Page 47 of Tortured

“Are you saying you couldn’t?” I pull my hands down my face, and feeling blood come away, I wipe them on my pants.

“As I pulled the light, the cells in your body tore apart one by one. You started to bleed everywhere. From your eyes, your nose, your mouth… your pores.” Riahn covers her face with her hands.

My body literally breaking apart in front of her as she sucked my light is too much for a demon? “I told you not to stop.”

“I tried to go on, but I couldn’t,” she blubbers through her hands. “You weren’t healing. You stopped healing because I was taking your light.”

I can’t stand looking at her body drenched in my blood. I grab her clothes off the ground and throw them at her. “Get dressed.”

I find my shirt and pull it on. I must be insane. Did I really want Riahn to take my light? To let her paw all over me with her filthy demon hands?

And now she’s crying?

This is not her.

“Snap out of it,” I bark.

Riahn stiffens, with her shirt hanging off one shoulder. “It’s the human in her.” She rumbles. “I don’t become emotional when drinking leads to death.”

Somewhere in the back of my head, a deep cackling begins. It grows in volume until I slump to my knees.

Is this a new form of torture? Caedryn exclaims. First pleasure and then pain!

You felt it all?

Of course. Don’t think for one moment that torture of this sort is new to me.

I didn’t do this to punish you! I yell.

Oh?

I did this to be rid of you.

Caedryn laughs again. You failed miserably!

Why did you kill her?

I have plans for her daughter.

My voice lifts into the night in a ferocious howl of misery.

“Kenrik!” Riahn grabs my shirtfront. “We’ll go now. We’ll kill him.”

Her grip pulls me back to sense. I stare into her silver irises. “No. This is something I have to do on my own.”

Kill Caedryn. At last.

Niawen is dead. I don’t owe her any promises anymore.

I’m coming for you, Caedryn. I’m coming for you!

I welcome you, princeling. Bring your fury.

I storm into camp. “Get up!” I kick at Westin. Gilmar groans.

Kian rolls upright and grabs his knife. “I am going to kill you, Seafarer!”

Westin rubs his eyes and then looks at me. “What the hell happened to you?”

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