Page 101 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

“Bring her to the water.”

Lessia’s eyes flew open as footsteps joined the buzzing in her ears, and guards left their posts by the wall to lift the chair she sat upon. She breathed heavily through her teeth when the movement as the men lifted the chair sent another wave of pain washing over her.

Merrick growled as the guards set her down and loosened the chains she was bound in.

Glancing from his blanched knuckles to the muddy water sloshing in the tub, she swallowed.

“What are you waiting for? She looks a little dry to me.”

The chair shook as Merrick’s wild scent filled the space, and she couldn’t help but let a small whimper escape before he pushed her face underwater.

She hadn’t had time to draw a breath, and she futilely tried to push back at the large hands gripping her shoulders. Bubbles boiled in the water when her eyes opened in panic, and she cried out when memories flooded her mind, like the water now filling her lungs.

“You stupid halfling bitch!” The Fae ripped a chunk of hair out of her scalp as he pulled her face out of the bucket. “Did you think you’d get away with killing him?”

Before she had time to gasp for air, his fist slammed into the side of her head, and she must have lost consciousness because when she woke, she was strapped to the standing contraption this particular guard favored.

“Not so cocky now, are you?” he taunted as he dragged a table with tools across the floor.

He did it slowly, letting the metal legs scrape across the stone floor of her cell.

“Please,” she begged. “Just kill me!”

She wanted to die.

There was nothing left inside her that wanted to fight anymore.

He let out a low laugh, and the sound convulsed through her body, making her bones shake.

And when he pulled up a blindfold, her mouth opened, and she screamed, and screamed, and screamed.

Cold air struck her face, and a gentle hand tilted her face up when it lolled down to her chest.

“Breathe. Please, breathe,” Merrick whispered as she coughed up the dirty water.

“Back away from her!” someone yelled.

She couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t see.

Flashes of King Rioner’s cellar mixed with flickers of a dimly lit Fae, and she flinched when the Fae crouched down before her.

“I said get away from her!”

“Fuck you,” Merrick snarled as one of his hands cupped her chin, the other squeezing her shoulder.

“Lessia. You’re not there. You will never go back there. I won’t allow it,” Merrick urged.

Pinching her eyes closed, she focused on his deep voice as he repeated, “You will never go back there.”

Her erratic heart slowed.

“You will never go back there.”

Air started traveling down her lungs.

“You will never go back there.”

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