Page 94 of Royal Bite
She had lost track of time and didn’t know how long she had been in there. Someone had brought her a tray of food. It was bland chicken, rice, and a cup of water. She wasn’t sure when the next meal would come so she’d forced herself to eat it. She had to keep up her strength for when Hegna rescued her.
And she would come for her.
That was what kept Stormey going. She knew Hegna would not rest until she had brought her home.
Stormey tried to not think that Azura’s plan was to execute her on television. This was not how she’d imagined her death. Stormey saw herself growing old, with several generations of family members surrounding her. She and Hegna would pass through time together.
Dying at the hands of a lycan was never a consideration.
A shiver rippled through her at the thought. She wondered how Azura planned to do it. Would she shoot her? Stab her? Slit her throat? Poison her? These dark thoughts kept filling her mind, and she had a hard time pushing them away.
The one thing that scared her the most was, would there be pain?
She bit back a cry and opened her eyes. She stared around her prison and wished there was a window. Her sense of time was thrown off. She had no way of knowing if it was day or night or even how much time she had left.
“She’s going to come save me,” Stormey whispered. She inhaled deeply and forced all of the negative thoughts back. She had to be strong. She was strong. She exhaled, and her heart rate slowly declined. “My mate is going to kill that lycan and take me home.”
The door handle jiggled, and she practically jumped from her spot on the floor. Her heart slammed against her chest. Was this it?
The door opened, and a man with disheveled blond hair, large amber eyes, a muscular physique, wearing only jeans that rode low on his waist, and boots, entered. He carried a tray that signaled it was time for her to eat. He set the tray down in the middle of the room a few feet from her.
“Eat,” his deep voice cut through the air.
He turned his back on her and walked out of the room, slamming the door. The lock engaged, and then there was silence outside the door. Her stomach chose that moment to make itself known. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was.
Stormey crawled to the tray and dragged it over to her. She returned to her seat and eyed the food. She bit her lip and wondered if she was to die by poison, had they already started? Was this food tainted?
“Stop it,” she groaned. She closed her eyes and tried to draw in strength. She eyed the food again and sighed. She had to eat it. No matter that it looked like. There was a bowl of what appeared to be oatmeal, two cold pieces of toast, and water. Her captors weren’t kind enough to give her anything to try to doctor the food.
She lifted the spoon and brought it up to her lips. There was slight steam to it.
“At least it’s warm,” she murmured. She grimaced at the first taste. It was oatmeal and was downright horrible. How did one mess up oatmeal? She grabbed the cup and took a sip of her water. “Eat. You’ll need your strength.”
Stormey continued eating until it was all gone. She held back a belch, hit by a wave of nausea. She pushed the tray away and stood. She would hate to vomit on herself or where she sat.
She focused on her breathing and walked around in her small room. Her thoughts turned to Hegna. Had she’d seen the broadcast? It was obvious Azura was taunting Hegna. She wanted the princess to come after her. But why the games? Why not just demand a fight and the best woman wins—and lives?
Stormey continued to pace her tiny prison until she grew tired. She went over to her cot and got on it, scooting back until she was in the corner. She leaned her head against the wall to wait.
“Hegna is coming,” she chanted softly to herself. Her eyes drifted shut. She tensed and opened them, but again felt them close. “Just a short nap.”
Her eyes fluttered closed, and she fell asleep. She didn’t know how long she was asleep, but the sound of someone unlocking her door awakened her. Stormey sat straight up, fear clutching her. She blinked a few times, trying to clear the blurriness from her vision. The door opened, and Azura herself stalked inside.
The alpha had her hair tied up into bun on top of her head. Her amber eyes glowed bright as she stared at Stormey.
“Let’s go,” Azura growled.
“Where are you taking me?” Stormey whimpered. The strength and bravery faded away fast.
Azura moved over to the cot and snatched Stormey by her arm. The woman’s strength almost had her ripping Stormey’s shoulder out of the socket. Stormey winced and followed behind Azura.
She tripped over her feet before righting herself. “You’re hurting me.”
“Quit your whining,” Azura snapped.
She dragged Stormy down a hall. Her grip tightened even more, bringing tears to Stormey’s eyes. They arrived at the end of the hall and took a left. Sounds of growls and shouts filled the air.
“You humans are only good for one thing for the vampires. But you steadily bow down to them as if they are gods.”
