Chapter Thirty-One
DAHLIA
Thane stepped away from her and his eyes flared to life. Dahlia's heart stopped. She knew something was off, but she didn't know what. Then he whispered a Word. One single syllable, and all the lies vanished.
Bars sprang up from the floor, finally visible with the enchantment released. They were all around her. She rushed forward, frantic to escape, but there was only one door, and Thane stood in it. Before she made it a step, he backed out and slammed it in her face. He didn't need to lock it; the pattern was strong enough to ensure she was trapped. Dahlia barely stopped before her skin could touch it.
Over and over, locked together like a puzzle, the Patriarchal Cross was woven into a cell meant to hold demons by its holy power. Instead, they'd made one hell of an electrical grid. She’d heard that a single touch would charge it, but drain the eidolon completely. Oh, it wouldn't kill them, just make them as weak as a newborn, unable to even lift their head. She had no interest in giving up everything she'd just acquired, so she stepped back until she found the wall.
He'd just betrayed her. He'd said he was sorry, so she was confused, but he wouldn't lock her in here like this, would he? Of course he would. He'd been completely honest about that. She'd been willing to do anything to protect Mei. He had a brother. He had to think of that, and by comparison, Dahlia's life would be easy to throw away.
"Fuck you, Thane," she growled.
He bent, grabbing a pair of pants from the floor. "You already did that. Not bad, either."
Then he shoved his legs into the cloth, looking up as he slid them higher. Once they were over his hips, he pointed back toward the corner. She couldn't see what he was trying to point out, but she had a feeling they were being monitored. That had to be what he was trying to tell her.
"Yeah, and when they drain me, are they going to bring you back in here to fuck me again?" she pressed, hoping he'd realize just how serious this was. "Or are you just going to let some priests rape me as a reward for their loyal service?"
Thane's jaw clenched. "Are you saying you can kill a man like that when you're so weak?"
"Fuck you," she snapped. Mostly because she couldn't. Not always. Certainly not with an inquisitor carrying as much vitality as him. "I didn't realize who'd called me back. I didn't know anything, but now I remember, and I will make all of you pay."
"And pay, and pay, and pay," he taunted, yet she had a feeling that was the best hint he could give her.
"So what do you want with me?" She lifted a brow, hoping he'd give her something else.
Because if she had a hint, then maybe she could prepare? It was better than nothing, and since he was still talking, she was hoping that he could tell her more. She didn't even care if he made it sound like he was taunting her - or if he really was. Right now, she just needed some plan that could get her out of here.
He'd brought her back to life. It wasn't something she could resist, but she should've at least tried. A handful of days? That was all it had been? But now that she was here, she might as well get Mei's revenge, since they wouldn't give her time to mourn. Dahlia needed to do something to make sure this church realized that leaving her kind alone was a lot safer than locking them away in cages to play with like fireflies in a jar.
Thane let out a heavy sigh, then he rubbed his hand over his mouth as if wiping away the memory of her kisses. "Not me. I have nothing to do with this. They're gonna figure out why the holy sign doesn't work. If you don't want to tell me, then they'll keep going until you can't fight back. They will learn all the secrets of whatever new demon you are, and they won't stop until they know how to defeat you. If you're lucky, they'll stake you when they're done."
Experiments. She'd heard horror stories, and all of them ended the same. "And when I tell them you fucked me?"
He shrugged. "They know. I mean, there's only one way to call a succubus, right? Since you aren't a vampire, that clearly has to be what kind of demon you are, according to the Cardinal. I'm kinda the only guy you left alive without some vow to break." Then he turned for the door.
"Thane, wait!" Her knees buckled and she slid down the wall, but he actually paused. "Just stake me!"
He turned back to face her. "What?"
"Just let me go or stake me," she begged, "but don't let them do that." She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. "Please. Mei's gone. I have nothing left. I don't know how you got my name, but don't let them do that."
His steps came closer. "Why?"
"Because they won't let me go. They won't stake me when they're done. In the Middle Ages, they kept us as trophies, and I can't get out of this cell! I..." She swallowed as she looked around for something lethal on her side of the bars. Finding nothing, she looked up and tried to keep her voice steady. "I just want to die. I've been doing this too long and I'm done. I'm all alone now, so just kill me? Please don't let them torture me anymore?"
He grabbed the bars and squatted, looking right into her eyes. His voice was completely devoid of emotion. "I can't. You know I can't. This is what the Church does to those who refuse to die. This is why we exist."
For a moment he looked like he wanted to say something else, then shook his head and stood. Storming across the room, she heard a snarl in the back of his throat. When he passed his shirt, he ripped it from the floor with a fury.
"I didn't choose," she called after him. "I didn't want this any more than you did. Thane, they're just lying to you!"
Her only answer was the heavy thump of the door closing behind him.
It was so final, that sound. It also left her alone, but what good would that do? The inquisitors were coming. She knew that was where he went - to notify them he'd caught her - but she didn't know how to stop this. She didn't even know if she should, but as much as she wanted to be left alone in her grief, she wasn't quite ready to die. Not this way. Not if it meant breaking her promise to Mei Yun.
Panic set in as dozens of stories ran through Dahlia's mind. She'd just made it back and Thane had locked her in the one cell she had no chance of escaping. Even if she could bend and break this body enough to get between the gaps, she'd have nothing left. Those bars were designed to make her weak, so they'd just pick her up on the other side and throw her back in. Unable to do anything else, she screamed out her frustration, pounding her fists on the hard floor.