His ratty clothing and rough speech confirm it.
“Who hired you?”
“I already told the guards,” he grates. “You gonna finish me off or what?”
Killian steps closer, his large presence both calming and dominating. “Answer her,” he commands coolly.
The man grunts. “I don’t know. Whoever it was wore a mask and paid in gold. I didn’t ask questions.”
Fucking monster.
“What happens to the children that are taken?” I ask, anger boiling into rage. This man has been snatching children from their families. He could even be the one who took Saela.
“I don’t know,” the man says, gaze sliding away.
The rage flares higher inside me. I slam my hand against the bars hard enough to make him flinch. “You’re fucking lying!”
His jaw tightens. “Look, I don’t hurt ‘em, alright? They’re still alive when I hand ‘em over to the buyer.”
I turn to Killian in silent appeal. I don’t know what to do.
The prince’s gaze is flinty, his mouth pressed into a firm, furious line. Without a word, he produces a key and unlocks the cell. Then, he takes the pliers from the table and steps inside.
The fear in the Nabber’s eyes fills me with dark satisfaction. Killian lifts the pliers and applies them carefully to the nail of the prisoner’s left index finger.
Killian’s voice is low and dangerous. “What happens to the children?”
The Nabber starts to shake, swollen lips trembling. “I d-don’t know!”
His scream echoes off the walls as Killian wrenches the fingernail nail from its bed of flesh.
Fuck.
I’ve never seen Killian like this before. I had no idea he could be so… brutal.
He leans threateningly over the prisoner and an unexpected spark lights in my veins at the sight of this refined man resorting to untamed violence on my behalf.
“Let’s try this again,” Killian says softly, placing the pliers against another fingertip. “What. Happens. To. The.Children?”
“P-please… I d-don’t?—”
Another scream rends the air, raising the hair at my nape and making my heart pound. Killian lifts the pliers, holding theprisoner’s pain-glazed eyes as he lets the bloodied nail drop to the floor.
“Eight left,” the prince drawls. “Then we start on the toes.”
“They’ll kill me!” the man cries.
Killian tips his head to one side, dark blond hair falling into his steely blue eyes. He looks like a vengeful god. “You think I won’t?”
The man starts to cry, tears making clean tracks over his bloodied cheeks. “Alright! We t-take the kids to an abandoned warehouse in the Southern Quarter!”
“And then what?” Killian demands.
“The masked person takes them from there and moves them out of the city. Th-that’s all I know, I swear!”
I push into the cell, coming to stand next to Killian. “Which warehouse is it?” I cut in. “On what street?”
He gives us the address through hitching sobs.
