Page 37 of Kissed By the Sun

"Imagine," he continued, each syllable a serrated blade, "after they've had their fill, do you really think he'd ever be able to touch you again? To look at you without seeing their hands on you? Their cocks buried inside you? Their seed, dripping all over your form?"

Tears blurred my vision, but they couldn't obscure the sight of Thorn, beaten and broken on the floor, nor could they drown out the sound of his defeated groans. I realized then that this ordeal wasn't just about breaking me—it was about shattering us both.

"Stop! Please, I'll tell you everything!" The words spilled from my lips in a rush, the lie taking form even as the blood pounded in my ears. Thorn's muffled groans were a litany of despair that drove me to speak, to weave falsehoods with the hope they might shield him from further harm.

My breath hitched and sobs threatened to overtake my voice, but I pressed on. "The Moon Court...they are plotting. They crave power beyond their means, beyond their station." My gaze flickered to Thorn, his form crumpled on the cold stone like a discarded puppet, and my heart constricted with each tremor that coursed through his body.

The interrogator straightened, his interest piqued. "Go on," he prompted, a twisted eagerness lacing his tone.

"They seek...alliances," I continued, each word a stone added to the cairn of deceit I was building. "Secret pacts with entities unknown to even the stars themselves. They would do anything?—"

"Anything?" His voice was sharp, cutting through my narrative.

"Anything for dominance," I affirmed, forcing conviction into my shaky words. "They'd betray their own kind. They'd—" A sob broke free, a testament to the strain of my charade. "Please, just stop hurting him."

The interrogator mulled over my fabricated confession, his gaze flitting between me and Thorn. For a fleeting moment, I dared to hope that my desperate tale had been enough, that they would cease their cruelty and leave us be.

"Guards," he finally commanded, his eyes never leaving mine, "give her a moment to gather her thoughts. We will resume shortly."

Relief was a distant star in a sky clouded by pain and fear, but it was relief nonetheless. As the guards stepped back, withdrawing from the immediate space around Thorn, I let out a shuddering breath, my body sagging against the restraints that bit into my flesh.

"Thorn..." I whispered, unsure if he could hear me over the ringing silence that followed the interrogator's departure. "I'm so sorry." My apology was a fragile thing, lost amidst the echoes of our torment. But it was all I had left to offer.

Chapter

Eighteen

Thorn

I jolted awake,my head throbbing and the taste of blood in my mouth. The cold stone floor pressed against my cheek as I blinked, trying to orient myself in the dim light of my cell. Alone. What had happened to Senara?

We’d been imprisoned separately, men with the other male elves and I assumed her with the female elves, but then I saw her, didn’t I?

The memories crashed over me like a tidal wave, each one more horrifying than the last. Her screams echoing down the hallway as they dragged me towards her. The dread building with each step, knowing what awaited us both.

"No," I croaked, struggling to sit up. My muscles protested, reminding me of the beating I'd taken. "Senara..."

I could still see her, strapped to that table, her beautiful face contorted in agony. The fancy fuck’s words rang in my ears, like bells tolling Senara’s doom.

Perhaps we should let the guards have their way with her. I'm sure they'd enjoy breaking such a defiant beauty. She’salready practically naked, what harm could it do to let them touch her?

Break.

Naked.

Touch.

The words repeated over and over again in my mind as the other interrogator, the old, withered looking one, pulled another one of her fingernails off.

My hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms as I tried to bring myself back to the present. The rage that had exploded within me at those words still simmered beneath the surface. I'd lunged at the bastards, magic cuffs be damned. And paid the price for it.

"Damn it all," I growled, slamming my fists against the floor. The pain helped clear my head, but did nothing to ease the ache in my chest. I'd failed her. Failed to protect her, to save her from their cruelty.

What had they done to her after I'd been beaten unconscious? The possibilities made me sick to my stomach. I needed to find her, to make sure she was alright if that was even possible after what they had done to her.

But how?

I was trapped in this accursed cell, my magic bound by these annoying cuffs and my body battered.

---