“You insane bitch,” he muttered.
Tears streamed down my face from how hard I laughed. Maybe I was aninsane bitch. I definitely felt crazy. Who laughed in the face of their captor? Not someone mentally stable, I was sure of that.
But I wasn’t exactlystable. Zephyr knew that. And it was probably the best-case scenario for Dante. Now, he had proof Iwasn’t worthy of being Queen. That one week with him and a dead mate could break me.
The laughter died on my lips, and I fell silent, eyes locking on the vampire’s. His throat bobbed as he stepped back, a flash of something else entering his gaze.
A lump formed in my throat, but I refused to break eye contact. Fuck him. Fuck his king. Fuck all the creatures who followed him. Numbness replaced the pain, but I’d wanted to feel something again. And for a moment, I had. Even if it meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Getting slapped and turning into aninsane bitchprobably wouldn’t amount to anything, but at least Dante and his men would have a good laugh later.
Zephyr sighed. “Get up.”
“No.”
The vampire growled. He was on me fast, hand curling around my upper arm as he hauled me to my feet. I felt something in my shoulder give, the raw flesh of my back, still not fully healed, pulling in pain.
I grunted as he slammed me into the wall, that pain exploding down my spine, making my toes tingle. “You might be safe for now,” he hissed, “but as soon as he has your power, you’ll be dead. And no one is going to stop them from having their way with you.”
A cold chill rolled down my spine. My breath lodged in my throat as I took in the feral, dark look in his eyes. For a moment there, I’d thought him maybe a mindless follower. But there was something actuallyevilabout the way he met my eye. In the curl of his lip as he sneered. In the tightening of his hand.
I wasn’t naive. And I doubted Dante had any morals. So, I wasn’t stupid enough to wonder what he meant by that.
But I was curious about what he meant bysafe for now.I’d expected more…violence. Especially after my last vision. Even now, his grip on my arm hurt, but he could have beat me almost to death. Could have stuck his fangs in me and bled me dry.
“Why haven’t you actually hurt me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
For a moment, the mask slipped. His lips twitched with confusion, but he pulled back with a shake of his head. “The King doesn’t want you harmed. You’re no good to him bleeding out.”
It made no sense. What did they know that I didn’t?
“But once he has my power, it’s fair game?” I snorted. “Yeah, I’m not buying it.”
Zephyr growled. He shoved me further into the wall, causing the metal collar to bite into the back of my neck. “Just be thankful the Seer knows how to lie for you.”
With that, he dropped me. My legs were too weak to hold me up, so I slid to the cold, stone ground with a huff. The vampire didn’t bother looking back as he stormed out of my cell.
Only briefly did I get a look at mymate.
The one who betrayed me worst of all.
He didn’t even look at me. I could still taste his kiss bitterly on my lips. Could still feel him pressed against me.
The door slammed shut, a chill racing through me as whatever runes holding me captive activated with his departure, trapping me once again in a prison made just for me.
The fieldof soft green grass opened around me. My eyes strayed to the pond of sparkling blue water. Today, a large tree sat at the water’s edge, long limbs hanging over the rippling surface of the pond. A rope dangled from a thick branch, swaying in a ghostly breeze.
I stepped out of the tunnel that was sleep and into the field, letting go of my confrontation with the vampire and embracing the dream world that allowed me a chance to seehim.
Maybe it was the only reason why I wasn’t totally broken yet. These brief moments with Ry, a secret my dreams allowed me to have, were the only escape from the pain.
Today, he waited for me in the pavilion. The table, rather than set with a drink tray, now had a lavish meal set up. There were cakes and other sweet treats to one side, the other filled with sandwiches and roasts. My mouth watered immediately. Even a dream was better than the slop transported to me in my cell. And it smelled a hell of a lot better, too.
Ry smiled, eyes bright as I made my way towards him. My gear disappeared, quickly replaced with a dark blue sundress. The hem brushed the top of the grass swaying against my calves. Once again, my feet remained bare.
My mate stepped out from the protection of the pavilion and held out a hand to me. “You look stunning.”
My cheeks warmed as I placed my hand in his. “Thank you.” And he looked even better; there was something about a man who looked like he’d stepped out of a period piece that made me swoon. Ry wore a white button-down that was open at the chest, with billowing sleeves cuffed at the wrists.
Today, he had no scars marring his flesh. Just pale, moonlit skin unblemished by his terrible past. There was no sign of the daggers that struck him in the cottage. No wound from his father’s shadows as they sliced through his chest.
