the facial device had worn off, however, the rest of the court had resumed their meal.

Everyone leaving me alone went against his torture agenda.

I smiled inside.

“Out of my sight, succubus. I don’t want to look at you a moment longer.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

Doing my best to control the shaking of my extremities, I rose and speed walked from the room before he could call me back. It would be just like him to let me get to the door only to command me to return.

My muscles didn’t relax until I was in my room. The Crone was already there when I entered, seated on the bench against the far wall.

Just the knowledge that freedom from this hellish contraption was a few twists of those bony fingers away broke me.

Tears that I’d held back through that awful meal broke free, streaming down my face and stinging the abraded skin of my cheeks.

If she saw them, she didn’t let on. I sat on the foot of the bed without a word and did my best to stay still. It was hard. I wanted to wince away every time one of the spines scraped my irritated flesh as she worked.

Forcing my mouth open even wider to prevent the spikes from damaging the inside of my cheeks was awful. My jaw popped loud enough to echo in the silent room.

“Thank you,” I said in a ragged whisper when the wedge was removed. Allowing my jaw to close was agonizing. I rubbed the tender joints, but it afforded only minimal relief.

“Watch yourself, girl. His temper grows every time you fail to break. Soon, this won’t be enough to appease him.” With that warning, she was gone, moving much faster than I thought she was capable of.

I was alone for only a moment before my lady’s maids entered.

This bath routine was getting really fucking old. Would I ever have a chance to just sit alone in my room and process the horrors of this place?

It was seeming less and less likely.

To my relief though, Hana rushed through the process.

“Sveva, her hair. Tavila, her clothing.” She turned to the last woman and pointed to a cabinet against the wall. “Fetch the Essence of Ash.”

They all attended to their tasks. Hana took the Essence from Gilémé and poured a generous amount into the bathwater. After a few minutes, my muscles began to release heaps of tension.

“Turn down the bed,” Hana instructed Gilémé, then proceeded to wash me. She massaged my arms and legs as she did, and once again, I was fighting back tears.

“Sveva, will you prepare the bowl and sawtooth balm?”

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