But I couldn't. I thrashed in the damn chair against the binds, trying desperately to get up and go knock that dagger away from Casper's face.
Ihatednot being able to access my magic more than anything, but not being able to save someone I loved from this kind of painkilledme.
"No, don't stop. I love to see you squirm," Matthieu taunted, the blade caressing dangerously close to Casper's eye before his dagger sliced off another section of skin on Casper's face until the only thing left was his muscles.
Casper's eyes glazed over during the torture, and he seemed to block everything out--but his gaze had slipped toward the wall. Knowing he had practically turned off was a mercy because I didn't want him to fully experience what Matthieu was doing.
The odor of blood, iron, sweat, and musk thickened the air, and my stomach rolled as quiet sobs racked through me.
Matthieu stepped back, admiring his work. "Very nice."
My charming light mage's face was a bloody mess, and pain and anger throbbed through our bond from him. His eyes were still open since Matthieu had taken his eyelids, but they were trained on the wall.
He wouldn't look anywhere but that certain spot on the wall, and itdestroyedme.
Raw fury coursed through my veins like a raging inferno. As soon as I had my powers back, I would kill him slowly with all of my elements. He would not reincarnate in Hexarium after I was finished with him.
I knew something evil lurked inside Matthieu, and I should've been pushier about it.
Matthieu glanced over his shoulder, his face twisted into a sinister smirk as his eyes met mine. The energy in the room shifted, becoming almost palpable. He reached up and wiped away Casper's blood from his cheek with the back of his hand.
A haunting chuckle rumbled through his throat before he moved toward Jasper. "Let's see if you're any better at riddles--not that you will be. I'm an emotion that can deceive, declaring to you what you want to believe. Beneath my surface, you will find, a sweet betrayal that leaves you behind..." Matthieu's grin split his face in half. "What am I?"
My heart felt hollow as I looked at my dark mage.
Jasper's entire body was pale, eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at his twin. "You're going to be dead for what you did to her and to my brother."
"Hmm. You and your light mage twin may be different, but your faces are identical. Let's see if your muscles are too." Matthieu glanced over at me with a smirk before quickly turning to Jasper, blade in hand. "I think I prefer you without skin."
"Stop," I choked out, sobs clogging my throat as tears continued pouring down. "You've made your point."
"It's not fair to only do one twin, don't you agree?" He pressed the blade into Jasper's forehead, and blood trickled down his eyebrow and into his eyeball, but Jasper just stared at him, unblinking, as the blood filled his eye. "It wouldn't be fair to only show the twins attention. We need to make sure to show them equal love. Right, Fawn? That's why you've fucked all of them.Right?"
An icy realization that Matthieu was actually going to torture each man that I loved snaked through me, and a cry tore out of my throat as I fought against my binds once again.
I was powerless to help Jasper, just like I was powerless for Casper--and I would be powerless when he did the same to the rest of them.
His maniacal laughter echoed off the walls as he sliced chunks of flesh from Jasper's face in the same manner he did with Casper.
The room spun around me as my vision blurred. I felt like I was going to pass out, but the feeling of torment gushing through the bond kept me grounded in reality. My stomach rolled at the sound of hissing and grunts of pain that came from my dark mage. He didn't make a single sound otherwise, he just death-stared Matthieu with an eerie calmness.
It felt like my heart was being gouged out of my chest, and I wished more than anything that I had my powers to stop this from happening.
But there wasnothingI could do.
Matthieu carved the last strip of flesh from Jasper's nose before he dropped his arm and stepped back, the corners of his lips quirking up in a taunting smile. "What do you think now, Fawn? Your twins aren't very pretty anymore, are they?"
My throat ached, raw from screaming, but tears drenched my cheeks like an endless waterfall.
"Let's try this again." Matthieu gave an exaggerated sigh as he stepped in front of Bastian. "I'm an emotion that can deceive, declaring to you what you want to believe. Beneath my surface, you will find, a sweet betrayal that leaves you behind..." He let the dagger fall, clattering loudly to the floor. Then he grabbed a fire crystal from his pocket with a sadistic grin as he rounded the chair Bastian was in. "What am I?"
The room was silent as Matthieu's gaze pierced mine, a challenge of sorts presented in his eyes.
I took an unsteady breath before answering, my voice barely above a whisper. "You're a lie."
Matthieu's grin widened. "Both rightandwrong."
He pressed the glistening gem against Bastian's bound and scarred hands, and an orange glow filled the room as flames burst forth, burning his flesh and melting it on contact.
