Page 108 of A Cruel Kindness

“Are you okay?” I whispered, pain clawing at my throat as I spoke.

“No.” That one word splintered my heart even further. As if Lucky could tell, he pressed harder into my shoulder.

“Who are they?” If I didn’t know the answer before, I certainly did when people started arriving at the stables, drawn down by my sudden exit.

Screams and thankful cries erupted from the crowd, people rushing to give the newcomers hugs and affection.

Well, I guess not newcomers.

They were returning. It was clear these had been captives of that Muli camp, finally returned home.

“How did you find them?” Freya asked Soren, choosing not to speak to Ford. For good reason, it seemed. There wasn’t an ounce of life behind his eyes.

Soren didn’t back away from me as he answered, “They were tied to a tree waiting for us.”

As my confusion mounted, one of the rescued soldiers said, “They said they didn’t have any use for us anymore. Then they chained us, tied us up, then left. Took everything with them.”

“Who is they?” I asked without thinking.

The soldier who spoke blinked, recognition dawning. His shoulders straightened a little, a reflex in the face of a Royal. “I don’t know. We never really met anyone save a few people in charge of our meals and breaks. This guy was new. He was…”

“A pompous asshole?” Soren quipped.

The soldier nodded slowly. “He was new. He ordered everyone to leave. Seemed like everyone was listening to him.”

“Fucking Elijah,” Soren muttered under his breath. I wanted to smile, but it felt like it would hurt too much.

“You have a meeting with him this evening,” Peter’s commanding voice cut through the crowd, approaching with Ella at his side and a dark look on his face. “I want these negotiations finished as soon as possible. Before some general decides to get testy.”

Soren’s hand wrapped around my arm a second later, and he looked down at it like he didn’t know how it got there.

I did. The Bond had yelled at him to grab me before someone took me away.

The same voice had entered my own head more times than I could count.

Soren looked seconds away from finally giving into the Bond, but we were interrupted by the arrival of Esme.

She burst through the stable doors with the air of someone annoyed that no one filled them in on the latest gossip, but her expression fell when she realized what she walked in on.

Oddly enough, her gaze went to Peter first. Her face twisted into something I hadn’t seen before from her, something rather … childlike. Like a little girl who had just dropped her favorite toy in the mud, just on the verge of horrified tears.

Esme collected herself quickly, a little too quickly. She breathed in so heavy her chest rose then looked to Ford, who was looking through her with a hollow expression.

“Wait, was that—” I whispered to Soren.

“The camp Ford was held at.” The same one that had given him that scar. Soren told me that he’d been captured and tortured by a rogue Muli general who was known for having a particularly cruel streak.

The same torture that had left Ford with a scar down his face and partially blind in one eye.

Esme stomped up to Ford and his eyes tracked her. Silently, she inspected him, her eyes bouncing over every part of his body. Even from afar, she was almost vibrating with restraint, like something underneath her skin was trying to break through.

“Esme, go help them clean up,” Peter commanded, snapping her out of her trance. She nodded, leading the group away blandly. As they left, I noticed that their Marks were showing.

A small trickle of relief crept in as I realized that though the four of them had been held, it was with their Match.

“Soren, Ford,” Peter barked next. “I want both of you in my office.” For a debrief, it seemed.

Even though I wanted to tend to Soren, I knew I had no right to anymore. It was better if he was distracted with something. The more hours that passed from now until sundown, when I was pretty sure the Bond would start acting up again, was preferred.