Page 123 of The Forsaken Heir
Freddy whispered something to the security guard and slipped money into his hand. The vision was fuzzy and the sound slightly muffled. It dawned on me then that the wellspring was showing me what was happening right at that very minute. I had no idea how I knew that, but I could feel it. Though most of the words they spoke were garbled and too quiet to hear, one word Freddy said did ring true, and it echoed in my ears even as the tendril of magic from the wellspring pulled away.
“Escape.”
“Elle? Elle? What’s going on?” Delphine said, shaking me by the shoulders.
I shook my head to clear it and looked at the leaders of the fae. “If we are true allies now, then take all your people to castle of King Decimus. Now. Can you do that?”
Achakos nodded hesitantly. “We can.”
“Good. Do it now.Go.”
They gathered together and made their way back to town to prepare.
“Uh, are you going to tell us what the hell that was all about?” Rasp asked.
I turned to look at him. I could feel something new inside me, something that had been unlocked by my experience in the wellspring. A newfound strength and confidence. For all those years, it had been hidden beneath my shame and sadness. Confronting my family in the dream walk had unleashed my true self, and I had to admit, I liked it.
“We need to get ready to go,” I said.
Delphine sighed wearily and put her hands on my shoulders, looking deeply into my eyes. “Where, dear? You aren’t making any sense. Back to King Decimus?”
“No. We’re going to go save Aurelius.”
28
AURELIUS
“Maybe this will finally break you,” Bastien said, holding up a small hypodermic needle up for me to see.
The steel tip glinted in the fluorescent lights, and the liquid inside was a bright, sky blue.
“What’s that?” I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity.
My strength had returned after Freddy’s visit, and along with that, some of my resolve. The terror at my situation was still there, but it was pushed to the back of my mind. I didn’t know if I could ever thank him enough for that small kindness or for the hope he’d given me when he’d told me he had a plan. All I had to do was hold out until he revealed whatever he was orchestrating.
“Magic, dumbass. A little blood potion I had cooked up. It should be”—he grinned wider—“especially painful.”
When Bastien had returned, I’d done all I could to look like I was still in agony. I thought I’d done a decent job of acting, but he’d noticed how much stronger I was. From what I saw in hiseyes, he’d taken it as a total affront to his character and skills as a torturer.
“Random question,” I said as he stuck the needle in my arm. “Do your parents know what kind of psycho you are?”
He snorted derisively. “Perhaps. Though, my family has always prized strength over everything else, so even if they don’t approve, they know I’m the best to lead the family. My pathetic sister Brielle showed weakness by having no wolf. My other two simpering siblings haven’t shown much in the way of strength either.” He rammed the plunger home. “Though, I must say Freddy surprised me when he slugged you the other day. Maybe he’s not a total lost cause.”
A burning cold flooded my body as the blood potion worked its way through my veins.
“What is this?” My knees went weak, and my shoulders protested from the stretch as I hung limply from the ropes.
“I found a rather unscrupulous fae apothecary down in San Francisco a few years ago. They makereallyspecial stuff—if you have the money, that is. This is called The Frozen Death. I hope you like it.”
Frozen? It was more like someone had mixed gasoline in ice water, pumped it into my veins, then lit it on fire. Hot and cold surged through every capillary. I clenched my jaw as the stuff flooded every millimeter of my circulatory system. It wasn’t until it reached my heart that I screamed.
I was being burned alive from the inside. Burned by ice. Even in my agony, I remembered touching a piece of dry ice when I was a kid. It had burned my finger instantly. It hadn’t made sense tomy child brain. How couldiceburn? Now, that same sensation was coursing through my veins.
Bastien leered at me. “Painful, yes? I tested this on one of our horses. The creature tried to run through a wall to get away from the pain. Dumb thing broke its neck.”
I shuddered violently, the ropes digging into my wrists. I glared at him, my teeth clamped together, cords standing out on my neck. “Fuck you.”
The smile never left Bastien’s face, but rage flashed in his eyes. He still hadn’t broken me, and it was eating him alive inside.
