Page 30 of Wrathful King
“That’s enough. You’re not here to stare at yourself all day,” the guard spat out, pushing the butt of his rifle into my lower back.
The walk through the dark hallway and then down into the basement was too long. Yet not long enough. I coveted fresh air, a night sky. Stars.
The only thing I got was a dark cell without a single window, no way to glimpse the outside world. I didn’t count how many flights of stairs we’d walked down earlier, but I knew we had to be deep underground. It was freezing and smelled of mold, like no part had ever seen the light of day.
He pushed me inside and then shut the door with a loud thud, the click of the lock sounding like ominous thunder in my ears.
A shudder zipped up my spine.
The fragments of my sanity chipped away with every day I’d been in captivity. This cell was no different, reeking of despair. It was ingrained in the floors and buried in every little crack of the wall.
A noise behind me had me turning on my heel.Oh my God. The guard locked us in here together.
“Ready to play, princess?” He took a step closer, and I took one back. He started to undo his belt, and my stomach dropped. I stepped back another inch, a cold sweat breaking over my skin.
He trained his eyes on me and swept them slowly over my curves.
“Relax,” he purred while my heart pounded against my ribs. Or maybe that was just the drugs. He thwacked the belt against his palm, the sound promising pain.
Another step and the stench of his cheap cologne and cigarettes seeped into my lungs, staining them forever. My limbs stiffened and my fingers twitched with the urge to hit him.
Not too soon, my hazy mind whispered. My frayed nerves mingled with the drugs in my system and had my brain working a mile a minute.
When the cell door swung open and loud screams reached my ears, I was certain I would die. Nothing felt real. More screeching pierced my brain as I doubled over, cupping my palms over my ears.
“Need your help,” a guard grunted, dragging a young girl by her hair. Naked. Her right arm was mangled and her left hand was completely missing. Fear swallowed me whole as I glimpsed the mutilation in front of me. I stared at it all, eyes wide like saucers, unable—unwilling—to comprehend.
Vomit climbed up my throat and I braced my hands on my knees, dry heaving and gagging.
“Don’t you fucking dare vomit,” my guard hissed, then turned to the other one. “And fuck off, Pedro. Find someone else to help you. I’m having fun with this one.”
Am I next?I thought, petrified.
“Fucking psycho,” the guard muttered. All the men in this place were vile and disturbed. He grabbed the poor girl’s arm and started dragging her, letting her battered body slide over the rough stone floor. My stomach revolted and I gagged again.
Tension lined every muscle in my body, making my hands quiver. I was so distracted with the horrid sight that I missed it. The belt audibly whizzed through the air with a softpfffsound until it hit my hip. And again.
His hand wrapped around my throat, his other discarding the belt and procuring a knife. The blade slashed my skin and I fought to stifle my cry—I wouldn’t give him that power. Blood trickled down my collar and an evil smirk curled his lips, but still I refused to give him the satisfaction.Don’t show them your fear, whispered Liana’s voice.
“Cooperate and you won’t end up like that girl.”
Pain.
It ripped through me with relentless cruelty, letting me know I was still alive.
I reached up and jabbed my fingers into both eye sockets of the devil hunched over me. In response, he flailed his arms wildly and backhanded me. My cheekbone exploded, and I desperately blinked the black dots from my vision.
Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.
Thisman would prefer it that way. It was Perez Cortes who preferred the fight.
Hot tears streamed down my face. I didn’t stand a chance, but that didn’t stop me.
I thrashed and scratched, snapped my teeth and threw fists. His hand cupped me between my legs, and I bucked away from him as best I could.
He froze.
Before I could process what was happening, blood spurted from his neck, covering me where I lay, and he let out a noise that was so inhuman I knew I’d never unhear it. Behind him, bottomless black eyes met mine.
