Daniel pointed at the dice. “Pain, Nila.” Tapping his chin, he pretended to think. “What can I make you do?”
Cut murmured, “Hang on, I’m calling rights on this one.”
I tensed.
He tilted his head in my direction. “Nila will pay that one for me with no complaints but she’ll do it when we get to where we’re going. Isn’t that right, Nila?”
My eyes flickered to V.
Cut’s voice licked around me. “You’ll know what it is when I ask, and you’ll permit it. Because if you don’t, I’ll just kill your brother and be fucking done with it.”
V growled. I stayed quiet. I’d played this game longer than he had, and I knew how to deal with Cut now.
Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “Why drag it on? Why not just kill me here?”
Cut clenched his jaw. “If you have to ask that, you haven’t been paying attention.” He stalked forward. “Agree to what I just asked and you’ll learn before the end.”
There was no other answer I could give. I glowered. “Fine.”
He smirked. “Good girl.”
Daniel pouted but shook off his disappointment by collecting the dice. “Oh, well, my turn again.” Shaking the dice, he snickered, “Ready for another?” He rubbed his lips in lewd reminder. “Maybe I can have you blow me next.”
Acid drenched my insides.
Daniel rolled the dice. The horrible thing bounced off the rug, coming to a stop on red.
Shit.
I sucked in a heavy breath.
You can do it. Do it for V.
Daniel grinned. “Red, huh? Pain...” His eyes drifted to the table where the Pear of Anguish sat.
God, no!
Marching over, he picked up an awful looking contraption peeking out from under the black cloth. “This will do.”
I stiffened as he came back, dangling the torture equipment just like Cut had with the Scold’s Bridle.
“This ought to be painful enough.”
My eyes drank in the leather collar and long metal bar on the front. Each end was carved into two sharp prongs.
“Know what this is?”
That damn question again.
Unfortunately, I knew the answer this time. “It’s a Heretic’s Fork.”
Was this a manor house of the fucking Tower of London? Where did they keep these barbaric devices?
“Smart girl.” Daniel grinned. “And you know how it works?”
I made the mistake of looking over at Vaughn. Saliva dripped down his chin from the gag, his eyes blazing with sorrow.
I looked away. “It’s strapped to the accused neck and the fork forces the person to keep their head high to avoid the prongs from entering their chest and throat.”
