Page 34 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
Another guard entered. He had narrow gray eyes and a large reddish nose that had obviously been broken several times. A clawed vine tattoo curled beneath his chin and straggled down his throat into his armor. He jerked his chin toward the doorway, and Crag Face strode out, still pressing the towel to his nose.
Claw Tattoo had a dull orange mark on his gloves that resembled a mirror. He took up a position near Scar Eye, and the two whispered briefly. Claw Tattoo raised an eyebrow at something Scar Eye said, then muttered something that made Scar Eye grunt. How articulate.
Another ten or fifteen minutes passed, uncomfortable and unpleasant. The doctor wiped her hands on a stained cloth and stepped back. "Done. She'll live long enough for whatever Master Ainle has planned, and a fair bit longer than she’ll want." She turned away as if I were nothing more than a broken piece of furniture she’d glued together.
"Time to go," Scar Eye growled, reaching for my arm.
I jerked back, then gripped my stomach. "Wait," I blurted. "I feel sick. That medicine..." I clutched my stomach, doubling over. "I think I'm going to?—"
"Save it," Claw Tattoo snapped, grabbing my other arm. "Master Ainle doesn't like to be kept waiting, and you deserve everything you get after what you did."
My wolf surged forward, desperate and snarling, as they hauled me off the table. My feet hit the floor, and though the salve had numbed the worst of the pain, I still staggered.
The door burst open with a bang that made us all jump. A thin fae with disheveled hair and wild eyes stood in the doorway. His chest heaved, and he was pale, as if he’d seen some indescribable horror. “Oh, thank Fate. I feared you’d already taken her. Master Ainle demands to see the prisoner immediately in the receiving room. Do not delay. And put on your masks.”
Scar Eye scoffed. “Fine.” Both guards put the dark masks on over their faces and seized my arms, their fingers digging into my flesh as they hauled me out of the room. My feet skidded against the stone floor, the numbness from the salve making it impossible to gain proper footing.
"Move faster," Scar Eye snarled, yanking me forward.
"I would if I could feel my feet," I snapped back.
Claw Tattoo struck me across the back of the head. Stars exploded in front of my eyes, and I staggered forward.
"What's this about?" Claw Tattoo grumbled. "We were supposed to take her straight to the Veins."
"Don't ask me. I know as much as you," Scar Eye replied. "But I'm not questioning Ainle's orders."
I struggled weakly against their grip, my mind racing. What did Douchewaffle want now? Another round of torture before the Whispering Veins? And why did they have to put their masksback on? My wolf paced anxiously within me, sensing something was different.
We turned down a corridor I hadn't seen before, wider and better lit than the others. The guards' boots echoed against the coarse stone, and my own feet made sick slapping sounds as they dragged me along. The salve made my steps uncertain, and I skidded more than once, earning rough jerks from my captors.
They dragged me down another hall and shoved the door open.
"Get in there," Scar Eye growled, shoving me so hard I stumbled several steps into the room before catching myself. A sharp tug in my chest sent chills down my spine, and my stomach knotted. Even before I lifted my head, I knew who was there, and he wasn’t here to help.
Chapter Ten
Vad
The tugging in my chest took control while desire and need soared through me. I wanted to run to the fecking door. My wings twitched, and my legs wanted to move, but I forced them to remain still. I inhaled, deep and slow, trying to settle myself as Briar drew near.
“She close?” Thalen murmured from beside me, tucking his wings tightly into his back and smirking.
I opened my mouth to respond, but the heavy wooden door swung open and banged against the coarse stone wall.
The dim oil lamp on the plank table rattled, and two masked guards entered, holding someone between them.
No. Notsomeone.
Briar.
Seeing the harm they’d done to her stabbed like a dagger into my heart.
Cuts, bruises, and scrapes marred nearly every inch of her pale, bare flesh. Dark circles had sunk under her wide jade eyes,making me desperate to let my shadows loose and shred her tormentors apart.
She had donenothingwrong. She was too good for this realm. Feck, she was too good for me. I didn’t deserve her. But Fate had marked her, brought her here to meet me, and I would never let her go.
A part of me hadknownthey would torture her, but an even bigger part had hoped I was wrong. Seeing her in this condition gutted me.
