I glare at him through the haze of pain and exhaustion, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of a response. He watches me for a moment longer, his eyes gleaming with triumph, before he turns and strides toward the door. He doesn’t look back, but I hold my breath until I hear his footsteps fade into the distance. Only when I’m certain he’s gone do I let it out.
And then I scream.
The sound is raw and broken, ripped from the depths of my soul. It echoes around the room, carrying with it all the fury, pain, and despairI’ve bottled up since this nightmare began. When it finally dies out, the only sound left is the ragged sound of my breathing as I struggle to push myself upright. My throat burns, either from the screaming, the liquid and its bitter aftertaste that lingers, or both. A cold sweat breaks out across my skin, and my stomach churns.
I didn’t imagine anything could be worse than torture and interrogation. But the silence is the worst part. It stretches endlessly, an oppressive void that gnaws at me harder than Jorah’s blade ever could. Loneliness digs into my ribs, sharp and unrelenting, leaving nothing behind but hollow echoes. Even the pain feels muted, empty, when there’s no one to share it with. And there won’t be anyone to share it with. They have their mission. Their purpose. Dragging a broken girl out of a cell was never part of the plan.
Because that’s all I am now.
Spy. Thief. Princess.Songbird.
None of them are real. None of them are whole. And none of them can save me now. Maybe the answer is simpler. Maybe, without a role to play, I’m no one at all. That should feel freeing, like shedding a weight I’ve carried too long. But instead, it hollows me out even more, leaving nothing behind but the ache.
I press a hand to my abdomen, trying to steady my breathing, but the room tilts dangerously. My fingers tremble as I clutch at the bedframe, the edges of my vision darkening. Keres’s voice echoes in my mind, his words slipping into the cracks like invisible chains tightening around me. Cold helplessness creeps into my bones for the first time in years, and I hate myself for letting it. I hate him more for planting it there.
I look down at my bloodied thighs, the crimson streaks standing out stark against my skin. I count the cuts one by one, as if tallying the cost of my defiance, each mark a testament to my refusal to bend. The pain is sharp, but it’s nothing compared to the fury that begins to rise within me. As I watch my blood seep from the wounds, it’s like watching my fear bleed out with it. Each scarlet bead of blood isn’t just a loss; it’s a spark. A spark that ignites something deep inside me.
I will not let this end me. I will not let him win.
I’m going to make Keres pay. For every cut, every bruise, every dropof blood he’s spilled. I’ll watch the light fade from his eyes, and I’ll savor every second.
The thought burns bright in my mind, a beacon of fury and resolve. But before I can hold on to it, my body betrays me. My muscles tremble, my vision blurs, and the edges of my world are consumed by shadows.
The convulsions begin, and I can do nothing but let the darkness take me.
“Quickly, El.”
The voice slams into my ears like shattered glass, jagged and wrong. I jolt upright, the room spinning, folding over itself, until my focus steadies on the young girl before me.
Golden skin, but slick and dripping, like molten wax sliding across bone. Her curls float, weightless in water I can’t see.
“Hali?” The name breaks apart in my throat.
“You were supposed to keep me safe.” Her lips move. Her voice is submerged.
“I—I tried!” My hands reach out, but something around my throat holds me back.
The face of the girl I’ve tried so hard to forget ripples and re-forms. Midnight curls fade to dark cinnamon, golden skin deepens.
“I have the weapon.” Nyssa’s voice is a frantic whisper. Her eyes dart around the shadowy room.
“Where is it?” my voice rasps, but it sounds wrong, foreign. It might not have even come from me.
Nyssa’s face looms. Not Nyssa. Her eyes sharpen to slits, her teeth bared. “It’s safe. You can’t let them know.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“No one can know, Aella.” Hali’s echoing voice returns, overlaying Nyssa’s snarl. “Not even you.”
Silver flashes before she lunges.
I scream.
And I bleed out on the floor.
Rough fingers trail up my inner thighs, pushing aside my underwear and drawing forth a soft moan from my lips. Raven’s body presses into mine, and I grind my hips against his hardness. I groan against his mouth, and he bites down hard on my lip, transforming it into a gasp. The bitter taste of copper coats my tongue as he fills me with a long, hard thrust.
“You take me so well, Princess.” His husky voice fills my mind, body, and soul, driving me further toward the edge. “Are you going to come for me?”
