Page 44 of What Lies Within Blood & Heirs

Alora’s hand tenderly flattened to his chest, hoping it was as soothing as she meant it to be.

“They,” a tear slipped down his cheek, “took turns.”

Some distant echo rippled in her mind. He had said in that first annulus,‘The High King and a few others … he allowed to take their,’—she couldn’t breathe—couldn’t breathe—‘desires and pleasures from me …’

Garrik cleared his throat. “Some brought weapons. Magnelis urged others to demonstrate what new horrors the smiths had concocted. Whoever forced me unconscious the slowest wonsomething as simple as a glass of wine or … a night with me to enact whatever their perversions manifested. And if anyone interfered…” He shook his head as his eyes went distant. “Magnelis expected Thalon to be by his side on nights such as this.”

Thalon had to watch.He couldn’t do anything?—

“I would not allow him to. Any of them,” Garrik interrupted and drew in a deep, trembling breath before continuing. “Shehealed me countless times that night. When I was close to death but the entertainment was too short-lived. After hours of my suffering, the final event began.”

It was becoming harder for him to speak, she realized. His breathing labored.

With pain behind his eyes, Garrik closed them, shuddering as if the memory cracked something inside him. “The High King allowed my death then. To their greatest pleasure in my blood and screams, Magnelis sealed my fate. I endured his thousand cuts with what I knew would be my last breaths. Only I did not know it would be the last tether of power holding closed the doors to my mind’s stronghold.

“He ended my worthless life. My shield tore entirely. I was to be a testament to their magic-washing abilities. Their greatest triumph, conquering the Lord of Minds. And she was at last able to perform her worst.

“Her venom surged through my veins, as it had countless times. Only this time, her magic slithered through my mind—my eyes—changing them permanently. I felt every bit of myself slip away. My mind screamed, but my mangled body was hopeless to fight. Her darkness intruded inside, my eyes sucked of their color, creating the silver-eyed savage Elysian hates. I was her greatest masterpiece for seventeen Blood Years. A demon Made for Magnelis’s will. And I could not do a starsdamn thing about it. Trapped inside a monster, my mind was not my own. Mythoughts, will, actions, my body … were all controlled and used by that of who Made me.”

Unimaginable pain rippled across his features.

And she thought she imagined it, but those were screams—bloodcurdling screams—echoing around them. Thousands of voices, dying, pleading for mercy before the slice of iron rang or the bone-shattering crack of spines resounded.Garrik’s memories… somehow, she knew they were hismemories.

In that moment, Aiden and Thalon’s words finally made sense.

‘Forced mistakes.’

‘That wasn’t the real Garrik.’

‘Garrik didn’t decide to do a bloody thing.’

‘He was my brother held captive.’

‘Garrik would’ve never done that if he could’ve stopped himself.’

Burning tears filled her eyes. One escaped, swift and brutal, down her cheek. And that horror—thatshame—boiled from her heart as she breathed, “You’re not at all who I thought you were.” Lips quivering, she said, “I’m so sorry for the way I treated you. For … for everything.” Even as the words escaped, she knew no amount would ever be enough. How could she ever make it up to him? How could she?—

“You could not have known.” His gaze settled somewhere behind her, somewhere distant. “I was who they Made me to be. Elysian—you knew nothing but the bloodshed, the savage beast that I am.”

Even now. Even after everything he’d shared. What terrors and torture he went through …

Always the male to take the blame. But none of it was his fault.

So, she whisked her thumb over his heart, and whispered, “What they did to you…”It wasn’t your fault,speaking to thespace between them—his mind—where he needed to hear it the most. And she had no words left. Could only shake her head, could only offer, “I’m so sorry.”

His eyes flickered to her, and he brushed a tear from her face.

She wondered if what was on her face reflected on his; Terror. Surprise. A hint of undying rage.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he murmured, a little too sternly that she knew he meant it, no room for argument.

But she did have something to be sorry for.

Not just for that star-shaped scar on his chest but for every time he had tried to show her who he truly was. For every time she had flinched away. All the awful words. The skepticism that he was agoodmale. For what she had said to Aiden in the arena when he was at Brennus’s camp,pretendingto be who they had Made him to be.

All of it. Every terrible action against him and word and thought.Everything.

Alora rasped, “Thank you for what you did for us.” For Elysian. For his family. For her.

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