Page 12 of Elysian

Yet, he had not killed her for foiling his plans. He had seemed much too calm over it, and that frightened me more than anything.

There was no longer time to muse over his lack of reaction, because the same meaty thuds that resounded from Cassiel hitting metal with his fist continued.

Ahead, at the entrance of Cassiel’s cell stood Drusilla, bent in half, clasping her stomach.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight I encountered across from her. Onyx blood lay in small pools splattered around Cassiel’s feet. He kept ramming his fist into the same bar. Again and again.

“Please!” Drusilla screamed, kneeling on the ground. “Stop, stop.” She released another sob. All three of us slowed. The blond officer placed his hand on his waistband where a sword hung, but the second one shook his head.

“Admit it,” Cassiel bit out and rammed his fist into the bar again.

She flinched as if she had been the one hit. “Do not harm yourse⁠—”

I felt his snarl grate against my senses. I hugged my arms. We had walked in on a conversation.

He sneered, his fingernails digging into his thumb until blood surged from the wound. Black liquid dribbled down his arm in streams. He bared his teeth as he dug harder.

“He is taking his finger off,” the blond officer muttered, face drained of rosiness. I could not breathe as inch by slow inch, he raked his flesh until there were flashes of white bone. Cassiel continued until he peeled off the skin on his thumb.

He flung the meaty strip of flesh and blood at her. It hit the front of the gown and plopped on the ground before her. A ringing clink echoed as if something metal hit stone. It took me moments to realize what it was.

The ring he’d worn.

He had told me his mother had given it to him.

“I want nothing from you,” he murmured silkily.

“I had to fake my death, Cassiel.” Her tone took a lower register. “When I left my original body, there were complications. My host was dying of an infection. I had to find another.”

“Is that why you left me in that squalor-riddled shack?” Cassiel slowly wrapped his hands around two bars. “I nearly starved to death waiting for you to return.”

His tone lacked any sort of inflection.

“The council was supposed to retrieve you.”

Cassiel scoffed. “They did. Years after I had been living as a street urchin, sleeping on the streets, begging for food.”

“What?” she whispered, shaking her head. “Lord Vaner promised me you would want for nothing.”

“And he has not.” Vaner’s voice from behind me startled me. “Wanted for anything since.” Vaner approached with a small smile. “It was simply easier to wait until he was closer to the age where he could be Awakened.”

Drusilla’s shoulders straightened, and she scanned all of us near the entrance to the cells. It was as if she dragged a veil around her shoulders as she collected herself.

“My lady, you are tormenting yourself with things out of your control.” Vaner reached Drusilla and gripped her hand, raising it to his lips. “We are finally here. After everything we had planned. Do not allow your ungrateful bastard to cause you pain after everything you have done to ensure his future.”

Cassiel’s upper lip lifted, and he regarded him as if he was no better than sludge under his boot.

“Perhaps it is best we begin again. We can Awaken a⁠—”

“No,” she snapped.

“Fine, fine, we will speak about this later.” He began to corral her toward where we stood frozen. “What are you two doing standing around? Put the girl away, Officer Jahrod.”

The dark-haired one grabbed my arm, forcibly shoved me toward the cell, then slammed it shut and locked it once I was behind the bars.

The revelations Drusilla and Cassiel provided dropped like a weight. Cassiel had also been one of their victims.

All their footsteps retreated, leaving only me and Cassiel within the daunting silence. Cassiel watched them, black blood plinking onto the stone from his shredded finger.