A spark of defiance flickered in my chest despite everything. "Like kill you."
In one swift motion, he yanked me around and brought me up hard against his chest. I could smell the cologne he wore—something expensive and cloying that made my stomach churn. His face was inches from mine, his blue eyes scary as hell."Don't test me, girl. I'm the only thing standing between you and becoming a headless corpse."
His breath was warm against my face, and I could see the predatory satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. He was enjoying this—my fear, my helplessness, the complete control he had over my fate.
I bit back a retort burning my tongue and allowed him to drag me out of the dungeon, my bare feet stumbling over the uneven stone floor. Each step drove spikes of pain through my battered body, but I forced myself to keep moving.
Once again, the hallway was littered with courtiers draped in silk and velvet, their jeweled fingers glittering as they gestured dismissively. They actually turned up their aristocratic noses at me, their faces twisting with disgust as if I were something rotten they needed to dispose of. Whispers followed in our wake like poison—sharp, cutting comments in languages I didn’t understand, but their contempt was universal.
Not one of them offered me a sympathetic look, despite the angry welts marking my back and my cheek ballooning grotesquely. I could feel it swelling by the minute, the skin stretched tight and throbbing with each heartbeat. I was sure it was turning a spectacular shade of purple black by now. Dried blood still crusted the corners of my mouth, flaking off when I tried to lick my cracked lips. The metallic taste lingered, blending with the bile of fear rising in my throat.
I shivered bitterly, my arms wrapping around myself in a futile attempt at warmth and modesty. My tattered dress hung on my frame like a scarecrow’s rags, barely covering me. The fabric was torn and stained with blood and grime, offering no protection against the bone-deep chill that seemed to emanate from the very stones beneath my feet.
How had Brynn survived this place? The question haunted me as we passed another cluster of sneering nobles. I’d onlybeen here for a few days, and I was already breaking apart at the seams. She’d been here her whole life—surrounded by the cruelty, the cold indifference, the daily humiliation of being treated as less than human.
The Elder Dimension was icier than the Antarctic, a bitter chill that seeped into your bones and never left. Were all the kingdoms like this or was this particular corner of hell special in its cruelty? The air itself even felt hostile, pressing against my skin like bony fingers trying to steal what little warmth remained in my body.
My chest ached with a longing so fierce it made my eyes burn. I just wanted to go home—to feel Enzo's strong arms around me, to hear his voice saying my name with that rough tenderness that made me feel safe. But if I opened that portal, if I gave in to their demands, I'd be bringing Queen Alanna and her army of nightmares with me. I'd be delivering hell directly to everyone I loved.
The thought strangled my throat, cutting off my air, making each breath a struggle.
