Page 78 of The Sacred and the Tormented

He’d convinced her that Kirian was dead. He’d shown her images of her sister’s blood on her hands. Of Rion lying in the dirt, his vacant eyes staring up at a gray sky.

She’d seen her beautiful city burn to the ground, the flowers scorched and stone crumbling. He’d shown her that she was the one to do it.

The High Lord had convinced her that she was utterly alone and like a fool she’d believed him. He’d broken throughher mental barriers more times than she could count. And each incident allowed him to sink deeper. To taint more.

Ellie took another steadying breath then tilted her head up. Kirian loosened his hold, but kept his hands around her arms, as if he were trying to reassure her he was here.

How many times had he done that now? Were any of the bruises lining his body her fault?

Ellie moved her hand and noticed the chains that held her. Thick iron manacles drowned her thin wrists and heavy chains connected to a pair of anchors bolted into the stone at the rear of their cell. They hadn’t given her enough lack to reach the door.

The metal rubbed against her bruised bones. She remembered those. She’d tried to yank on the chains in an attempt to break them. And she’d done it for hours, refusing to give in until Kirian pulled her into his arms to quell her rage.

Ellie’s gaze drifted to the single shackle locked around Kirian’s ankle. She crinkled her nose at the swollen joint. He pulled his food beneath him to hide it.

“What happened?” she asked, a strange bit of hysteria creeping into her tone.

“Nothing for you to worry about.”

She tried to pry his foot out to get a better look, but Kirian held her firm. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“They did that because of me, didn’t they?” It was always because of her. His left eye was still bruised, though it had shifted to a yellowish color. There were still nearly black fingerprints around his arms. Those didn’t even include the ones she couldn’t see. He wouldn’t even be in this situation if it weren’t for his involvement with her.

No, he’d be worse off. He’d be dead.

Or maybe he’d be back in Levea, spending his free time with another female. One that would allow him to live a simpler life. There had been that one in school that—

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop thinking it. I’m fine.” He shifted her so she was sitting up more and Ellie winced from the movement. “Do you think you can eat?” Ellie shook her head, but Kirian reached for a bowl anyway. She tried not to look at the contents. The very smell made her stomach turning. “I know it’s not the best, but it’ll help keep up your strength.”

Ellie relented and drank the water first, thankful, despite the sour smell. Then she took a single bite of the gruel. Her entire body shuddered in response. It nearly resurfaced, but Ellie forced it down. Kirian was right, her body needed the nutrition. She couldn’t allow her strength to wane, not if she hoped to fight off the High Lord.

Another shuddering breath rippled through her as she struggled to collect herself. Kirian made to brush her hair away from her face and Ellie snatched his wrist. He winced and she quickly released the swollen area.

She clenched her teeth. They’d hurt him. Again. She’d obeyed, hadn’t she? She’d let the High Lord rifle through her mind, doing as he pleased with whatever information he found there.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and Ellie ran a gentle finger over the raised skin. “They promised to leave you alone.”

Kirian offered her a weak smile. “It’s okay. The guards were just frustrated. I wasn’t taken anywhere.”

A fresh wave of helplessness washed through her.Shemight be able to survive the torture and pain. She was Fae. She would heal but Kirian’s bruises from when they’d first arrived were still yellow. His ribs were still sensitive and despite howmuch he tried to hide it, Ellie caught him wincing whenever he moved.

Just like a human.

Just last month, he’d shown her he was capable of using magic. He wasn’t able to summon much more than a handful of water, but it’d given her hope that he might have inherited more aspects from his Fae heritage.

But watching the way his body was healing had her facing the painful truth. Kirian was far more human than she’d ever allowed herself to believe.

Tears burned her already swollen eyes. If they took things too far—If they punished him too much—Ellie’s voice cracked. “What are we going to do?”

“Hey,” he pulled her into a tight embrace and she listened to the steady rhythm of his beating heart. A lullaby that promised hope where she saw none. “It’s going to be okay, you’ll see. We’ll get through this just like everything else.”

He honestly believed it.

Ellie gave a breathless laugh that held no mirth. “We’ve never faced anything like this.”

“Myrna can be pretty scary.”

Ellie appreciated his attempt at humor, but it only caused a fresh wave of tears to rattle through her body. She just wanted to rest. She just wanted this nightmare to be over.

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