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“Alik, stop, please. You’re going to hurt yourself. Alik!”
He’s beyond hearing me. I stumble backward as he rages inside the cell, screaming until he’s hoarse as he continues clasping his head. Blood from his claws digging into his scalp drips onto the bare floor, which he smears when shuffling around.
I try one more time—tears streaming down my face—yelling over the sounds he makes. “Alik!”
His head whips my direction, and he lunges toward the barrier. He pounds on it with his fists over and over again. I scurry backwards, trip, and fall on my ass, but he doesn’t stop. I’m not sure he can even see me. I see him though, despite the tears blurring my vision. I did this. His pain is my fault.
“I’m so sorry, Alik.”
Running footsteps approach and hands wrap around my shoulders, helping me up. The encaged prince becomes even more enraged and the pounding worsens. A hissing noise comes from inside his containment cube and a gas of some kind fills it. I turn to see who’s holding me and find it’s Bannik.
“What is that?”
“A sleeping gas,” he replies. “We need to leave him alone to recover. Please, Devon, come with me.
I let the guard lead me away, but I stare over my shoulder the entire way. Alik stumbles back away from the wall and drops to his knees. A second set of interior walls lower within the cube. He lifts his head and our eyes meet for a moment before his slowly close and he collapses fully onto his side. Then a second later, he’s gone from my view entirely when Bannik closes the main door that blocks the hallway leading down to the cells.
My chest heaves with the effort to breathe. Is this what a panic attack feels like? Spots dance in my still blurred vision, and my face is wet with tears. I fall against the wall behind me and slide down it, pulling my knees as close to my body as I can get them.
Vaguely, I register Bannik speaking, but he doesn’t prompt me to answer so I assume he’s talking to someone else. Time passes while I remind myself to keep breathing slowly, until a warm presence settles against my right side. A second presses against my left side. Seconds later, I’m enclosed in a soft embrace. A sob builds from deep inside, but I swallow it down. Instead, I let the warmth comfort me.
I’m not sure how long I sit there, but eventually, I come back to myself and slowly raise my head and glance on either side of me. Tears spring to my eyes again at the sight of Lindsey and Quinn, both of whom still have their arms wrapped around me in a lovely hug with their cheeks resting on my shoulders. Seated in front of me, with her hands resting on top of my feet is Olivia. She meets my gaze with wetness in her own eyes. Her smile is comforting. I return it.
Lindsey and Quinn shift and sit up. Their hold loosens and releases, but they immediately lock elbows with me instead. Their touch is grounding.
Olivia breaks the silence first. “Who would have guessed we’d find you down here, you little sneak?”
I sputter out a laugh that comes far too close to a sob. “Surprise.”
“How about we get out of here and get you something to eat or drink?” Lindsey suggests.
I nod. Olivia’s the first to stand and she helps up Quinn, while I help Lindsey. The spaces we walk aren’t wide enough for the four of us to go side by side, so Bannik leads us out with Quinn and Olivia behind him, followed by Lindsey and me. She keeps her arm looped around mine and our hips brush every few steps.
We make our way through lighted, narrow hallways made of stone that slowly incline as we get closer to the main section of the palace. Finally, we come out into a large entryway that branches off in different directions. Bannik turns to Olivia.
“I need to return to my post, Your Highness, but if you take that hall, you’ll come out near the banquet hall. Will you be able to find your way to your rooms?”
Liv waves him off. “We’ll be fine from here, thank you, Bannik.”
He bows, glances between the four of us, and heads back down the hall we just left. Without a word, Olivia and Quinn move forward so we automatically trail them. We don’t speak again until we reach Janik and Olivia’s wing of the palace. She opens the door to the sitting room and gestures for us to enter. I head straight to the sofa and collapse onto it with my head thrown back against the cushion.
A weight settles on the other end. I sense a presence a minute later and raise my head. Olivia stands there with a glass of plyka. I say a silent thank you for the drink, because this conversation calls for alcohol. Quinn’s already taken a seat, so as soon as Olivia drops into the cushioned chair and the three of them stare at me expectantly, I tell them everything.
Chapter 11
Alik
Too many people come in and out of my prison. I’m aware of them, but my body and head hurt too much to move. Every time I shift, a stabbing pain radiates through me. The only thing that helps to ease it even slightly is to keep my eyes closed and remain still. Which means, I must let the healer and the other male—Hor-ek—examine me.
The healer uses strange equipment that makes beeping noises I don’t like. He watches me warily whenever he runs one of these devices over me. I can’t gauge his expressions as he looks at the device, but often his brow wrinkles and he makes a sound under his breath.
On occasion, I can manage a growl which causes them both to stiffen, but when the rumble fades, they resume their examinations. And speaking. Constantly speaking. So much it makes my head ache worse. Images flash in my mind. People. Faces. Especially De-von’s.
I can’t stop picturing her terror. She feared me, and I caused her to fall. I am not sure I can forgive myself for that, especially if she is hurt. Her state is unknown to me, because she has not been back. Time is different in my cell. I sleep little, always in pain and trying to remain alert. I have been brought food many times since De-von was last here—although I don’t eat—and still she remains absent. The only female to come is the older one.
Your mother.
The voice sounds like De-von’s. Is that who this female is? Why do I not remember her? All I know is, her presence makes my head ache.
