sounded familiar.
It was hard to understand what was happening. Talon knew that he had no clue what was going on, could remember nothing, and didn’t even know where he was.
“He’s awake,” came a soft whisper. Those two words made his stomach churn.
“Ah, he is, isn’t he, dear brother?” The pleasant voice was veiled with malice. Turning his head away from them, Talon opened his eyes and took in his surroundings, knowing that playing dead was useless. The walls were damp and the air was filled with a metallic taste that made his mouth dry.
So much blood, he thought, the glaring light calming enough in his vision that he could see around him. The walls were thick stone, grime, dirt and blood covering everywhere but the two frail creatures that stood over him.
Red eyes gleamed in the dimness. Talon felt his body stiffen, unbelieving. Their white hair was slicked back, thin enough that he could see the gleaming baldness of their scalps. The two men looked exactly the same.
The only thing that Talon knew about them was their names.
Auro and Lyne. Twins of darkness, bearers of pain, and the only—and last—people that would ever make him feel pain.
“I cannot wait to begin,” said Auro, his voice sleek yet scratchy.
“I was supposed to go first!” Lyne exclaimed from beside him, eyes flashing. “It was I that found him, so I should have the right to go first.”
Lyne’s hand dropped to his leg, the nails digging into his flesh. As if to prove his claim of Talon, his nails scored him, leaving a deep gash that broke through his dark jeans. Talon gasped, struggling against the shackles at the pain.
In the back of his mind, a feeling of deja vu warned him that this had all happened before, that he knew more than he thought he did about the men who loomed over him. His eyes strained to understand while his mind followed suit.
What did they want with him? He fought against the shackles, fear sliding down his spine. This wasn’t right, wasn’t sane…the thoughts in his head weren’t his own. He could feel what they wanted to do to him, could hear every nasty thought the bastards were thinking.
The fear he felt when Auro brought his hand down to his arm, nails tearing up his skin, blood trickling down his arm and leg, was overwhelming. The brothers—there was no doubt in his mind that they were otherwise—smiled likely, wrenching their hands.
Shocked, pained, Talon cried out, back bowing as he tried to pull away from them. It was foolish to do so; the movement only proved to make the pain worse. They laughed, snickered, and brought up their second hand in unison. The brother’s red eyes connected, and they leered at each other.
“Together, brother,” Auro said, his hand seeming to be the handle to the puppet as Lyne brought his hand down at the same time.
“Together,” Lyne murmured, a soft smile of adoration coming over his face as his gaze connected with Auro’s, a second before the twin set of nails scored his skin. He jerked, hands flexing, imagining the flow of their blood between his hands as his body arched from the pain.
A soundless gasp left his lips—he was ashamed. To show these monsters what he felt, that he was scared…It would be a shame to any man. The cool liquid of his blood caused shivers to run along his arms and legs, the sadistic pleasure the men were taking only causing to make the pain that much more unbearable.
His body drew taut as they sighed with pleasure. Auro took his hand away and brought it to his lips, his eyes gleaming. Talon tried to look away, but the sight was too gruesome for him not to.
He shuddered with agony, the pain in his leg and arm growing so numb that he gagged. Fighting harder against the restraints, he kicked out and shouted. Talon stared Auro right in the eye, and Lyne reached over and yanked his head to the side by his hair.
“You will respect him,” Lyne snarled, his other hand still embedded in Talon’s flesh. The howl of the wind and his ragged breathing clouded his ears. Flakes of snow drifted into the room. His skin prickled.
“I respect no man, especially you,” he said hoarsely, breath coming out in a rush as pain rushed into his arms and legs with renewed force.
In retaliation, Lyne dragged his hand up Talon’s leg, pulling the tanned flesh apart. Talon shouted, head slamming back