Page 103 of Of Mercury and Mist

I reached for him, and he lowered the crown. The spikes threaded through my hair and prickled my scalp. Samuel beamed at me and wiped my skin with his thumb, pulling it back to reveal a crimson smear. He licked it and then covered my mouth with his own, kissing me deeply.

Hand in hand, he turned us to face the crowd and Elijah stopped before us, passing the glass he’d filled to the man by my side. “Congratulations, Samuel. May all your days be rewarding.”

Samuel lifted the drink to his lips before passing the glass to me. I took a swallow as the two men watched.

“What is this?” I asked, feeling the remnants of the liquid on my tongue. It tasted sweet, though slightly metallic. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not.

Elijah answered, his gaze tracking to the far side of the room before returning with a hint of amusement, “Ceremonial wine.”

His deep gaze made me uncomfortable and as if he sensed it, Samuel squeezed my fingers, “Come, many guests would love to speak to us.”

The noise on the other side of the room increased in volume and I twisted my head.

The crowd parted and there on the far side of the room, tangled in chains and restrained by men stood a figure from my dreams.

THIRTY-SIX

Micha

“Ashley,” my voice bellowed across the room.

She twisted and turned, a crown of razors gracing her beautiful head. Her face was streaked with blood, a crystal glass in her hand which fell to the floor the second her eyes found my own. Her mouth gaped open, recognition flashing through her features.

The blond demon at her side grasped her upper arm as she struggled. Her lips formed my name, heavy with question as she said, “Micha?”

Diego strolled to the couple before directing them forward. “That’s far enough,”" he stated.

Ashley was close enough to touch as she tilted her head, confusion clouding her face. The demon I knew was Samuel, glared at me, eyes bright with fire and warning, daring me to make a move.

“I will get you out of here,” I told her. "If it's the last thing I do.”

“Micha?" she repeated, shaking her head. “Aren’t you dead?” Her eyes turned glassy as her gaze sought the very spot she’d punctured my heart.

“No, angel,” I replied. “Even if you’d killed me, I’d still come for you. My soul would find yours.”

She glanced up at Samuel. “There's a such thing as ghosts,” she said. "Why didn't you tell me? I don’t like this dream.”

Not even Josiah and I had drugged anyone to this degree. Horror filled me at how far gone she was. “Stop drugging her,” I growled at Samuel. “If you care about her at all, you’ll protect her.”

Ashley giggled, reaching to swat me before he yanked her hand back. “I’m fine, he takes good care of me. I feel good. Don’t you?” She glanced up at the man holding her back.

He kept his eyes on me, wisely not trusting me. “I do, love,” he answered her. “And I always will,” he added, a vicious smirk tugging the corner of his mouth.

“Enough of this nonsense. Take him away,” Diego ordered. “Waste of time,” he muttered.

The soldiers dragged me backward, the heels of my shoes rubbing against the floor with a squeal. Trying to dig in did nothing but shoot shocks of pain through my body. Breathing through it, I managed the best I could, still fighting for freedom and keeping Ashley in sight.

She stared, Samuel prodding at her with displeasure, until I could no longer see her.

The doors shut behind us with finality and they dropped me to the floor, my vision swimming when my head hit the cold stone.

I shut my eyes, and I was lifted into the air, giving me a brief respite from the blinding pain. After an elevator ride, I was deposited into a cell, the arms holding me above heads suddenly disappearing. As I lay there, I watched a trickle of blood flow into a rivulet on the roughhewn floor. The gate shut with a clanking sound, and I sat up, fingering a gash in my eyebrow.

Scooting across the floor, I stopped when I felt the wall. I was in the bowels of the castle, in one of the same cells I used to torture prisoners. I knew what lay beyond the bars of my new home, I knew the horrors and degradation that awaited in the chambers beyond these confines, just a few, short steps away. Not once did I imagine I’d be subject to the torture I’d met out.

The hours I spent studying before my arrival would not be spent in vain. Time was running out, as evidenced by Ashley’s deterioration and I’d need to utilize everything I’d learned. Her mind and sanity were hanging on by the frailest of threads, so I quickly set to work.

As expected, the cell was protected by multiple protective spells, a thick coating of magic encased the block, sealed with my own signature. The holdover from older days would prove useful in unwinding the vibrations ensnaring me.

---