Page 14 of Pierce

6

Jasmine

I was on fire.My shoulder was burning, exploding in pain, and I wanted to die.

The only thing I could do at first was scream in shock and agony. My whole existence centered around the torture I was going through, all centered in my right shoulder.

“Stop it!” I screamed, beating at the dark figure who hovered above me with my good hand.

It was like hitting solid rock.

He didn’t give—there was no softness to his body. He didn’t flinch, either.

“Please! You’re killing me! Please, stop!” I gritted my teeth as a shriek raced up my throat.

I could hear my voice doubling, tripling, filling the shadows with the sound of my agony.

He moved, finally, to pick up a candle and hold it close to my face.

I recoiled in fear, thinking he was doing it to burn me someplace else, on some other part of my body that he hadn’t already destroyed.

“Stop it!” he ordered in a sharp voice, and I turned my face toward his.

Dark eyes probing mine, looking for answers. Dark hair, smooth, tanned skin. A strong face. A handsome one. The face of a demon because he was torturing me and it would kill me because ohmigod, it hurt more than anything I had ever been through or could ever imagine.

“Please… please, help me. I’m dying…” I couldn’t control my whimpers of pain and panic.

I forced myself to look down at my shoulder and bit back another scream as the sight of my sizzling flesh greeted my eyes.

“I can’t understand you. You’re talking gibberish.”

Of course.

I wasn’t speaking English. He expected me to. And just like that, it all became clear. Every bit of it.

I hadn’t imagined the flight on the dragon’s back. He was the dragon, and he had dragged me to his cave or lair or whatever it was. And he thought his magical blood could heal my wounds.

It would have, if I were human.

All this went through my fevered brain in a flash before I made the deliberate switch to English.

“Please, make it stop,” I whispered, staring up at him through the tears filling my eyes.

I couldn’t stop them any more than I could stop the sizzling of my flesh where his blood had touched me.

“What’s happening?” he asked, grimacing in horror as he watched the effect his blood had on me. “I’ve never seen this before! I thought it would help you. I thought you might die if you became infected.”

“I wouldn’t have died if you hadn’t done this,” I gasped, turning my head back and forth as a fresh wave of pain tore my brain to pieces.

I would go insane before his toxic blood killed me. How could I hope to keep sane while being tortured?

“What do you mean?”

I barely managed to gasp out my answer. “I’m fae, you stupid jackass!”

His eyes flew open wide. “You’re what?”

“Fae. Not human.” I writhed in pain, which sent a fresh, stronger wave of fire running through me. “Your blood… it’s going to kill me. It’s poison to me.”

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