and try to get my feet under me as I’m dragged out of the cell and down the hallway. Lachlan is once again being carried in front of me, but he looks even worse. I don’t know if they’re still torturing him or if this is the physical manifestation of his grief over losing his mate, but he looks like he’s going to die at any minute. I can’t turn to see if Becket, Siah, and Sorik are right behind me, but there’s an occasional grunt as one of them gets hit and told to move faster.
The tall black doors I wish I would never see again are opened, and I’m once again brought into the polished, black stone room. It’s like deja vu from fucking hell because Adriel is once again perched on his throne as Lachlan and I are thrown at his feet. Becket stumbles forward after clearly being pushed, and when he gets his feet under him, he reaches down and helps me up. I activate the runes on my ring finger and try not to wince from the pain. Lachlan is staring dead-eyed at nothing, so I just leave him to whatever world he’s found in his head that keeps him far away from what’s happening here.
“What’s going on?” Adriel demands when Sorik and Siah are pushed forward to join Becket and me.
“We found these two discussing how they need to get them out of here while you’re still recovering.” The guard gestures to me on the word them, and Adriel’s features grow dark.
He narrows his eyes at Sorik, and his fists tighten around the armrests of his throne. “Explain,” he demands, and he leans forward like he’s ready to pounce. I have no fucking clue what Adriel will actually do to Sorik and Siah, but I doubt it will be an enjoyable experience. I look at Sorik, hoping he has some kind of story that will get them out of this, but his features are stone-like, and there’s an air of resignation to both of them.
I learned my lesson about how Adriel operates, and I whisper to Becket to guard their backs. He moves behind Siah and faces off with Adriel’s guards as I step wordlessly in front of Sorik.
Adriel shoots up out of his throne, and we all tense at the sudden movement. “So the baby Sentinel thinks she can protect traitors in my nest?” he jeers, but he doesn’t take a step closer.
“If you ever hope to get what you want from me, then yes, I can most definitely protect them,” I counter.
Adriel raises an eyebrow at that and motions for me to go on.
“You want to be marked, and I can mark you. You can’t force me; I have to do it of my own free will, although I’m sure you’ve figured that much out by now,” I challenge. “So give me a reason to want to mark you. Torturing and murdering the ones I care about will just have me tapping into my stubborn as fuck side until I look like him.” I gesture to Lachlan who’s still lying on the ground, staring off at nothing. “You want to force my hand, but have you ever tried simply earning what it is that you want?”
Adriel’s features tighten ever so slightly, and it’s clear he doesn’t like what I’m saying. No surprise there, as he’s a jealous, entitled prick who thinks we should all just bow to his every whim.
“You can keep trying all the same tactics that you tried on the others, and when I die or escape, how long will you have to wait for your next chance? How many female Sentinels are still out there in the world? I mean, maybe you’ll get lucky and only have to wait another twenty-two years, but will she be as powerful as me?”
I decide to shut the fuck up and stop trying to sound so enticing. I want to convince him that if he lets Sorik, Siah, and Becket go, that I’ll mark him, even though I never would. I want him to convince me that he’s going to do exactly that, even though I know he’s calculating right now how to use each of them against me. Really all I need to do is keep this asshole talking so my Chosen, Aydin, Evrin, and hopefully a pack of wolf shifters can make their way inside of this place and decimate anyone who thinks like Adriel thinks.
Adriel tilts his head to the