Page 16 of Secrets of Ruin

If he didn’t feed, he would fade further away in this place, and his ciphers proved he was fading. Afterward, he would hate himself for this… but she wouldn’t.

He might never forgive himself, but she would. And hopefully, her forgiveness would help him heal from what happened here.

He’d sacrificed himself, and now, she’d give him permission to choose strength and life… even if it shattered her heart. But she would survive this blow, and so would he.

And once they were free of this place, they would build a life together and move on from this. She was confident they could do it; they could do anything together, but he had to be strong enough for them to get free.

Tension continued to vibrate through the air, and Brokk caught the nymph’s other hand when she tried to touch him again. She gave a playful little pout and whimper as she edged her body closer until her breasts brushed his chest.

Brokk jerked her back, but before he could speak, Kaylia did. “It’s okay, Brokk.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Uttering those words took more strength than Kaylia had ever known she possessed. It took more strength than surviving Doomed Valley, the Lord’s war, and Fabian’s death, but they were the right words to say.

“You have to feed. You need to regain your strength.” She shot a pointed glance at his faded ciphers. “You have to do what’s necessary to survive. This… is… it’s… okay.”

She’d meant for her words to come out stronger and to hide how much this anguished her, but she couldn’t stop her voice from breaking at the end. She refused to shed the tears burning her eyes as Brokk’s eyes held hers.

If he saw how much this devastated her, he’d keep fighting the nymph, but they both knew it was a losing battle. Ultimately, his need to feed would win over his love for her.

He’d been pushed too far and was wasting away. No starving man could turn away from a feast.

They both knew it was only a matter of time before he caved, and it would be better if he did so with her permission. She hoped it would make him loathe himself a little less if he saw she understood and wouldn’t hate him.

“No matter what happens in here, no matter what they do to us, we’ll be okay,” she vowed, and she meant it.

Her words probably challenged the emperor, but she didn’t care. Fuck him and all his scaled minions. All that mattered right now was Brokk.

If they hadn’t starved him for so long, she didn’t doubt he would never stray from her. The dark fae loved to bounce from partner to partner, but he loved her, and immortals didn’t stray from those they loved.

Plus, she might be his consort. They hadn’t discussed the possibility since the emperor first mentioned it, but she suspected he believed it was true, and a vampire was like a lycan with their mate when it came to their consorts.

She’d spent centuries hating vampires, but that was one good thing she could say about them: they were loyal to their consorts. Even though this would happen, Brokk’s heart belonged to her.

The ophidians were to blame for this, not him.

“It’s okay,” she whispered.

She yearned to retreat to the back of her cell, close her eyes, and clap her hands over her ears, but the ophidians would bask in her misery, and she couldn’t let that happen. So, she would have to stand here, stare straight ahead, and pretend none of this bothered her while listening to him have sex with another woman.

And she could never cry over this in front of him; it would only make Brokk hate himself more. But when she got the chance, she would tear every one of these monsters to shreds. She’d pull out their hair, descale them, lock them away, prod them with sticks, tie them to racks, starve them, and skin them alive before feeding them to the dragons.

Brokk held her gaze before shifting his attention back to the nymph. The fire in his eyes burned hotter when she wiggled closer again.

Then he jerked the nymph against him and sank his fangs into her throat. Kaylia knew all about the bloodlust that could take over a vampire and make them go wild for sex while they fed. It was one more thing he’d be unable to deny.

When the woman’s hands wrapped around him and her fingers dug into his back, Kaylia shifted her gaze ahead while inwardly weeping. The sounds of Brokk’s feeding were the only ones in the dungeon as the ophidians raptly watched what was happening in his cell.

The emperor smirked as Brokk continued to feed. He was taking too much; he’d weaken the nymph, but Kaylia didn’t care.

She hoped he drained the bitch dry. If that woman was working with these assholes, she deserved to suffer.

Then the sounds of his feeding stopped, and while it surprised her that they hadn’t already started, she knew the ones of a sexual frenzy were soon to follow. Instead of grunting and moans, a loud crack filled the air.

A slurpy, grinding, rending sound turned Kaylia’s stomach. Unable to resist looking, she turned toward him as Brokk tore the nymph’s head from her shoulders.

His blood-coated lips twisted into a sneer as Brokk heaved the head at the cell door. A second later, it hit the gate with a bang, and the nymph’s body crumpled to the ground.