Chapter14
Ember
Though my head is throbbing, I force myself to sit up and wipe what I’m really hoping is dried blood and not drool from the corner of my mouth. My cheek aches, the bone surely bruised after that asshole smacked me last night.
And as predicted, I’m still down in a prison cell beneath a castle in Faerie.
Grief wells up in my chest as I realize I will probably never leave this place. I’ve never felt so helpless, so alone, as I do right now. My gaze drifts to where Rafferty sleeps a few feet from me. He’s leaned back against the wall, muscled and scarred chest on full display in the dim firelight of the sconces on the walls.
If ever there were an example of a man, it would be this one. His dark hair is cut extremely short. His face is covered in stubble, making him a direct contrast to his bastard brother. And the differences don’t end there, either. As I said, the man is muscle upon muscle.
And now that we’re in the same cell and he’s not bleeding out or suffering from horrific pain, I can take the time to actually study him. It’s a nice distraction from the horrors that haunted what little sleep I got.
Lines I didn’t even know a man could possess shape a chest most women would kill to get their hands on. A thick scar starts at his left hip and climbs up to his left pec, disappearing into a light dusting of dark hair.
Sporting another scar along the right side of his face, slashing through his eyebrow and picking back up beneath his eye, the man looks like he’s straight from the pages of a romantic fantasy novel.
I honestly don’t think he’ll hurt me. If he was going to, he’d had plenty of opportunities last night. What I can’t figure out is why Taranus believes spending time in here with his brother will make me accept what he wants from me.
From where I’m sitting right now, I’d sure as hell rather be down here than up there with that psychotic bastard. I draw my knees up to my chest and wrap both arms around them. There are no windows down here, no fresh air, just a bucket in the corner I really, really don’t want to look in, and an empty plate in the corner.
Rafferty groans, and I turn toward him just in time to see golden eyes flutter open. His gaze holds mine, and for a moment, neither of us move. I don’t even breathe, totally unable to tear my eyes from his. What is it about this man—sorry, this fae—that renders me completely speechless?
Finally, he clears his throat. “Good morning.”
“Morning.”
“I’d ask if you slept well, but I’m assuming the answer to that is no.”
Snorting, I shake my head. “That would definitely be a no.”
He runs a hand over the back of his neck. “There’s, uh, no bathroom down here.” Then, he gestures to the bucket I was just attempting to avoid thinking about. “Sorry.”
“Definitely getting zero stars from me.”
His brow furrows as he tries to understand what I said, and it’s yet another stark reminder that I’m trapped in another world. If we’d been in my imagination, he would have totally gotten my joke.
“Never mind.”
“I need to—” He stands and gestures toward the bucket.
My cheeks flush as I turn toward the bars and try not to think about the fact that he’s peeing a few yards behind me. Still, it’s not even his pee that’s bothering me but the fact that I’m going to be expected to use a bucket.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Everyone pees.” Awkward at best, I rarely interact with people, let alone muscled warrior fae men. The ground shuffles behind me as he sits again, so I turn and press my back against the wall. “How long have you been down here?”
“I’ve honestly lost count.”
“How did they capture you in the first place?” When he stares at me curiously, I gesture to his muscles and immediately wish I could have a re-do. “You just don’t look like someone who would go down easily.”
The fae man smiles, and my breath catches in my throat, making me realize that I’m a glutton for punishment. Hello, Stockholm syndrome, thy name is Ember. “Men like me have weaknesses, Ember. Taranus knows enough about me that he was able to drop me to my knees.”
“How?”
He shakes his head. “It’s not something you need to burden yourself with. You’ve seen enough horrors over the past few days.”
More curious than ever, I wish I could know—if only so I can see what power Taranus used to bring this man to his knees. Though I know that there are things I really wish not to talk about, so I let it go. “How often do they come down here?”