Kingsley still wouldn’t tell us exactly what happened. Other than Hyperion appearing with another Fae female—dead, from what we’d found, thanks to Ivy’s lightning—andOrion bleeding out, Kingsley hadn’t opened up about everything Dante revealed to them.
And there was definitely shit he’d said. Otherwise, Kingsley wouldn’t be drowning himself in demon wine and guilt.
I scrubbed a hand over my face and turned away from the Elysian city at the smell of vanilla and blood. Grey appeared, emotionless and hard, in the doorway of the makeshift war room Rhadamanthus set up with the Houses of Sin’s generals.
“He’s awake,” she said, voice just as emotionless as her features. “And he demands to speak with the king.”
The demon stepped up, rolling the sleeves of his pressed white dress shirt as he did. A dark smile played at his lips, and his red eyes flashed. “Oh, this will be fun.”
I never thought I would be glad to have the Elysian King on our side, but fuck, he was right: it would be fun.
Hyperion Black wasall shades of blue and purple by the time we reached him in the dungeons beneath the palace, chained to a chair. It appeared the High Lord of the Luna Court wasn’t dead yet. I couldn’t help but wonder if Dante put a kill switch in the male’s head. How long would we have the Fae Lord for before his brain melted at the command of his coward of a king?
After whatever it was Grey had done to him, he could barely lift his head. Blood soaked his silver hair, turning it a dark shade of red. Saliva dripped from swollen lips, and once the door to his cell closed, I heard his rattling, laboured breaths, each racing beat of his heart. Not even the stench of blood could overcome the powerful fear that perfumed the air.
Fuck, Grey had done a number on him. His legs were broken precisely to do damage and cause pain without killing him. The wrong bone broken, and he’d die. But Grey knew that, and she’d done it so that even if he was given a chance to escape, he wouldn’t be able to.
Of course, I would have just taken his legs entirely if it were me. Arms too, just to be sure.
But Grey also made sure those limbs were useless, too. And based on the staining of his pants, maybe she’d torn something else off during her interrogation.
The blocks in his mind had to be strong to withstand the kind of torture she was putting him through.
Grey stepped close to the male, who immediately tried to shift away from her. Instead, he jostled some other wound. A whimpering groan passed his bloody lips, fearful and pathetic.
“I wonder,” she said, skimming a claw over his shoulder, “is this what you did to your own son?”
Anger rippled through me, but I stayed back. The male whimpered again, bloodshot eyes lifting to find mine, then Rhadamanthus’s. His features crumpled—well, as much as they could considering the damage Grey had inflicted on his face.
Grey’s clawed fingers wrapped around the High Lord’s throat, and her face contorted, the mask of indifference falling for a split moment. “Is this what your master is doing to my mate right now?”
“No,” the male choked out. Grey’s fingers tightened around his neck. It took all my strength not to walk over and rip his heart from his chest.
My breaths came hard as Grey’s eyes flickered up to meet mine. This was probably the only time where I didn’t care if she lost control, if she let the bloodlust win.
Rhadamanthus took a step towards them; Grey released the male’s throat with a snarl and moved backwards, taking up position against the wall behind his chair. The demon king stopped in front of Hyperion and finished rolling up his sleeves, revealing his tattooed forearms. A scorpion ran across his wrist, but the snake that tied him to Ivy—the brand he had given her when they’d married—remained still. Red.
“I don’t take kindly to those who call upon me,” the demon king said, voice dark. “If you think you are owed any of our time, then you are sorely mistaken. You might havethought yourself important before, but down here, you’re hellhound chow.”
As if on cue, a growl rumbled from somewhere deep in the tunnels of the dungeon. A different prisoner screamed, but it was cut off quickly, replaced by gurgling before going quiet.
Hyperion made a sound in the back of his throat. This time, it wasn’t a whimper, but a choking laugh. “He has your mate,” he said. “And you think I don’t know where she is?”
We didn’t give him any reaction. “You think you are important, and yet here you are. How long do you think you will last before he lets the bomb in your head go off?” Rhadamanthus asked, head cocked. “How long before he decides that you are also as disposable as his soldiers?”
Despite how swollen his eyelids were, he narrowed his eyes. “I’m his right hand?—”
“I’m sure he let youthinkthat,” the demon laughed, “but we all know what he does to those who stay out too long past curfew. I give you…a few more hours before your brain melts and you bleed from every crevice in your head. He has everything he needs now; Ivy, the skull, and from what I hear: your court. Why would he need you?”
I stiffened, eyes darting to the demon king, then to Grey. Her eyes remained glued to Hyperion like he was her prey…or like she was seeing something we didn’t.
“The Luna Court is locked down, but he isn’t there, you fool,” Hyperion spat, blood dribbling from his black lips. “He’s smarter than you think.”
“Or dumber. Of course he isn’t there.” Rhadamanthus waved a dismissive hand as he crossed his arms. “I heard enough, being locked out of that cottage. At least he is consistent. Coward to the core.”
The High Lord tried to bare his teeth, but all he did was reveal how badly Grey had fucked him up. I was surprised he still had a tongue.
“I have a feeling you have no idea where he is keeping her, which is why you are so desperate to make a deal now. You know you are expendable, that he will kill you, and you know ifwe get the right spells in place, we can protect you from his attacks.” The demon bowed his head. Even though he had his back to me, I had a feeling I already knew the expression playing across his features; it was probably the same as Grey and me. Disgust, rage, desperation.
