Page 51 of Seized to Sacrifice
Both his Brothers turned to look at Elle and Thorne scoffed.
You dress her up like a doll,’ he scorned. ‘She's not one of us.’
He turned and walked from the room.
Rye, however, couldn’t seem to tear himself away, his eyes rolling over her as if he couldn’t stop them. She, in turn, didn't look at him once, her gaze not straying to that side of the room at all.
Trying not to look smug, Nyx took Elle out to the yard where four massive, black steeds awaited them, and he frowned.
‘Where is the docile mare I asked to be brought?’ he asked the stable hand.
The man shook his head.
‘Sorry, Milord, found yesterday that she’s finally breeding. She can't make the journey, or she might lose the foal.’
Nyx glared at the spirited fourth stallion standing apart from the others, impatiently pawing the earth.
‘You can ride with me,’ he said, turning to look at her and finding that she was already climbing the horse’s back easily.
The great beast danced around as she grabbed his reins and then he settled.
Nyx tried not to show the surprise that he felt but knew he failed when she rolled her eyes.
‘My lack of memories doesn’t hinder me from performing simple tasks,’ she said pointedly.
He heard Rye snigger behind and ignored his Brother as he mounted his own horse, ensuring he had both his and Elle’s packs. He’d seen Fen already throwing the saddlebags of foodstuffs over Thorne’s mount, no doubt filled with salted meats and flat breads, hard biscuits, and wax-coated cheeses.
They left the keep, Rye giving final directions to Fen and hurrying to catch them up. The iron grate closed behind them.
With the winding path stretching out in front of him, Nyx found that he was looking forward to traversing the open road. He hadn't left the keep in some time, preferring to read in his chamber. Perhaps he’d been spending too much time alone there.
They took the north road that would fork to the northeast just before Evesmere and
Nyx wondered why Rye hadn't just sent Thorne ahead and had him wait for them at the crossroads, so he didn't have to make the journey twice.
And then Nyx realized that Rye had sent him to get him away from Elle. His Brother had noticed Thorne’s control slipping and he thought Elle was the culprit. He glanced at her, riding beside him. Could she be inadvertently causing this? Was she somehow bringing the Beast out, giving it the strength to fight Thorne’s restraints as she had given Rye back his ability to create magick?
He glared at Rye’s back. Did Rye think she was doing it on purpose?
But a niggling voice in the back of his mind wondered if shewasplaying with them. What if she was plotting against them in some way?
After the time they'd spent together in his room over the past days, he couldn't imagine her turning on him, but the truth was that she'd done it before. He’d not seen it coming then either.
His heart began to hammer in his chest. What if she was pulling the wool over his eyes? What if she betrayed him …themagain? Swallowing hard, he avoided looking at her, hoping that it was just fear making him think this way. He hadn't sensed any deceit in her, but Elle could do that. She could make them think that there were no others she cared about more one moment and cut their legs out from under them the next; pretend that her love for them was all-encompassing while secretly feeling nothing.
She’d changed so suddenly before. He remembered the day with clarity. They’d supped together, pleasured her. They’d all lay together in the aftermath, languid and sated in a bed of fur with wine and music. He’d been happy and so had Thorne and Rye. He’d thought she was too.
She’d risen from the bed and, though only moments had passed, when she returned, her expression was blank. She’d hardly said a word, using her power to clothe them in garments they’d never seen before. She’d told them callously that she was bored of them, that she wished them well, but it was time for them to go their separate ways. She said she was sorry, and it had been diverting for her while it lasted, but now being with them was tedious. Then she’d opened a doorway and forced the three of them through before they’d had chance to utter a word.
They’d found themselves in a meadow in the sunshine in the Light Realm where they’d spent so much time with her. She wasn’t with them.
She’d rid herself of them in an instant.
It had been a long time before they’d realized she wasn’t coming for them and longer still before they understood that their lives were eternal. There was no escape from this prison she’d put them in.
They passed a covered cart that been moved to the side of the road. Elle stared at it as they passed it, glancing at Rye.
‘What is it?’ Nyx asked.
