Page 127 of Elas

“Oh, don’t worry. He’s alive,” Khors says with a dark chuckle. “I should thank you, really. It’s a gift to have such a golden opportunity dropped into our laps, and we can’t afford to waste it. Do you know how many bonded mates we’ve been able to study, Elas?”

“Fuck you,” I growl, and my throat aches from the use. I desperately need water. My lips are cracked and painful, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

“All these years, and we’ve only ever had thirty. It’s usually with the ones that come willingly, because they get to spend all that extra time together. But we can’t separate them. Can’t study the…” He trails off, a dark chuckle leaving his throat. “…side effects of what happens while they’re apart.”

“Fuck you,” I repeat, even though the words are like razors in my mouth.

“The mates in the cells don’t have a chance for these bonds to form. An unfortunate consequence of keeping them apart. Otherwise, we could tear them to pieces in front of each other… really study their bond in the face of danger.”

“Fuck you!” My voice cracks as it raises. Metallic blood, hot and thick, gags me as it trickles down my throat, and I wonder how long it’s been since I’ve had anything to drink.

“Gods, I should just kill you so I don’t have to listen to this. You never knew when to shut the fuck up.” He clicks his tongue, snorting a hateful laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you alive for now, Elas. You’re far too valuable to waste. Think of all the data that lies in that mark on your palm. Things we’ve never been able to test before… how a mate reacts when his bonded partner is suffering.”

“I will fuckingkill you!” I bellow, throwing my weight against the cage in a fit of rage. Blinding agony crashes through my body, but the enclosure doesn’t even budge.

“No, you won’t,” he responds coolly. “Not before I see if his pain kills you first.” Footsteps move away from my cage, and I scream, tearing apart my throat in my fury. I scream until my voice is gone and blood pours from between my cracked lips.

But as that scream dies, it’s quiet.

Silent.

There’s nothing to distract me from my thoughts. I close my eyes, pretending that I’m anywhere but here as the darkness slices against my skin.

Hours pass. Days, maybe.

There’s no light to be found.

A soul-deep cold makes my muscles twitch and shiver despite the oppressive heat inside this tiny cage. Grime coatsmy skin. The acrid stink of urine scorches my nostrils, leaching from where I’ve been forced to piss in the corner.

Reality is slippery, and my desperate mind creates delusions. August’s face smiles at me, and I force my broken brain to acknowledge he isn’t there.

He isn’t real.

He’s make believe. Imaginary. It’s my head playing tricks on me, sucking me back into a time when the world had light and color.

Hunger stabs at my gut. There’s been no food, and the minimal water I’ve been given doesn’t quench this undying thirst. It’s just enough to stave off death by dehydration. Footsteps enter the room, and like a fucking dog, I perk up, wondering if they might decide to feed me this time.

My entire cage is lifted and moved before it’s sat down once again, and I’m thrown backwards against the bars as wheels squeak beneath me. “Where are we going?” I ask, but it’s nothing more than a rough, scratchy whisper that doesn’t leave the confines of my prison. I’m wheeled through a few doorways, and whoever is moving me leaves without a word.

“You’ve not been behaving.” Khors’s voice is tinny and crackled, like it’s projecting through a speaker. “I told you, if you’ll just stop fighting, things will be a lot easier for you.”

“Where is Elas?” August asks, and my weakened heart kick starts back to life. Part of me realized I’d know if anything happened to him. The other part has spent my time in this cage consumed by the worst-case scenarios. It’spictured every terrible thing that could’ve unfolded while I sat here, helpless.

“He’s alive.”

“That isn’t good enough. I need to see him.” His voice is surprisingly strong, and a fraction of the weight pushing down on me lifts.

“That’s not going to happen, and if you continue causing problems, his situation will only get worse.” In the darkness, I can picture his hazel eyes pleading.

Gods, I miss him.

His smell, the sound of his laugh. I never took it for granted, but now I wish I’d spent every day we were together worshipping him. I should’ve told him with every breath just how much I love him.

“With a little cooperation, things could be better for both of you.”

“Let me see him,” August demands again, and Khors sighs.

Metal clanks through the speaker, not heavy and dense like my cage, but light and delicate. “What are you doing?” August asks, and I hear the fear in his voice. Grunts and shifting fabric are followed by something crashing to the floor.

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