AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 26
Fort
“Carleah!” I yell her name as loud as I can, given the agonizing pain from my injuries. Still, she doesn’t stir. The guards brought her down and chained her slender body to an angled slab of obsidian, keeping her upright enough that she can see us. The chains have reddened the flesh of her arms, but it’s the one around her throat that worries me.
“Is she breathing?” Bowman chokes out.
“Yes,” I tell him, my gaze studying the slow rise and fall of her chest.
She moans softly, brows furrowing in her sleep.
My gaze pins Patrick as he sits on a slap of obsidian, his eyes closed, Bowman’s blood smeared on his chest. His guards stand before him, their empty eyes on us.
“Carleah!” I yell again, but she cannot hear me, whatever nightmare she’s wrapped in keeping her firmly unconscious.
Patrick groans and stands, rolling his neck from side to side. “That was fun.” He claps his hands together and crosses toward Carleah. “Get me a bucket of water,” he orders one of the guards.
Dressed in nothing but a thin chemise, Carleah’s body might as well be on display. A low growl leaves my lips as Patrick reaches her. “You better keep your fucking hands to yourself.”
Patrick reaches up and brushes the hair from Carleah’s face. “Why would I do that? She and I are destiny.”
“You are nothing,” Bowman snarls. “And I will kill you for what you’ve done.”
“You cannot even hold your head up,” Patrick replies. “And soon, I won’t need you. Maybe I’ll kill you in front of her. Let her watch as the life drains from the Rossingol line.”
A guard enters the room with a bucket of water. He offers it to Patrick.
“Perfect. Thanks. Now, time to wake my future bride.” He throws the water on Carleah, and she jolts awake, choking herself on the chain around her throat. She coughs and sputters, eyes wide as she struggles against the chains.
I can see the moment she is fully awake, though, because her beautiful face twists into fear and rage. Fury she turns on Patrick. “You bastard.”
He grins. “I cannot tell you how glad I am to finally be on the same page as you. The information you have about that prophecy helped quite a lot. See, I knew I needed you to awaken the giants, but I didn’t realize just what it was about you that would work.” He turns to look over at Lacrae, who cowers naked in the corner, his murderous gaze on the king of Soreno. “Your elven friend is quite tight-lipped as you said he is.”
Carleah’s gaze widens, and she looks past him to Lacrae. “What the hell have you done!” she roars. “You cannot do this!”
“I can. Now, because I am generous and hoping to still earn your affections, I am giving you one final night with these people,” he says. “For tomorrow, we leave for the Land of Giants, and when we return, they will be nothing but ash.”
“You will never earn my affections! I will kill you, Patrick, I swear it!”
He doesn’t respond, just walks out of the room. His guards leave, too, shutting the door behind them. A lock flips into place.
“Are you hurt?” I demand.
Carleah keeps her eyes closed as tears stream down her cheeks. She doesn’t speak, doesn’t look at me.
“Carleah, answer me.”
“No,” she whispers. “I’m not hurt.”
Relief settles in my bones. Her shift is see-through now due to the water they threw on her, and Bowman keeps his gaze averted. One glance at Lacrae and I see that he, too, is staring at the floor.
“Are you sure?” Alysia questions.
“Yes.” Carleah’s response is clipped. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see this coming. I believed him. Believed everything he told me.”
“We did, too,” Bowman chokes out.
She opens her eyes and stares at him. “Bowman,” she chokes out. “What did he do to you?”
