Page 211 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

“If anything doesn’t go the way we plan, I will make it my personal mission to destroy you and everyone you hold dear.”

Rhory winces, his hand turning a nice shade of red and purple.

“Do I make myself clear?”

Rhory nods. “Yes, of course.”

“Good.” Kai releases him, giving him a feral smile. Rhory immediately calls for his guards to get who he needs, glancing back at Kai with wide eyes.

We head out of the stuffy room to an open area outside. We wait until we’re far enough out that they can’t hear us before speaking.

“That went as well as can be expected,” Rion says, looking back at Rhory. The wide smile on Rhory’s face makes the fire in my chest grow.

Kai looks to Rion. “Contact the others and update them.

It’s time to get our mate back where she belongs.” Yeah, by our fucking sides.

CHAPTER 17

KIARRA

Whipping around, I find a room full of guards—warlocks, by the looks of it. A couple are holding energy spheres while the rest have instruments of some kind, all aimed at a large, humanoid gray creature in the center of them.

The creature looks like a cross between a djinn and golem, leaning more towards the golem side.

Its arms and legs are tied down and chained to the anchor built into the floor. Dark yellow oozes from its wounds. Its chest wheezes as it struggles to hold on.

It was six against one, and it had no way of fighting back. The guards were torturing it for their own amusement.

A pit of fire burns in my stomach, traveling out to each of my limbs. A veil of red glazes my eyes as I focus on the domineering guards.

“Where did you two come from?” the leader of the group asks. He glances behind us, narrowing his eyes.

“We needed some fresh air,” Malik tells them before giving me a look as if to say, “I told you so.”

He still thinks we won’t make it out of here. But something inside me has changed, and I know deep down that I am getting out of here today, one way or another.

One of the men slides up beside him, drawing my attention. “Sir, that’s the Veros demon.”

The leader of the group scoffs before narrowing his eyes on Malik. A spark of recognition lights his eyes before they widen in shock.

“Shit. Get him back to his room and call Dimetri.” He glances at me. “Find out where she came from, too.”

I guess I’m not known to all the guards up here yet.

The other guards spread out around us. One throws an energy sphere at the wall behind us, forcing us to move into the center of the room and closer to the gray creature.

Glancing down at it, I can’t tell if it’s dead or not, but it’s no longer moving. My instincts tell me it’s gone.

“How about we have some fun first?” one of the guards asks his boss with a smirk, eyeing me up and down. “They might last longer than this weakling.”

The leader narrows his eyes, sighing. “Fine, but keep the Veros demon alive.”

“Fine by me.” Throwing the sphere up in the air, he catches it like a ball before taking a step forward.

Malik moves beside me, trying to push me behind him. “I’ll distract them while you make it back to your cell. Lock yourself inside and stay quiet until they forget about this.”

A small piece of warmth fills my chest at his words. Though he still doubts that we will get out of here and thinks heading back to my cell is the safer option, he knows they will beat him and yet is still willing to be the diversion to allow me to get out away from them.

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