Page 9 of Taken By Touch and Torment

I wasn’t the only succubus in Durian’s palace.

5

RUNE

“Icome bearing gifts,” Uriah said.

I turned. A cold gust of wind lifted Uriah’s blond hair. He grinned, lifting two severed heads into the air. He sent them rolling across the dead grass toward me.

Venn and Lorelei. Notorious born twins that had escaped execution during the war. Cruel, vicious fighters. No doubt connected to the slave trade and in Durian’s favor.

Or, were.

These gifts would’ve pleased me. If I was still capable of experiencing pleasure.

I wouldn’t feel any semblance of gratification until Scarlett was safe and back where she belonged. And even then, I might torture myself forever for what I’d allowed to happen to her. I’d broken all of my promises. To protect her, to keep her safe from even one more violation of her body and mind. To never let her go.

This was by far my greatest failure in my everlasting life. And I would never forgive myself.

I checked my invisible leash for her life force every couple minutes. It was the only thing keeping me from exploding and damning the entire realm. When her pulse was rapid and erratic, I had to fight the immeasurable urge to go straight to the border and rip apart every single born on my path to her.

I eyed the severed heads for one more second before silently walking past Uriah and toward the back castle doors. His smile had long fallen. When his hand closed over my shoulder, I paused, going rigid.

“We’ll get her back, Rune.” He lowered his voice. “Remember she’s not defenseless. She’s more than human.”

My fists clenched. My shadows threatened to leak. “Barely. She has no idea how to wield her magick, and her body remains completely vulnerable.”

“You’ve always told me how resourceful she is. Intelligent. Cunning. She’s a survivor, just like you.”

Speaking about her was doing little to calm me. Yet, I didn’t want to talk about anything else. Save for how to best wipe the born from the face of the fucking earth.

Scarlett was everywhere, inescapable. Her soft laughter carried in the wind, and her piercing blue eyes overpowered my vision every time I glanced at one of my paintings and sculptures. Sometimes I heard her whispering something witty or bratty or hauntingly profound as if she were still beside me—as if she’d never left.

Though I refused to go anywhere near my library, I’d already ordered my attendants to rebuild the room of music. I needed everything to be perfect for Scarlett when I brought her home.

Uriah and I didn’t exchange another word all the way to the deliberation room, where I stepped onto the small dais overlooking my inner circle. Light trickled through tall windows behind me, warm on the back of my neck. On the grand oval table sat chalices of blood, maps, and war plans.

Mason was no longer standing with me and Uriah. She was lost in the crowd. I couldn’t stand to look at her right now. She’d not only been dead wrong about Scarlett, but she’d also still pressed the witnesses of Scarlett’s kidnapping for evidence that Scarlett had gone willingly. I knew Mason had only been trying to protect me—to protect the clan. But presently, I didn’t give a shit. Whether or not it was rational, I couldn’t help but charge her with partial blame for allowing the other half of my soul to be ripped away from me.

“The kingdom has gone silent,” I said. “The dignitaries were supposed to arrive this weekend, but now that they’re meeting with Durian, we’re not sure if the timing remains the same. Last we heard, clans of turned in Ravenia have risen from the underground. Uprisings are occurring all over the realm, and King Earle is losing his mind even more rapidly now that he’s declared war on them all. Dissenters in his court and on his council have scattered.”

I didn’t let them see my brokenness. Not a single crack. I spoke to my inner circle as if nothing had happened. As if nothing mattered to me more than keeping Valentin firmly under our jurisdiction and obliterating the born.

“Doesn’t the kingdom need us now more than ever?” one of my younger commanders asked, referring to our weapons and magickal goods exports. He’d arrived from the front lines hours ago and would be returning soon. “They’re jeopardizing one of their greatest assets. What could Durian have possibly said to change Earle’s mind?”

“When I faced Durian in Hatham, he was cocky. Calculated. I suspect he’s been in communication with Earle for months now, whispering in his ear and feeding his madness. By virtue of being born, he has comradery with Earle that no turned will ever attain.”

No matter how many centuries I ruled Valentin, infinitely better than any born king ever had, Earle would still only ever consider me a bastard. In Earle’s ancient age, it wouldn’t have surprised me if Durian had managed to radicalize him to his religious fanaticism with ease. Earle had a legacy to uphold, and he was likely more paranoid than ever with his own turning against him.

“We must turn our attention to the mortals and turned clans in greater Ravenia now. If we’ve lost the kingdom, then we need strong allyship elsewhere,” I said.

Gina stepped forward, cloaked in black. She corresponded with my eyes and kept tabs on the kingdom through her vast network of connections. Her shadow magick was a great asset to the clan. She was able to charge her shadows with following and listening to unsuspecting enemies. The other eyes had similarly useful gifts for spying and subterfuge.

“I’m already in contact with rising leaders in Ravenia’s turned clans,” Gina said. “As well as a key informant formerly in Earle’s court. Durian’s religious resurgence is a plague, and it’s been spreading rapidly among the born. Protections for mortals are diminishing in all of Ravenia. The slave trade only grows. But we are not alone in our fight—the other turned clans are not merely the criminals and anarchists that Earle has made them out to be. They are more like us than not. They want the born out of power and the mortals to be able to live freely.”

I watched as the mood of the crowd shifted, eyes lighting up. I let them have this morsel of hope. Even if the unspoken truth at our throats was that the most powerful force in the realm was Earle and his army. If they were against us… well, it was best not to imagine that outcome. It was wise to soothe ourselves with the knowledge that at least Earle would prioritize his numbers and strength in his own kingdom. We technically didn’t know for certain he was going to send a legion of born to fight with Durian to take back Valentin.

It helped no one to say the worst-case scenario out loud, not now that the war had begun. It was better to be prepared for anything, but still teeming with hope. Our once-human hearts depended on it.

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