Page 162 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

I wait until the wave of pain eases before calling out again.

“Stop,” I plead, but it’s not loud enough for anyone to hear in my room, let alone the next.

The thumping in my head grows sharp, cutting across my eyes and down my face.

“Please…” I beg, but whoever it is still doesn’t hear me.

My teeth begin to ache deep inside my jaw. It makes me want to pull out each one of them to ease even a sliver of the pain.

But the banging continues, making it hard to focus on anything but the pain as it ravages me.

The thumping and cracking and slicing in my head, the sharp cutting stabs into my eyes, all becomes too much… too painful. It overloads my senses. My whole body trembles and screams, craving some form of relief.

Mustering up any and every last piece of energy I have left, I call out once more. “Stop!”

The banging stops immediately.

I hear a stumble and thump on the wall beside me, before short, harsh gasps follow.

“What did you do?!” a gruff male voice calls out.

But I don’t know what he’s asking for, and he doesn’t give me long enough to come up with an answer before speaking again.

“What did you do?” His voice is more violent and angry and claws along my thumping head, making me wince.

“Answer me!” His loud voice slices straight across the top of my head, ringing in my ears.

I wait for the wave of thick pain to pass before attempting to answer him.

“I… don’t know… what… you’re… talking about,” I tell him, each breathless word harder than the last.

He grows quiet for a moment, his short, shallow breaths slowing.

The silence allows me to focus on something else while my ability pushes through the pain. The more time that passes, the less pain I feel as it eases and lifts from my head. “Youmademe stop.” His voice is quiet and laced with confusion.

That makes no sense, considering all I did was ask him.

“I asked—” I start, but he cuts me off.

“No. You made me stop.” His tone is thick with accusation.

But how could I make him do anything? I’m strapped down on a table, locked in a separate room.

“I didn’t,” I tell him.

He grows silent once more.

“You made me stop when I couldn’t.”

His words shock and confuse me, as if he’s implying that my words alone had made him do something.

I stay quiet, not knowing to what to say.

“Whatareyou?” he asks, his voice soft.

I continue to stay silent, not having an answer for him or myself.

* * *

---