Page 106 of The Forsaken Heir
“How’s that feel? Huh?” Bastien asked a while later as he wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead.
I swallowed hard and licked my lips. Agonizing pain throbbed along every inch of my skin. He’d given up on the Dragon’s Blood whip and had moved on to other techniques, even trying to waterboard me at one point with his men coming in to help. Through it all, I’d managed to keep my wits. I hadn’t broken.
“I feel fine, Bastien,” I said, giving him a steely smile.
“Give me the spells!” Bastien screamed, his veneer of control vanishing in an instant.
I gave no answer to his outburst. All I did was lay my head back and pull on the ropes purposefully. The Dragon’s Blood burned my flesh, but I ignored the pain as I taunted him with my eyes. He could do all he’d already done and more, but he wouldn’t get the reaction he wanted from me. I wouldn’t allow that.
“Get on with it,” I hissed.
Bastien glared at me, dumbstruck, his perfectly coiffed hair hanging in his face in limp strands.
“Okay,” he said, nodding slowly. “We can do that.”
He walked back to the table and chose a long filet knife. Holding it up to the light, he turned back to me.
“Maybe,” he said, his voice shaking with excitement and pleasure. “We’ll make a leather jacket out of your hide. Wouldyou like that?” He took a step toward me, clenching the knife in his white-knuckled fist. “Are we gonna see how much of a badass you can be when I’m peeling your skin off, huh? How much can the big bad dragon take?”
Eyeing the knife, I did my best to prepare myself. Pain was only temporary. The agonies of the day would eventually fade. My body would heal. But the sadistic gleam in Bastien's eyes made me shudder. What if he got too overzealous? If he plunged that knife into my heart, it would all be over.
And it looked like that was exactly what he wanted to do.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed back all my fears and did what I had to do. What aprincehad to do.
“I guess we’ll find out soon, won’t we?” I said.
Bastien’s face went slack with shock and surprise. Then his jaw flexed, the muscles beneath the skin bouncing and rippling as he ground his teeth together. What I saw in his face sent a new shiver of fear through me. How was this man related to Elle? They were polar opposites. One was compassionate, caring, funny, and kind. The other bitter, angry, sadistic, and hateful.
He raised the knife high overhead, and in that moment, I realized it was over. In less than a second, I’d be dead. My inner dragon cried out, but I kept my eyes on his face. If this was how I died, then I would do it with honor.
“For God’s sake, Bastien, put that down.”
Bastien flinched and turned, nearly dropping the knife. I recognized the man at the door. Frederique Laurent. Bastien and Elle’s younger brother. He’d come to greet Elle when we arrived at their family home. Freddy. That’s what she’d called him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Bastien asked, sounding like a boy whose mother had walked in while he was jerking off.
“I heard you were here,” Freddy said, throwing a disgusted look my way. “Trying to beat this filthy dragon into submission. Though it looks like things were about to go a little further?” He tilted his head questioningly at Bastien.
Bastien looked at the knife and frowned, almost as if he’d forgotten he was holding it. He tossed it away. The blade skittered across the floor, stopping near the opposite wall.
“I’m only trying to put a little fear into our guest,” Bastien said as he tried to regain some of his former control.
“Uh huh,” Freddy said, and ran a hand through his thick auburn hair. “Dad wants to see you. If you can drag yourself away from this little party you’ve got going on,” he added, giving me another pretentious sneer.
“About what?” Bastien asked, and I noted the plaintive, almost whiny tone in his voice.
Freddy shrugged. “Something about the southern border protection details. He’s worried the dragons will attack, and he’s not sure we have enough people patrolling out there or something.”
“Shit,” Bastien said, and smoothed his hair back. “Fine.” He took two steps toward the door before turning to look at me again. “Don’t get too comfortable, Aurelius. We aren’t done here, yet.”
He leaned forward and spat on me.
“Yeah, you stupid prick,” Freddy said, slamming his fist into my stomach.
Gasping in pain, I sat forward as far as the ropes would allow and tried to catch my breath.
Freddy grabbed a handful of my hair, and leaned close. “Remember who’s in charge here, you fucking dragon asshole,” Freddy muttered, but then dropped his voice so low I could barely hear him. “Stay strong, Aurelius. Don’t give up. I know my sister, she wouldn’t give up, and neither can you.”
