Page 737 of Coal Hearts

“Unfortunately, that will not work for him.” Victor smiled. “He’s stubborn, you see. I’ve had the enjoyment of getting to know him quite well, and I’m afraid there’ll be no cutting corners if we wish to break him into a well-behaved jewel.”

“I will never be what you want me to be, Vic. I will never give you what you want. You’ll have to kill me—”

“See? Now that just pisses me off,” Victor snapped. “Do you truly wish to die, mon ami?” Victor spun on him. “Are you that weak? Tell me truthfully. If I shot you right here, right now. If I put you out of all the misery in your future, would you take it? Knowing full well that the moment I tossed your body into the sea, I’d do everything I’m going to do to you to Ilyana?”

Henri shuddered.

Fresh grief rolled down my cheeks. Peter gave me a heartbreaking look, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from Henri’s.

I didn’t know what I wanted.

I didn’t want him to die. I didn’t want to be in pain. But I couldn’t watch Henri be tortured. I wouldn’t survive watching a loved one be brutalised and beaten.

Maybe the Vedic astrologer was right all along.

Perhaps this was how we would destroy each other.

By loving each other so much yet being utterly helpless to protect.

My heart shattered into teeny tiny pieces as Henri’s lips quirked into a sexy half smile. Instead of submitting to Victor and accepting his new place as his prisoner, he stood so regally, so resolutely, I fell in love all over again.

“Do whatever you want to me, Vic. Play your games. Break my bones. Make me scream. I don’t care.” His gaze left mine and narrowed on Victor. “But I suggest you keep record of every lash you give me, every droplet of blood you claim, because one day I’ll do the same to you.”

A few Masters laughed.

Victor glowered. “I knew you’d be proud, my pet. But I didn’t know you’d be stupid.” Crossing his arms, he backed up. “I had planned on giving you a choice tonight. A choice of obeying me without question. If you had, I would’ve fed Ilyana your reward. I would’ve ensured she went to bed—a warm comfy bed—with a full belly. You would’ve been in pain but at least you would’ve been content knowing you provided for her.”

Henri shot me a glance. His nostrils flared. “Feed her and Peter, promise me they won’t be touched, and I’ll do whatever you ask.”

“Nope. Not tonight. You no longer get a choice.” Victor snapped his fingers. “Blind him. Gag him. Deafen him. Let’s see how he behaves after a night of no senses.”

A guard stepped forward with a black bag dangling in his hands. Marching up the stage steps, he clamped a pair of noise cancelling headphones over Henri’s ears, shoved a ball gag between his teeth and buckled it into place, then wrenched a black hood over Henri’s head.

The last thing I saw was a flash of panic in his gorgeous grey eyes before the hood hung down to his shoulders, and Victor swept out of the ballroom in a huff.

* * * * *

That night was the longest of my life.

The Masters left with their jewels. Dirty dishes were cleared away. The lights were turned off. And the sliding doors were left wide open, allowing an icy breeze to kick through the tablecloths and soak into our frozen limbs.

One a.m., two a.m., three...

No one came to unchain us.

No one offered us food or comfort.

Peter shifted from standing to sitting to lying on the wooden floor.

I followed.

I huddled in a tiny silver-clad ball, shuddering and twitching with bone-deep cold.

My teeth chattered, and I longed for the dirty, scratchy blanket from the dungeon. At least down there, we had each other. We had facilities when our bladders grew too full and a sense of safety when panic became too thick.

Somehow, the richly decorated ballroom became an even worse cell than the dew-dripping, rat-infested caves below.

We didn’t talk.