Page 43 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 17
When Rafferty woke up, his first coherent thought was shock that he hadn’t died, but his joy over that revelation didn’t last long. As his senses sluggishly clicked into gear, Rafferty took stock of his body. There was pain everywhere, but that wasn’t what had his fear mounting. Although his vision was still obscured under a hood, the blindfold had been removed as well as the gag. His dragon was sluggish or refusing to acknowledge him, not giving him the escape of a shift—not that it did him any good in a moving vehicle. It wasn’t a surprise to Rafferty; they did not have a good relationship. Bound at the ankles and wrists, he heard the nearly soothing motion of the vehicle moving forward at a high speed as if on a freeway.
“What the fuck is going on?” he demanded, though his voice came out as a mere whisper. His mouth was dry, and he wondered how long he’d been unconscious.
Something solid hit his midsection, and he let out an involuntary groan. Not able to heal as fast as a shifter allowed to obey their beast—and with it being four weeks since he’d taken flight—Rafferty wasn’t at peak form.
“Shut the fuck up,” Neil shouted.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Rafferty ordered. A crushing pain filled his head, and Rafferty was unable to resist the unrelenting darkness.
When Rafferty stirred again, he stared up at the roof of what appeared to be a van. It was dark, and the trees raced by as they zoomed toward whatever destination had been selected. Rafferty turned to the left, and the last thing he saw was a fist. At least four more times that Rafferty could recall, he roused only to be punched back into sleep. There was no way to know how many hours or days had passed with all the damage to his poor head, but when he came around, there was no movement under him nor was there the sound around him.
Lifting his lashes and ignoring the crushing headache, he was stunned to find that he was in a small cavern. It was too dark to make out much detail—the only light was a lantern, and it illuminated thick chains bolted into the wall in front of him. They ended in manacles, which bound Rafferty’s ankles and wrists nearly to the point of pain. Forcing himself to move, Rafferty managed to sit up, and he grimaced as he glanced at himself. Even in the dim glow, the bruises and welts were unmistakable. They bloomed over vast portions of his skin, which was only covered by his boxers.
The crunch of rock alerted him that he was no longer alone, and he scooted back against the cave as Charlton and Sullivan stalked in.
“Look who finally woke up,” Sullivan taunted once he came to a stop next to a foldable table Rafferty hadn’t noticed. Unlike Rafferty, he was dressed impeccably and appeared to be in a chipper mood. That did nothing to lessen the fear that had seized Rafferty upon waking, and he could only wonder what was next in store for him and his battered body.
“How are you feeling?” Charlton asked, taking Sullivan’s side. His question might have been polite, but nothing about his tone was. The dark-brown gaze of his only parent was cold as he studied Rafferty.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Rafferty demanded.
His father snatched something off the metal surface behind him and Rafferty let out a loud yell as the sharp sting of a whip lashed his face just below his eye. “That’s the last order you will give. Do you hear me, boy?”
Rafferty didn’t respond as Charlton struck him several more times on his arm, across his chest, and on his cheek again. Although he tried to raise his hands to defend himself, the only thing it did was increase his father’s ire as he continued to lift skin with each snap of his wrist.
“Well, Paunchy, I figured out a way to tell Father about your mate,” Sullivan drawled. “He didn’t take it well, but then, neither did I. Not only are you a fucking faggot, but lying to us for months? I just don’t know how you could’ve thought that would be okay. I can’t believe I’ve spent my whole life sharing a house with you. Who knows how much longer I would’ve been safe from your perversions. How many nights did you come to my room only to find the door locked? I never knew why I had such a compulsion to bar you from my space, but it seems I’ve got fine instincts. At least we finally have the answer as to why you could never bed a woman. You’ve probably been too obsessed with men. How could anyone in their right mind want to choose a man over a female?”
Rafferty concentrated on getting air into his lungs as blood welled on his skin where his father had hit him while ignoring his brother’s stupid words. It was likely the reason he didn’t expect Sullivan to get his hands on a chain and use it to assault him. There was nothing else he could do but squeeze his eyes shut and try to hold back at least some of the screams as he was beaten. Giving up trying to protect himself, Rafferty simply waited for it to end.
“Are you done with the orders now, boy?” Charlton snarled once Sullivan finally stopped.
Rafferty snuck his tongue out to moisten his lips and tasted blood. “Yes.”
Charlton cracked his palm across Rafferty’s already abused cheek. “Did you forget I have a title?”
“No, Your Highness.”
“Now we’re going to have a little talk. Then we’re going to finish our little beating, is that understood?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Rafferty murmured, already dreading the next blow.
“If you think I’d let any son of mine cavort with another man, you’ve lost what little sense you had, Paunchy. There is no way I will ever allow you to drag the Kestle name through the mud. I had a feeling there was something off about D’Vaire, and at least we know why he was wasting his time with you. He’s just as depraved as you are. Is that what you did down there when you begged to visit? Allowed any respect you had for the Kestle name to fall away as you climbed into bed with another man? Now, it took us a few days, but we discovered this old mine. We found a damn human to keep people away, though he doesn’t know you’re here, so don’t think you’re going to get rescued. It was hard too; these humans are nearly as noble as fallen knights, asking all kinds of questions. And I had to spend a ton of money to pay the man in whiskey.”
Sullivan strode over and let loose a swift kick to Rafferty’s midsection, which had him sliding to the ground. “Look at His Highness when he’s talking to you, Paunchy. And sit the fuck back up.”
“Okay,” Rafferty managed, forcing himself upward. His palms, slick with blood, slid on the dirt as he carefully righted and lay his head against the rock behind him. Woozy with agony, he refused to give in to the becoming darkness. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he faced his father.
“I have a title,” Sullivan snapped, slashing open a cut across Rafferty’s face with a small knife he’d yanked from his front pocket. Blood sprayed, then dropped in a few thick beads onto Rafferty’s arm.
“Now might be a good opportunity to mention you’re no longer a duke,” Charlton said. There was a growing happiness in his tone, as if he were enjoying every moment of Rafferty’s pain.
“What did I say?” Sullivan screamed and carved into Rafferty again.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” Rafferty said, not remembering what the question was or if that was the correct response, but his brother smiled, so he supposed he’d gotten it right. Of course, his grin might be because of his pleasure in Rafferty’s pain as well. His eyes were bright with it, and since he was at crotch level, Rafferty didn’t fail to notice the bulge in his brother’s trousers.What kind of sick fucks did I grow up with, and had I ever known them for who they truly are?
“You’re a traitor, Paunchy, and unlike that bastard Kendrick, you won’t get away with it,” Charlton stated. “Did you think you were going to waltz out of my house and cozy up with D’Vaire? Never going to happen.”
