Kain’s only response was a growl. Let her try to break him—he would rather die than give her what belonged to his mate.
Selma.
If she had made it to safety, nothing they did to him would matter.
The queen sighed and uncoiled the whip hanging by her hip. “I see you’ve made your choice. Very well.”
His body still trembled long after the queen had left the dungeon. He wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with pain, but even his exceedingly high level of endurance had started to crack after hours of being whipped and beaten.
Kain breathed in deeply to calm himself, and the scent of his own blood filled his nostrils. He leaned his head back against the cool stone wall he was slouched against. Closing his eyes, he groaned at the ache in his marred shoulders when they pressed more firmly against the surface. He’d heal quickly enough, but he had no delusions that the bitch queen wasn’t going to draw more blood the next time she came.
And the time after that, and the time after that.
Hopefully, one day soon, she would let her guard down for just a second. When she did, he would strike, and maybe—just maybe—he would escape and find his mate again.
He smiled wryly. Succumbing to romantic fantasies… what a little torture and emotional turmoil could do to a man—even a demon.
During the beating, he’d indulged himself and let his mind escape to those moments in the car when he’d been driving Selma back. While looking at her sleeping form all curled up on the passenger seat next to him, he had finally realized what that sore thing constricting in his chest every time he thought of her was.
Love.
How ridiculous that such a folly had his insides twisting and his very being yearning. Yet he’d felt nothing but warmth flood his body as he’d watched her sleep, knowing that what he felt was love.
She’d chosen him. She’d chosen him and his child, had assured him that she would never leave their son—and in her scent and beautiful eyes, he’d seen the truth to her words.
For nearly an hour of his life, while the sound of Selma’s deep breaths and her beautiful scent filled the car he was bringing her home in, he’d known true happiness. It was enough—it was more than he’d ever hoped for. More than he’d known to hope for.
No matter whether he escaped, they could never take that away from him.
Rattling at the dungeon door made his jaw clench and his thoughts slam back into the present. He’d hoped to get some sleep and to gather a bit of strength before the next session, but the queen was undoubtedly determined to make him break sooner rather than later. He still had the marks to prove as much.
The sharp fluorescent lights flickered on, and he could now make out two sets of individual footsteps. With a low growl he got to his feet, though he remained crouched and prepared to attack.
“Kain?”
The soft voice made his breath catch in his throat, choking off the growl.
No…
He hadn’t finished the denial before the owner of the voice came into view. She paused for a second, her soft mouth dropping open in shock. Then she ran to the bars.
“Kain!”
Panic, desperation, and overwhelming joy blended into a knot of emotion in his stomach as Selma pulled uselessly at the door to his cell, rattling it in her attempt at getting to him.
“You can’t be here,” he gasped, panic taking over as he envisioned his beloved mate in the hands of the ruthless queen. “You have to get out!”
“We’re not planning on hanging around, if that’s what you mean.” Another figure came into view, gently prying Selma’s fingers off the bars so he could get to the lock.
Kesh.
Dark light flickered around his hand as he pressed his black energy into the lock, melting it off.
The moment the door was open, Selma rushed through it as if she was going to jump at him. But she stopped short, looking his bruised and bleeding body up and down with horror in her eyes.
“Oh, Kain.”
The scent of her anguish pulled the rumbling hum from his chest before he closed his arms around her, shackles and all, and pulled her soft body against his. His lashes hurt when she pressed against them, but the soothing comfort of her already familiar weight far overshadowed any discomfort. Lost in the sensation of her, he buried his face in her long hair to inhale her intoxicating aroma, never pausing his deep rumble.
