Page 39 of Monsters Carve Thrones
And I would not stop until she was back in my arms and every single person responsible was begging tofucking die.
***
ADELA
The hum of engines was the first thing I heard. It thrummed through my skull, and it made my teeth ache. My head pounded with a pressure that felt unnatural. Oh yeah, I’d been drugged. My limbs were heavy. My mouth was dry. My skin prickled, caught between cold and heat, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I was still dreaming.
But then I opened my eyes.
The ceiling above me was curved, white, and smooth with a faint sheen. My body jerked with a rush of adrenaline.
Where the fuck was I?
I bolted upright, or tried to. A thick strap cinched across my lap, holding me down. I was in a leather seat, the kind I’d only ever seen on Rafe’s private plane. My wrists were unbound, but weak, and my legs were sprawled uselessly in front of me. My body ached. My inner thighs throbbed. I was still wearing Rafe’s black oversized t-shirt and a pair of panties. Nothing else.
Oh God.
Did they…?
I scanned the cabin in a panic. Three men sat across from me, none of them familiar. Not from the city, not from Rafe’s world. Not even from Moreau’s. They wore dark clothes, tacticalvests, and holsters strapped to their thighs like it was normal. One of them was staring at his phone. The other two were watching me.
My voice cracked as I tried to speak. “What the fuck is going on?”
The one closest to me grinned, amused by my anger. “Look who’s awake.”
I pressed my back against the seat, trying to hide the way my hands shook. “Where the hell am I?”
“Up in the sky, sweetheart,” the other one said, smirking. “Relax. You’re on a first-class trip.”
I felt sick. Violated. Confused. “Did you…?” My throat closed. “Did you touch me?”
Their laughter wasn’t kind.
“Not yet,” the first one said. “We were told to deliver you intact. Couldn’t use you,unfortunately.”
I gritted my teeth. Rage surged through the fog of confusion. “Then why am I here?”
“Because we took Rafe Vaughan’s most prized possession,” one of them said, leaning back casually. “His perfect little queen.”
I blinked at him, my pulse spiking. “Why?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, gorgeous.”
I swallowed hard, willing my body to stay calm. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t beg. Rafe’s voice echoed in my mind:Never beg anyone but me.
I squared my shoulders, even though my legs still trembled and my vision swam. “He’s going to kill all of you,” I said, voice low. “And he’s not going to make it quick.”
Another grin. “We’re counting on that.”
***
The cold hit me first. Not the sterile chill of an air-conditioned jet, but damp, raw, stone-cold air that stank of mildew and rust. It coiled around my skin like wet ropes, sinking into my bones. We had pulled up to what looked to be the back of a large mansion.
I was yanked from the car in a blur of limbs and pain, barely able to stand, half-dragged down a narrow corridor lined with old stone walls. My feet scraped against rough concrete, my bare legs hitting sharp corners and jagged cracks. Every breath tasted like rot and iron. My arms thrashed until one of them twisted them behind me, forcing me forward.
They didn’t speak.
Just grunted–efficient, practiced.
