Page 178 of Once the Skies Fade

“The man we have working with the humans—you’ll know him by the ink on his hands and neck. You must spare his life and the life of the woman he guards.”

“What of the others?” Asher asked, a hint of excitement in his tone.

Sasha bared her teeth and snarled, “Kill them all.”

Chapter 84

Matthias

While Graham no longer afforded me any rest, he took his time, seemingly savoring every pained roar and hollow scream that escaped me. Three of my teeth lay on the stone floor amidst the fingernails he’d already torn away, and blood pooled in my mouth, which was too dry to make spitting it out—or swallowing it—an easy task. My head lolled to the side when he finally released my chin and stepped back. Watching my chest rise and fall with my labored yet shallow breaths, I tried to distract myself from the pain by imagining what Calla would do to Graham when she eventually arrived.

Ifshe arrives…

Without fail, my mind slipped into that pit of despair, struggling to hold onto the few lingering, strained threads of hope.

“Perhaps I should take a few of your front teeth,” Graham mused. “They won’t hurt quite as much, but that cocky smile of yours—wherever it’s hiding—could stand to be impaired a little.”

My mind blanked on a response. He might as well be talking to himself with how little I cared about anything he had to say. Chained to this stars-damned chair and weakened by poison and pain, I had no chance of freeing myself. The only way I was getting out of here was if Calla arrived. Or if the humans found it in their hearts to help me out, but that was as unlikely as Graham sparing me.

“Lucky for you, though, my arms are a little sore from yanking those teeth from your head. Plus, there are better ways to harm that pretty face of yours,” he muttered, though I couldn’t tell if he was actually speaking softly or if my ears were simply trying to tune him out, focusing instead on the weak yet steady thumping of my pulse.

A blade slid against leather, creating a sound that sliced straight through my consciousness and pulled my attention back to my captor. I tilted my head slightly to shift my gaze up to Graham as he approached, but his eyes weren’t on mine. He seemed to be looking past me.

“Did you ever wonder why Emeryn had all the issues with the rebel humans while Arenysen didn’t?”

I remained still, staring back at him without blinking or shifting any muscle of my sore face. He studied me with a raised brow.

“I almost miss your feisty responses. Almost.” He took a small step forward, his knees smacking into mine. “It was rather brilliant, honestly. I brokered a deal with the rebels in our kingdom: we help ship the poison in from Dolobare and guarantee safe transport of it on the roads, and they don’t attack within our borders. Not that it worked out all that great for the rebels in Emeryn. How are human-fae relations there anyway? Did they get any better after your prince married the human? Or are they still hoping for peace?”

The mention of Connor and Lieke sent an ache through my chest, my failure as palpable as the blood in my mouth.

“I assume, since your sister remains in hiding in those woods, the fae aren’t too keen on welcoming humans back, no? Funny how something as inconsequential as ear shape could make or break someone’s place in their own society.”

He leaned in, resting his empty hand on his leg as he studied me. Once again, he grabbed my chin and forced my head up to stare at him, but this time he didn’t wrench my mouth open. He turned my head to one side and then the other, and I gritted my aching teeth as realization of his plans lit in my head, sending my gut writhing with horror.

Graham continued yammering on. “I wonder if the Emerynians would welcome you back…if you looked more like the people they despise.”

His hand flew to my ear, gripping it so tightly I worried if I jerked away it would rip the entire thing off, so I remained still—apart from my eyes squeezing closed, bracing for the heat of the blade. With my lips pressed together, I tried to contain my scream as he sliced slowly through the top of my ear, my howl coming out more like a muffled roar in the back of my throat. The longer he took, the less control I had, and before he’d even finished, my wail broke free and echoed off the stone walls.

I clamped my mouth shut again when his knife broke through the last of my cartilage.

“Look,general,” Graham growled. When I refused, he screamed. “Open your eyes!”

Not sure what he’d do if I still declined, I pried my eyelids open to glare at him. He dangled the bloody piece of my ear in front of my face before dropping it into my lap, grinning the entire time.

“Other side,” he commanded. “I’d hate for you to be left uneven.”

“Stars forbid,” I choked out. Setting my jaw, I turned my face—pushing against his hand that still gripped my chin—to offer him my intact ear. Fury raged in his eyes as I stole back the control he thought he’d gained.

Growling, he forced my head down at an angle and swiped his knife quickly through the other ear. My inevitable anguish bubbled up, but instead of coming out a scream or a groan, it manifested as a defiant laugh right in Graham’s face, earning me a swift blow to my temple that sent me into a welcome world of dark emptiness.

Chapter 85

Calla

We wasted no time. Once we were back out on the terrace—with Niko, Sasha, and several of their family watching—the Starck brothers shifted into their dragon forms. Isa and I worked together to get their saddles in place. My gut twinged uncomfortably at the memory of Matthias mocking Asher, goading him over whether he gave rides. When Asher had chased headlong into the forest after him, I’d thought surely that would be the end of the mouthy male suitor. Somehow, though, he had won over my dragon friend to the point he’d carried him through the forest and hunted down a gold coin to save not only his life but also his place in the tournament.

And now he was here, risking his own life to save him again.

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