Page 68 of The Veil of Blood and Magic

Fear streaks through me. “You idiots brought me to Tamworth?”

“Is that any way to talk to your captors?” Balan shakes his head as he stomps toward me.

I try to move away, but a thick set of heavy chains rattles, and it's only then that I realize my arms are hanging above my head, chained to a thick beam of wood. I’m on my knees, ankles behind me and shackled to the beam too.

And there's something off about the metal touching my skin. Something that makes my stomach churn, makes my vision wobble.

“Silver,” I whisper, and nearly lose the contents of my stomach at the realization that they've wrapped me in the vicious substance.

One of the things that the drifter Academy excels at is making pure, undiluted silver that has only one purpose: harming monsters like me.

No wonder I feel so fucking drained.

Balan laughs, his crew joining in.

“Sorry about the chains, love,” he says, looking anything but sorry. “You see, normally I wouldn't jump to such extreme measures, but after your little display the last time we met, you can understand they were necessary.”

My eyes dart around the area as he prattles on, noticing the moon is high in the sky, its glow leaking through broken slats in the miserable shack.

A hut in Tamworth.

I should’ve killed these morons when I had the chance.

I wonder what Zev and Jagger will think when they return to our camp. I'm sure these drifters covered their tracks to make it look like I ran. And knowing Zev, that's exactly what he’ll say.

Shit. I'm going to have to try to access my magic, risk bringing the collector core down on us. But my head isn’t clear and most of my power is nullified by these damn chains.

“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance,” I manage to croak out. Even speaking takes too much effort. Breathing is hard, but I keep laboring it in as my heart pounds furiously in my chest.

Balan’s smile drops, and he backhands me so fast I don't even have time to blink. My cheek bursts with a sharp sting, my vision turning white for a second before clearing.

I spit some blood on the dirty floor, aiming for his boots.

“You got a smart mouth on you,” he says, shaking his head as he grips my hair, forcing me to meet his gaze. “I have fun teaching things with smart mouths how to be quiet.” He pulls out a small blade, dragging its sharp point through the fabric to my skin. “I normally don’t damage my bounties, but you’re going to be the exception. I’ll just tell the Collector Zev did it.”

I can’t hold back a cry of pain as the knife digs into the flesh of my stomach, not enough to kill me, but just enough tohurt.

Balan’s lips curl into a smile, his breathing excited as he cuts me on the other side. “Oh, come on, love,” he says, slicing that blade down my left arm now, from shoulder to the topside of my wrist. “I thought succubi like you loved blade games. Isn’t this getting you wet?”

Revulsion ripples over me, his desire hitting my tongue in a disgusting flavor that tells me every single thing about his intent. His eyes are lazy as he looks over me, chained up, my clothes shredding with each cut he makes.

He wets his lips, and my stomach rolls again.

I do my best to draw back, and the chains clatter around me as I slam into the wall behind me.

He laughs, glancing behind him at his buddies.

My fangs punch out painfully as the silver continues to drain me.

“Well, look at that,” he says, focusing on me again. “I didn't think you'd be strong enough to show those pretties. Maybe youreally do like the pain.” He takes a step closer to me again. “I've never had a succubus before.” He snaps his fingers, and two of his crew comes stomping over, one of them holding a vial filled with what looks like liquid silver, a sharp needle attached to the top of it.

Oh, fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

“And just so you don't get any ideas about where to put those fangs,” Balan continues as the two men hold me down. “I'm going to give you something to make you real nice and quiet.”

I struggle against their hold, kicking my legs and arms in an attempt to free myself. My heart skips erratically in my chest, taking off in a rhythm that has my fingers going numb.

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