Page 27 of Snapped
“What do…” Rian licked his lips, swallowing down the bile that had risen while he righted himself against the wall. “…what do you want, Cillian?”
The big, burly man turned and stared down at him with dull, lifeless blue eyes, his face marred by age, anger, and hatred. Cillian was only a couple of months older than Cirian, but looking at him, one would think years separated the two brothers. Time had not been kind to Cillian. “I want what should have been mine, what was taken from me at birth when I was tossed aside like trash without so much as a second thought.”
Rian pulled a deep, calming breath into his lungs, the wave of nausea starting anew with the inhalation of whatever the fuck the horrible stench surrounding them was. Sulfuric and stale, the smell in the air coupled with the blow to his head had Rian doubling over as he dry-heaved until his stomach hurt. Cillian cackled, reaching down and grabbing a handful of Rian’s hair, jerking him upright so fast it made him dizzy. Trying to pull away from the larger man’s strong grip, Rian swung out, catching nothing but air. He would have fallen flat on his face were it not for the elbow to his gut that had him dry heaving again.
Bent over, hands on his knees, Rian pretended to catch his breath while he ran through every scenario in his mind. He was confident Cillian had taken him as a pawn to use against Cirian. For what, he didn’t know. He had to do something, but what? There was no way Rian could match Cillian’s size and strength; brains over brawn was his only alternative. Collapsing to the frozen floor, Rian continued to pretend he was sick while weighing his options and taking in his surroundings. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could see they were in what was probably a common room in the bunker. A row of metal chairs and benches lined one wall, and at the end, several loose, thick strands of wire protruded from the ceiling. If he could get to the wires he could use them to choke Cillian if he braced himself against the wall for balance.
“Wa…wa…water, please,” he begged.
Cillian laughed at him, bending at the waist comically. “Yes, my liege. Would you like a blanket and a bedtime story as well?” Marching past Rian, he slapped him on the back of the head, hard, the pain and dizziness slamming into Rian like a freight train. Gasping, he dry heaved again, for real this time.
“I’m going to try and find some food and water; be a good boy now and don’t get into any trouble while Daddy is away.” Cillian taunted him from the door, shaking a finger at him and winking before disappearing out into the hallway.
Rian stood on shaking legs, moving over to sit on one of the broken metal chairs next to the wires that hung from the metal ceiling. Tugging on them experimentally to ensure they wouldn’t come loose and fall to the floor, he righted himself and sat, waiting for Cillian to return. Of course he could always make a break for it, but he couldn’t remember the layout of the bunker and didn’t want to risk angering the big man before he could set his plan in motion. A sudden pang in his chest and the hollow feeling of anguish played tricks on his mind. Rian could swear Cirian was there with him, calling out to him.
I’m coming, My Love. I’m coming.
Lost in thought, Rian didn’t hear Cillian walk back into the room, only realizing he was no longer alone when a big, meaty paw grabbed him by the arm, jerking him upright. “I said, get up and let’s go.” He growled, pushing Rian toward the door so hard, he almost lost his footing.
Shit! So much for strangling the life out of him with the wires. Where the hell are we going?Distracted, trying to figure a way out of this mess and not paying attention, Rian tripped over the raised doorframe leading into what had to be a kitchen once upon a time. Ankle twisting, he landed hard on his knees, hissing at the pain.
His captor cackled, walking past him, leaving Rian in a heap on the floor. He crawled the few feet separating him from the wall so he could lean against it and rest for a minute, weighing possible options in his mind. The concussion was messing with his mind though, making it hard to think, much less plan an escape. Hand to eye coordination was off, which was proven not ten seconds later when Cillian tossed a bottle of water to him and it sailed past his hand, hitting the beam beside him and making a horrible, loud clanking noise.
Grabbing the bottle and guzzling half in one swallow, he ignored Cillian when he warned against it. “Might wanna slow down there before you toss your cookies.…Oh, too late.”
Cillian laughed long and loud when Rian doubled over as his body purged the small amount of water he’d consumed. Weak from the multiple blows to his head, lack of sleep, food, and water, Rian couldn’t even manage to sit back up on his own. Reaching for the beam, he noticed when his wedding ring made contact, it made a loud, obnoxious noise.
“Don’t make me take that ring and shove it up your ass,” Cillian barked, tossing an empty bottle over his shoulder before unscrewing the cap on a second one and draining it. Standing and stretching, the big man yawned. “Yep, I think it’s time for a nap.”
He headed toward Rian, the maniacal look in his eyes a cause for concern. When Cillian reached into his pocket, Rian thought his heart would pound right out of his damn chest. The relief he felt when Cillian pulled out a pair of handcuffs was comical.At least it’s not a knife.Rian tried to calm his nerves. Grabbing Rian’s arm, he slapped a cuff onto one wrist, jerked Rian closer to the beam and pulled his other arm around it so he could cuff him to it. The absurdity of it all made Rian laugh out loud. Cillian stood and stared down at him. “What the fuck is so goddamn funny?”
“Really?” Rian held his hands up as best as he could, still laughing. “Youstorm the castlewith a pair of handcuffs?”
Squatting down beside him, Cillian grabbed him by the chin and growled. “I can kill you now, asshole, instead of later, in front of your husband.” The look of hatred in Cillian’s lifeless blue eyes gradually morphed into something else entirely as he did a slow once-over of Rian’s battered body. The look was familiar and…oh God, no!Rian knew what lust looked like and somehow, in the past ninety seconds, Cillian’s mood which swung like hinges on a door already, went from pissed off and angry to being horny and, sadly, Rian was the only other person in the room.
The big man sneered at him, standing and pulling Rian to his feet with enough force to jar his insides. With one hand, he shoved Rian’s face into the beam; with his other he pulled at Rian’s pants until they came loose. Rian was not above begging. “Please, Cillian, don’t do this.”
“Shut up.” He snarled, grabbing a fistful of hair and forcefully turning Rian’s face to the side. He licked the path from Rian’s jaw to his ear. “Maybe I should see what a piece of royal ass feels like, eh? See exactly what I’ve been missing all these years while you’ve been warming my brother’s bed.” Rian struggled to hold back the tears stinging his eyes when he heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper being lowered. “You could have been mine, pretty boy, you know that. You should have been mine.” Cillian growled as he took the one thing from Rian, besides his family, that could very well break him permanently.
Summoning every ounce of strength he could, Rian separated his conscious mind from what was being done to his body. He floated high above the palace, like a bird, circling around the grounds while his children played as toddlers. He sat under a tree eating an apple, laughing with the kids while his husband napped with his head in Rian’s lap. When what would have been his brother-in-law, if things were different, finished using him, he bent and lifted Rian’s pants. It took what little self–preservation he had left not to laugh out loud at the gesture. “Damn boy, my brother is one lucky man.” Cillian taunted him, pulling up his own pants and fastening them. “Now shut the fuck up, so I can get some sleep.”
Rian didn’t know how long he sat there on the floor, handcuffed and broken. So many thoughts swam through his mind, it made his head hurt even more. Would Cirian still want him after this? No! He couldn’t think like that—of course he would, their bond was forged over decades of love and acceptance. As Rian sat limply, leaning against the beam, thoughts racing, he remembered a lesson he was taught when he went through training for The Order. He waited until he was certain Cillian was out cold before he started tapping his ring against the metal joist. Using the band that bound them for life, Rian prayed his bond with his husband would survive the coming storm. Three short taps followed by three long taps, then three more short.Please God, let this work.
