Page 56 of Trapped By Claws
Tagger stayed closer to me, sniffing at the broken pottery as I made my preparations.
I set the butcher knife on one of the upright counters and the mini-crossbow on another. I plucked the bolt from his neck. It left a bloody mark. Apparently he didn't have self-healing like Corvin.
Good. That made it easier for me.
Next I checked the door. That bit of silver the fae had pushed in with her claw had fallen out now, so the lock worked again.
A little favor on our side, at least. I kicked the silver out into the water, then went back inside and secured his ropes, hoping it hurt when he woke.
This wasn't going to be pretty, but I didn't care. All that mattered was getting answers.
I crossed back in front of Blue Ridges.
Still unconscious.
I picked up the cracked pitcher, dunked it in the well, and brought it back over to him. Water streamed from the cracks. With a grunt, I flung it at him. The water crashed over his face.
He gasped, surging awake. The ropes kept his wrists and ankles bound. Though he panted, he remained groggy. "What?"
I remained silent, watching him, my expression steeled. Already my stomach twisted, but I wasn't going to back down. "You're going to answer my questions," I said coldly.
He looked up, water dripping from his face and hair. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw me. "I knew it," he growled. "I knew you were here."
"Except you didn't find me. You and your friends aren't as good as you think."
Blue Ridges licked his bloodied lip, his gaze narrowing. "Doesn't matter. You'll be found. And then the fun will start."
"What kind of fun?"
"If you knew half of what was going to happen to you, you'd be wailing and begging for mercy."
"Oh? You aren't going to offer to help me if I let you go or don't harm you?" I folded my arms as I stepped back, examining him. Blue Ridges had more bulk than Corvin, and he moved slower. But if he got loose, I'd have to stop him fast. His hands were calloused and muscled, as were his arms.
I straightened my shoulders. No. If he got free, I'd have to kill him. Fast.
Blue Ridges spat at me. The bloody spittle struck the ground near my foot. "There is no mercy for the flesh scraps's mate."
My eyebrow raised. "Why is his mate such an important thing? And why do you call me that?"
"Why else would he be trying to protect you?" he snarled.
"It gets lonely down here, I'd imagine," I responded, voice flat. I paced, keeping my steps slow and deliberate. I'd neverconducted an interrogation like this alone before, but I'd seen it done. I kept myself from blinking as I stared him dead in the eye, even though my eyes burned. "Why would it matter?"
Blue Ridges spat at me again as he struggled against the ropes. "Bite me, whore. You don't have the guts to kill me. And even if I don't get free, they'll notice when I don't return, and they'll come to the last place I was. Right here. You've courted yourself a big batch of trouble."
I picked up the knife and brandished it in front of his face. "Don't bother trying to escape," I said. "Those knots could hold a bear. And I want answers."
Blue Ridges glared at me, his strange eyes filled with hatred. "You'll pay for this in blood."
"If by blood, you mean your blood, yes, I will. If you don't cooperate with me and answer all my questions, I will make your stay here very unpleasant."
He spat at me again. This time his bloody spittle caught the edge of my boot. "You don't have it in you."
"You know, it's funny. People look at me, and they think they know me. If they notice me at all. But they never really see me, and they never guess what I'm actually capable of. You're not different in that respect. But I assure you, I can and will make you talk." To prove my point, I slid the blade across the top of his hand.
Blue Ridges yelped, then gritted his teeth as blood welled from the shallow cut.
"What difference does it make if Corvin has a mate? And why would it be forbidden when there is a disease that keeps him from having one? You all seemed very upset at the thought he might have a human here and made a lot of assumptions."
