Page 30 of Seized to Sacrifice
‘You should have told us,’ Rye growled.
‘I’ve explained to you why I didn’t.’
‘And you believed him?’ Thorne asked.
‘I don't know you!’ she cried, her voice breaking on a sob, her shoulders slumping. ‘You act as if you know me, but I. Don't. Know. You.’
She dashed the tears from her cheeks and the three men in front of her looked at each other with varying degrees of shock and disbelief. She sank to the floor.
‘I don't know who I am, where I'm from. No one knows me and I … I’m all alone,’ she whispered.
Staying the words out loud made it feel worse and she began to cry anew, wishing she could stop. They were going to burn her as a witch. That must be what she was.
And even if they didn’t kill her outright, how long would she survive this keep as their slave?
Through her quiet, hiccupping sobs, she heard them talking.
‘Fuck,’ Rye said quietly. ‘I set the snake loose amongst the doves. I even ensured he had free reign while I clipped her wings with the conjure.’
‘You were right about her being Elle,’ Nyx said quietly. ‘I’ve had my doubts, but it's her. There’s so much about her that’s the same. And yet so much that’s different. Do you ever remember her cowering for anyone? Was she ever broken like this? No. Her pride would never have allowed it, not even with us.’
‘Now, we just need to decide what to do about it now that we’re sure,’ Rye said, surveying her. ‘We'll talk about it later. Keep her here with you, away from the others. We’ll ensure that everyone knows what happened to Eruk was merely a terrible,naturalaccident. In the meantime, don’t let her kill anyone else today.’
The other two left, Thorne muttering that they were making a mistake by not hurling her down into the dungeons and throwing away the key.
Nyx stood in front of her and knelt down, drawing her hands away from her face. She looked up at him. He was back in his human form.
‘Am I a witch?’ she whispered.
He gave her a sad smile. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter what you are.’
He helped her up and put her in his bed. She curled up under the covers as she watched him, the smell of it, of him, making her feel safe even if it was a false promise.
He seemed to notice that she was calming, and his shoulders relaxed.
‘I thought you might be afraid to be alone with me,’ he said, his low voice practically reverberating through her bones.
She shook her head. ‘I’ve felt safer with you than I have anyone else since I came here.’
He gave a sigh. ‘She always said I made her feel safe.’ He frowned. ‘You did, I mean.’
‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘You betrayed us, Elle. That’s what happened.’
Nyx turned to the fire and stoked the flames high.
‘Is that why you hate me?’ she asked.
He snorted. ‘I don't hate you, woman. I wish I did. It would make this much easier, and you deserve it after everything, but I could never hate you however much I want to. Close your eyes. Rest. I’m going to go and see what’s left of that cunt, Eruk.’
He gave a small, dark chuckle and left the room, not bothering to lock the door behind him, she noticed.
She curled up in his bed, her frayed nerves trying to knit themselves back together. She tried again to recallsomethingabout her past. How had she betrayed these men? She had no doubt now that she was the Elle they had known. They’d not been surprised by what she’d done to Eruk at all. Whatever they thought she was, they were right.
She got out of the bed and went to the casement, looking out into the misty downs. She needed them to tell her the whole truth.
CHAPTER5
