I’d eventually fallen asleep after making some progress on the block, although I’d fought to stay awake. My body’s needs overpowered my will to escape and I drifted into a dreamless sleep.
When I woke up, I saw food had been laid out for me. After some thought, I ate. I’d considered a hunger strike, but then my body wouldn’t be at its strongest. I’d also considered the idea that Kennet might have drugged the food, but I couldn’t smell anything off about it, and so far he hadn’t drugged any of the other meals I’d eaten.
I smiled when I remembered Isaiah and the way he’d pushed and prodded me not to waste time. In his honor, I finished my meal, closed my eyes and focused on the block once more.
Some time later, the doctor reappeared to take off the bandages and check my wounds. My skin had healed perfectly, with only a tiny bit of redness where the whip had bitten into my back more deeply. With the doctor’s arrival, came the knowledge that Kennet would be here soon to torture or rape, or perhaps force me to become his ‘lady’ so he could torture and rape me in a fancier environment. Even if I gave him his heir, he would want another, just in case. When he was done with me, I was certain he’d kill me as he had his other ‘ladies’.
The doctor left silently, neither one of us speaking to the other. I rested on the bed and refocused once more on unlocking Kennet’s block on the lines. Kennet would be here soon and because of my earlier decision to resist, I was sure I’d be forced to endure the pain of his torture again. To prepare I allowed my secret store of energy to flow through my veins and add a little extra strength to my healing powers. It was possible I may not survive the next few hours.
When I felt the cold energy of Kennet’s return I hid it the magic away and rose from the bed, meeting his gaze. He looked me over and smiled. “Jacqueline, you’ve fully recovered, I see.” He nodded in the fae way but I didn’t return the greeting.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t control my body’s reaction to his presence. Adrenaline shot through my bloodstream in such large amounts, I trembled. My fear was choking me, but I managed to croak out, “Kennet, let me go. I’ll tell Lord Caelen and the other elders that you were kind to me. Please. I’ll tell them whatever you want.”
He laughed and shook his head. “The fae know when you lie, Jacqueline. And although you may disagree, I have been kind to you. There is much worse I could have done, and may yet do,” he whispered. My eyes grew wider. “Have you decided to cooperate, or not?” I didn’t answer. “Move here, please.” He pointed to a spot on the floor near the end of the bed.
I walked as close to him as my heavy chain allowed. He smiled but backed up slightly, staying out of kicking range. I took a deep breath, lifted my head and tried to smile seductively. I spoke softly, as if my throat was still sore from my screams. “Could you come closer?”
He laughed again. “You have such courage. What do you wish to tell me?”
I held my throat. “I can’t talk loudly. Please come closer.” He inched forward, still too far for me to reach him. At this point, there was nothing logical about what I was doing. I was wired for revenge even though I knew it was pointless. To keep him from reading me, I locked my cheetah in a box the way Isaiah had taught me and allowed my inner demon to surface. “I’ll cooperate, Kennet.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Really? I am not sure I believe you. You will have to convince me.”
I licked my lips and ran my hands from my hips to my thighs bunching up the material of the dress and lifting it to show off my bare legs. He smiled. “More.” I swallowed down bile and showed him my thighs. That did it. He came to me smiling wickedly and pulled me close against him, leaning in to kiss me.
This time I gave it all I had, grabbing him between the legs and twisting until he screamed. I tried to punch him in the face, hoping to knock him out, but I was still too weak, so my blow had no effect on him. When he hit me in retaliation, I went flying backward, landing on the floor at the foot of the bed. I was desperate and terrified and definitely lacking in normal amounts of self-preservation, but I refused to be a victim. I’d keep fighting for as long as I could.
His rage was off the charts. He attacked my mind first, planting me in the middle of my worst nightmare. Garrett was staked out in the sun and his flesh was on fire. I was standing nearby and he called out to me to help him. Instead, I shook my head and lifted his smoking wrist to my mouth and began to drink his blood, laughing after every few gulps. The bloodlust burned in me as I ignored his pitiful moans until he dissolved into ash and blew away in the strong cold wind. When Kennet pulled me back to reality, I was sobbing on the floor, completely convinced of my betrayal.
Kennet laughed at me. “You didn’t hesitate to turn your back on him. It was so easy for you to leave him to suffer. I didn’t even have to convince you. Your demon blood craves power. One day it will force you to betray your mate and your team. You’re more like me than you know.”
I crawled to his feet and begged. “Let me go. I’m nothing to you.”
“Jacqueline, you are wrong. Right now, you are everything to me.” I found myself restrained with ropes once more. He whipped me again as I sobbed and begged him to stop. I passed out several times. Kennet dissolved the blood once more and ordered me to kiss him. Overwhelmed by the throbbing pain, I had flashes of myself crawling toward him, unable in my weakened state to fight against his power, but not having the strength to stand. At the end, reality faded away completely.
Later, when I opened my eyes, I found myself still in the small room. I moaned over and over. The pain was so intense; it was all I could concentrate on. The doctor came once more to patch me up, so I stuffed my pillow back in my mouth and imagined myself standing on my cliff in Garrett’s arms as the salty air swirled around us. My screams as she disinfected the wounds tore through us both. I saw tears streaming down her face at the end.
“Give in to him. You may not survive much more,” she whispered.
After the doctor left and I lay again on my stomach, I searched once more for my tiny bit of stored magic. At first I couldn’t find it, and I trembled with panic, terrified I’d lost it forever. I tried again and again until I uncovered that sweet warm spark which spread quickly through my veins, easing my pain; bringing me comfort and the energy to keep working on the block. After another few minutes of work, there was a sudden rush of intense warmth and my horribly battered body succumbed to sleep. In my dream I could smell Garrett’s sweet scent as he held me in his arms. If I hadn’t been aware of my heart’s steady beat, I would have imagined I’d passed on into heaven.