Page 31 of A Bloodline Redeemed

If I had any qualms about torturing the guy, they were rapidly dwindling after that little dumb-assed rant.I glanced around the room, considering.Then I met my jinn’s golden eyes.“Possession?”I asked him evenly.I hated to ask it of him.I didn’t want him to ever again have to use his powers the way my ancestors and the fucking O’Leary coven had forced him to do.

He jiggled his head from side to side, considering.“That could work, yes.But the thing about possessing someone is that while Icanforce access to their memories, it’s a bit messy.Jumbled.And it will only show me what they remember happening around them.Sometimes it can be inaccurate, because knowledge is more than just what a person sees or hears.It also involves thought.Reasoning, drawing conclusions, all of that.”He waved a hand.“I can do it, but there might be better ways.”

He grinned, slow and wicked, his eyes not leaving mine, but his words clearly for our captive.“Like regular old fashioned physical torture, for example.It has the added benefit of being quite fun.Oh, the things I can do to a body with various applications of fire….”

I fought the urge to chuckle at his blatant attempt to scare the fuck out of the cultist.

A warm hand landed on my shoulder, drawing my attention up and to my side.Ambrose’s soft, closed-lipped smile was far less bloodthirsty than Aahil’s, but far, far scarier somehow.His deep voice was soft and pleasant, his demeanor that of a polite and helpful butler.“I have a better idea.If I may?”

Chapter 18

Andy

SometimesIforgotthatI was technically surrounded by creatures that many would call monsters.

Not all of my lovers were terrifying, of course.But given the right context… well, I could see any one of them starring as the predator in a human horror novel, is all I’m saying.

The poor cultist.He probably thought we were sparing him.Goddess was he ever wrong.

I stood back against the wall by the door, my face clearly showing what I thought of torture.We had dragged the cultist guy out to the center of the courtyard, on the grass, where blood and bodily fluids wouldn’t be an issue.Outside, where the lingering energetic echoes of pain and suffering would be easier to cleanse.

And Bella made sure to explain these reasons to the jerk who had chosen the wrong side of this little conflict for world domination.I think he might have wet himself a little.

Dyre busied himself sharpening his athame, which was soaked with obvious dark energy.He positioned it carefully next to a bunch of other weird implements on a metal tray he’d found in the basement.And no, I didn’t want to think about how it fit his purposes so well or what my family had used it for, once upon a time.

Niamh was busy expertly tying the man’s arms and legs to a chair.He didn’t struggle, didn’t cry out or beg for mercy—because Aahil was currently possessing him, making him sit still like a nice, helpful little victim.

“This is so fucked up,” I muttered.

Elijah came to stand beside me and wrap an around my shoulder, tucking me in against his side.“You don’t have to watch,” he said gently.

I huffed, glancing up into his troubled blue eyes.“You don’t either,” I reminded him.If anyone was going to hate this, it was the guy who could sense soul energy.

But Elijah just shook his head.“No, I need to bear witness.”

And I felt the same way.If I was going to be an accomplice to something as awful as torture, then I was damned well going to stand here and suffer the consequences of my moral failings.I wasn’t going to hide inside behind the mansion walls while terror was acted out in my name, the way my family had loved to do.

Zhong took up position behind the captive, shirtless and rippling with muscle in a clear reminder that there would be no escape, no running away, even if the witch somehow found a way to outsmart the magic users around him.Bella and the others circled the chair, forming a ring of security and judgement.

“All set,” Dyre announced, running a finger lovingly over the sharp implements one last time.

“Aahil,” Ambrose said with a congenial smile as he stepped up next to the metal tray and picked up a pair of pliers.“You may come out now.We’re ready to begin.”

Aahil appeared on Dyre’s other side, releasing the cultist from his possession.“This is going to be so much fun,” he said in a breathy voice that almost sounded lustful.He lifted a hand, and flames danced along his fingers.“Brand, please.”

I watched with a churning stomach as Dyre easily handed Aahil a swirling piece of metal attached to a handle… like a stamp.

The cultist came back to life, now that he had control of his own body.He blinked blearily a time or two.Then the yammering started.

First it was threats.How we wouldn’t get away with this.How he had been spelled not to recall pertinent information anyway.How we would all regret our actions when the cultists took over, yadda, yadda.

Ambrose just ignored him and stepped closer, head tilted as he inspected the point of his dagger, pressing it against the gloved finger of his opposite hand.“You have a beautiful voice,” he purred, finally looking at the man.“I’ll enjoy hearing more of it.”

He leaned in and set the tip of the dagger against the man’s chest, parting the fabric with a careful downward swipe, then slowly, carefully dragging the tip of the dagger in a circle round his stomach.He didn’t draw blood, but the threat was implicit.

“Please,” the man began to beg.“I don’t know anything.I swear.Please don’t do this.”

Witch magic flared as the man tried to prepare a spell, but Bella already had a suppression spell on him, and it wouldn’t have done any good anyway.He was way overpowered by the beings around him.

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