Page 152 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
Rona screams in pain, clasping her bleeding face.
“You fool,” Penelope screams. “He tested you. He knew you would betray him. You thought you could have it all, didn’t you? Your hot mate, love, power. But the world doesn’t work like that, sister dearest.”
Fuck this psychopath, but I hate that she is right.
“Get out of my sight,” she hisses, before she turns towards two of her guards. “Bring the items.”
They hurry away and soon return with… I frown… a piece of metal with a rune on it. She snaps her fingers, the iron heating up instantly until it’s glowing. “It’s silver,” she says. “To make sure it sticks.” She nods towards one of the guards. “Do it.”
They don’t hesitate and open his cell. Despite him being in such a bad condition, he still puts up a fight. I’m horrified at the fact I’m not able to do something. For a short moment, our gaze meets. He lowers his head and shakes it slightly.
Fuck.
I know I can’t do anything, and he knows it, too. He is ready to die here. And, his goddess alone knows how long he can keep up with their torture in this ice cold dungeon.
One of the men grabs the tool and presses it against Royan’s chest. His head shoots up, and his mouth drops open as he screams without a sound leaving his lips.
“I branded you a traitor now,” Penelope says cooly. “With a rune that will stick for eternity. Not that you will live for long.”
She brings forward a doll from her pocket, smirking when she looks at it. Without further warning, she twists the doll’s arm, making Royan scream for the first time, as he drops to his back, his arm in a weird position now.
Penelope smiles. “I will see you tomorrow, Roy,” she says. “That is, if you make it through the night.”
That night when I retire to my room, I feel weak with desperation. I have no idea how to help Royan or how to save him. “I need to do something,” I mutter to myself. “I need to get out of here.”
“Hm,” a voice suddenly hums behind me. “This is certainly a new development.”
forty-eight
The Goddess
*AZADEH*
Favian and I sit opposite each other. We both have our legs crossed in a comfortable position as we try to relax. “It’s only the second time for me,” I admit. “Moving into someone’s mind.”
“I understand, but you are powerful, princess,” he says. “The gifts you have are one of a kind. Maybe you should delve into your own mind first. Have you done that before?”
“No. It has never struck me that I could do that.”
“If you want to know what you are capable of, then you need to learn more about yourself,” he says.
“I’m scared of what I am,” I admit.
“Why is that, sweet princess?” he wants to know. Despite using endearments when talking to me, it doesn’t sound like he is belittling me. He seems to be a very serious young man.
“Back where I am from, they treated me like I was cursed. Like…” I pause, “I wasn’t right.”
“They feared you because they fear the unknown,” Favian explains. “Like the people in the werewolf kingdom feared the triplet princes at first.”
“But they are such wonderful men,” I say emphatically. “All three of them. And, I saw them interact with their people… I didn’t see any fear.”
“That’s because the people of the kingdom learned to respect and love them. Their parents’ love was unwavering, and their siblings’ too. They set good examples.” He pauses. “You didn’t have that. If your father had set the tone, then you would have lived a much better life.” He looks at me. “Do you know your mother?”
“No,” I shake my head. “She is said to have died shortly after my birth.” I look at him. “Is this the reason that the people here don’t hate or fear me?” I ask. “Because they got used to the triplet princes?”
“Not necessarily. Werewolves are used to witches and witchcraft. It’s not too unusual for them to have a person with special gifts appear,” he explains.
I tilt my head. “Hm, maybe you are right.”
