Page 62 of Road To Runes

"Do we know where she lives?" Nora turned to Shawn, and my blood ran cold. If they ransacked my home, there was no telling what they would do. They could steal every power I possessed, including what I had taken from the Bishops, and Troy's power which would destroy any chance of tracking down Romilda. Worst still, they could hurt my friends.

"Unfortunately not," Shawn said. "It was the one thing we couldn't quite nail down."

"That girl I go to school with will know," Troy said, glaring at me. "Her name's Patty or something."

"Penny, that's right," Shawn said. "She isn't currently living at the address stated on her school application, but I will be able to corner her at the university."

"You leave Penny out of this," I said.

Penny wouldn't give them the information they wanted willingly. Which meant they might do horrible things to her too to get what they wanted. I couldn't bear the thought.

Hopefully, without me there, Edward would go with her to university and keep her safe. But Shawn could still follow them home.

A thought struck me so hard I almost felt as if Thornton had electrocuted me again. The three memories that Hecate had inadvertently stolen were at the house. Did the Franklins even know they were missing yet? Either way, they were a leverage I could use. But if I drew their attention to the fact I had them, they would be even more ruthless in finding out where I lived. I had to keep that under wraps for as long as I could.

"Nobody has to get hurt," Nora said. "We just need the power back, that's all."

"You're not getting it back." I eyed Thornton out of the corner of my eye, but he didn't use the crystal. "Do you even know whathe'sdone with it?" I jerked my chin at Troy.

"How's thatyourbusiness?" Troy spat. "It'smypower."

"And one day you're going to kill enough people with it that even all your status can't save you," I said. "I'm doing you a favour, trust me."

Troy opened his mouth to speak, but Nora held up a hand to him, and he obediently silenced. All bark and no bite. Who would have thought the coward was also spineless?

"This won't end well for you if you refuse to cooperate," Nora said. "Do you understand that?"

I didn't reply, instead staring her down. I needed Troy's power too much to let them have it back, even if it wasn't leverage to help me get out of this place.

"Leave her with us, Nora," Pearl said. "We'll get the truth out of her. In the meantime, speak with this Penny."

"Oh, we shall." Nora jerked her head to toss a curtain of silver hair over her shoulder. "And rest assured, we will be far less gentle with her than you no doubt will be with Beatrix."

Nora maintained eye contact with me as she strode past the chair toward the door, Shawn and Troy trailing behind her. I glared back all the while. It was easy to act tough when your opponent couldn’t fight back.

As soon as they had shut the door behind them, Pearl took a few leisurely steps toward me. Her hands were clasped together, and the clack of her heels sent shivers up my spine with each step.

“Lucille.” The one word was all my aunt needed to stride over to the liquor cabinet and pick up a corked potion bottle.

Pearl grabbed my face and squeezed my jaw, her rings digging into my flesh as she forced my mouth open. I yanked my head back to tear myself out of Pearl’s grip, but she only squeezed harder, her nails scraping my skin.

Lucille uncorked the bottle and emptied the contents into my mouth. A little spilled over my lips and I tried to spit the mixture out, but Pearl clamped her hand down over my mouth and pinched my nose shut.

Panic rose in my throat to meet the unknown liquid. Nobody in this room saw me as anything but a tool, and I just knew that whatever potion Pearl wanted to force feed me would only end in my misery.

My eyes watered and my cheeks heated as I struggled, the oxygen depleting in my lungs second on second. I squeezed myeyes shut as Thornton held me by the back of my neck, limiting my struggles even more.

Eventually, I could do nothing but swallow the damn thing. Once the cursed concoction had gone down my throat, Pearl and Thornton released me and I made sure to cough straight at her. She grimaced and took a handkerchief out of her dress pocket to wipe her hands.

“What did you give me?” I muttered in between gasping breaths.

“Something that will ensure you never leave this house again,” Pearl said. "Take her downstairs, Thorton. We mustn’t disturb the neighbours with our...questioning."

My vision turned tunnel as Thornton yanked me to my feet and I had no choice but to stumble after him, the chains cutting into my wrists. Even after being their prisoner for so long as a child, something told me I still hadn’t experienced the lengths Pearl would go to, to get what she wanted.

Chapter 32

Pain had become front and centre in my existence. In some moments, it was theonlything that existed. But it had such variety that I couldn't even call the sensations monotonous. Sometimes a fiery sensation tore across my skin, making me feel as though my outer layers were melting off. Other times, I was wracked with electrical shocks that made every limb strain and jerk so violently that my muscles and tendons threatened to snap from each other.

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