Page 70 of Merciless Prince
My blood ran cold. It sounded like a woman was being tortured, all the way over on the other side of the dungeon.
I took a deep breath, did my best to swallow my dread, and got up on shaky legs. Then I slowly stepped into the darkness, heading in the direction of the sounds.
“Hello?” I called out. “Where are you?”
There was another faint scream, but still no indication that the person had heard me. After that, all the sounds died away. I couldn’t go any farther into the dungeon to investigate, because the chain around my foot only stretched about ten feet in any direction.
I returned to the pillar and slumped down, heart thumping with terror. My chain clanked against the cold ground, echoing throughout the space. That sound was followed by a series of thuds.
I sat up straight again. Someone was coming.
The heavy footsteps drew closer and closer, until a man came into view. A familiar man, with a strong angular jaw, sensuous lips, and dark, tousled hair.
Killian.
As soon as I saw his treacherously-handsome face, the rest of my memories poured back in, cutting through the soupy fog in my mind.
Now I knew how I got to this awful place. Killian drugged me during the interactive horror show, right in front of the audience. No one helped me because they thought it was part of the performance. Instead they cheered and laughed as I was stabbed with a needle and dragged away.
I glared up at Killian, wishing my eyes could shoot daggers at his face.
He stared back at me with a smirk. “Hi, Shay,” he said, taking one step closer. “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” I spat out.
“To tell the truth.” He knelt in front of me and stroked a fingertip down my cheek, sending unwanted tingles down my spine. “You’ve been hiding a lot from me, haven’t you?”
“No. I have nothing to say to you,” I said, yanking my head back and lowering my gaze to the dirty floor. I hated how his touch affected me. Hated how easily my body responded to it despite the pure hatred I felt for him.
“I think you do.” Killian drew back and rose to his full height. “I know you weren’t alone when you spied on me in the grotto. There was someone else with you.”
My eyes widened and snapped up to meet his. He grinned and let out a low chuckle. “I knew it,” he said. “If it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t look so shocked right now, would you?”
I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. “I only look like this because I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, mustering up every ounce of confidence I had to keep my voice from quavering.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he replied, lips turning up in a sneer. “I want the name of the friend you were with that night. Or friends. We can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. Your choice.”
“I can’t give you a name that doesn’t exist,” I said, lifting a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “I was alone.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s true. I found that weird tunnel by myself when I left the party to get some fresh air. Then I went inside it and watched you in the grotto.Alone.”
“I can tell when you’re lying, Shay,” Killian replied, voice dripping with contempt. “I thought an actress would be good at it, but you make it so fucking obvious.”
I looked up at him again, narrowing my eyes. “I’m not the liar here.Youare,” I said. “I know you’re bluffing. You have no idea if I was really alone or not that night. If you did, you’d have proof. But you clearly don’t because you’re down here trying to play bad cop with me. That means all you really have is my word. And I say I was alone.”
Killian nodded slowly, lips pressing into a flat line. “Okay. You’ve got me there. I don’t have any solid evidence that anyone was with you,” he said. “But I know it’s true, and I’m going to get those names from you one way or another.”
“There are no names. I was alone,” I said stubbornly, folding my arms.
Killian smiled. There was no mirth in his eyes, though. They were as cold as ever. “Like I said before, this can be easy for you, or it can be hard. I think you know what I mean.”
I gnawed on the inside of my cheek for a moment. Then I drew my knees up and hugged my legs, making myself look as small and vulnerable as possible. “Fine,” I muttered, looking down. “I’ll tell you the truth.”
He frowned. “Speak up.”
“I said I’ll tell you the truth,” I repeated in a soft tone, hoping to draw him closer to me.
