chose to be tortured so the other wouldn’t have to be? Now that’s true devotion, don’t you think? We drained them time and time again, and they still wouldn’t turn on one another. It was truly admirable. Dumb, really, in the end, because look at them. Neither escaped interrogation, but they just refused to be the cause of the other’s pain.”
I feel sick at Adriel’s declaration, and Lachlan and Keegan hold on to each other tighter.
“Would you have made the same choice, pet? Would you do everything that you can to keep someone you care about from getting hurt?”
My stomach drops as I realize that Adriel is going to fucking torture them to force my hand. Panic rises inside of me, and I frantically try to think of a way to get all of us out of this.
“Come here, Vinna,” Adriel commands.
I glare at him with all the hate and loathing I feel right now, because I can’t think of a fucking thing I can do to stop whatever he’s about to do. Either I give him what he wants and everyone suffers under the wrath of a psycho with too much power, or I watch as he tortures Lachlan and Keegan.
“Come here, or I will kill one of them right now,” he bellows like a spoiled little brat, and I move toward him, even though every instinct I have rebels against it.
I approach him and mentally roundhouse the smirk he’s wearing right off his fucking face. Normally, pulverizing someone in my head helps me, but right now it just makes me feel fucking helpless because I can’t do shit. I reach his side, and he smiles up at me. I debate if I were to punch him right now whether or not it will connect, but I know who he’ll punish if I even try it. I clench my teeth and stare at him, promises of pain radiating from my gaze, but he just looks amused by it.
Adriel rises from his throne and casually moves to stand behind me. It makes my skin crawl to have him at my back, and when I turn to keep him in my line of sight he tsks at me.
“Face your family, Vinna. I want you to have a clear view of who you’ll be hurting if you refuse me. I breathe faster as adrenaline starts to surge inside of me and fear trickles up my spine. I turn to look at Keegan and Lachlan, and Adriel steps closer to me until his chest is skimming my back. I quickly scan the rest of the room to find a couple sets of guards and Siah standing off to the side at attention. His eyes are fixed on a wall, but the tic in his jaw is prevalent.
Adriel sweeps my tangled mess of hair from my right shoulder to my left, and I go rigid from his unwelcome touch. I close my eyes for a moment and try to calm myself down. I try to convince my body that we can’t fight or flee and to breathe through his too close proximity and the alarms caused by his breath on the back of my shoulder. I open my eyes to find Lachlan’s enraged gaze and tears dripping down Keegan’s face.
“I’m going to feed from you now, Vinna. There’s no point in fighting me. If you do, they will get hurt. If I have to pin you down to taste your secrets, I will, but if you force me to do that, I’ll let my elite have some fun with you while you watch your family suffer. Understood?”
I don’t answer him; I just keep my eyes trained on Lachlan and Keegan and fight the scream that’s building in my chest.
“Vinna, don’t,” Lachlan shouts out, but I close my eyes and will myself not to move as his protest echoes around the room.
I can feel Adriel waiting to strike at my shoulder, and I know the sick fucker is reveling in the fear and anticipation. He moves in closer, and just when I expect to feel fangs piercing my skin, a blue shield explodes out of the runes on my shoulder, and it sends Adriel flying back. Pain ricochets inside of me from the unexpected flare of magic, and I swallow a pained groan and try to stay on my feet.
Adriel’s furious roar fills the black, polished stone room, and his guards spread out like they’re preparing for a battle. I turn just in time to