HE SCREAMED AGAIN and again, his suffering sickening to hear. Over and over he cried out in agony as they tortured him. Piper sobbed at the sounds he made. The Rogues forced her to watch as they strung him up, burned him with branding irons, cut off his fingertips, nailed his foot to the floor, and pulled out his toenails one by one.

Cain screamed, he yelled, he cursed the men who handled the tools of his torture, but he never broke. He kept his eyes on Piper like she was his only hope…until they sewed them shut. At that point he cried out praises to the gods, thanking Ares for his strength to endure, thanking Zeus for his time on earth and for Piper, always for Piper.

Each breath from her lungs labored and stuttered. Thirst robbed her of the ability to swallow and her throat burned from screaming. She hated the Rogues, the emotion so heavy in her heart she feared it would make her combust. Witnessing Cain’s torture was worse than dying, worse than the pain of their demon-creature trying to hack her brain, and almost as bad as the fear of what they would do to her. Was she next? Would she have to endure this madness?

They whipped Cain until the flesh fell from his back and his ribs were visible. Still he never broke. Piper did her best to mirror his strength but she wanted the torture to end, she wanted them to leave Cain alone, or kill him.

“You can make this end, my darling,” Ashton Avondale crooned softly to her. “All you have to do is tell me where the teleporter is.”

Piper stared at Cain, he was filthy, bloody, and in such great agony, all because of her. Yet he still had the strength to whisper, “Don’t.”

If Cain could endure, so could she. Piper glared at Ashton. Her bottom lip trembled, yet she growled like a feral animal. “I don’t know.”

“Wrong answer.” He motioned to his pet with the whip and the crack was followed by Cain’s screams.

“The god’s will punish you for this!” Piper cried out, tears flowing down her face.

Ashton’s nostrils flared and one eye ticked. “Do you have any clue what your gods have done? They ordered that barbarian to kill my sister and set free a true murderer. They brought a witch straight from the pits of hell back to life. They kicked an oracle out of Delphi. They have botched up our people so horridly that monsters are being bred and the Thracians are nothing but murderous hordes of brainless sheep. You serve those gods? Where are they now?” He pointed to Cain. “Where is Ares now? He’s not saving one of his special sons, now is he?”

Ashton stared at her but she didn’t give in, she didn’t look away. He snickered and put his hands on his hips. “All right, it’s only your first day with us. You’re going to take time to convince. Why don’t we just leave you and your pal here and the Prophet can deal with you tomorrow? I have to go play the weeping son.” With a smirk, he wiped a pretend tear from his eye with his knuckle. He turned to the man who tortured Cain. “Let her watch him die tonight. That should change her mind. Well done, by the way. It’s not everyone who can kill a Thracian.”

“Thank you, my prince.” The man bowed low.

Piper was left in the dark room handcuffed to the wall, one harsh light shining on Cain’s broken body. “Cain, dear Zeus, I’m so sorry.”

“My life for yours, milady.” His words were muffled, his mouth steadily bleeding from the teeth they’d ripped from his gums.

“I might not be Keona, but I have some tricks up my sleeve.” Piper popped her thumb out of socket and bit down on her bottom lip to keep from making a sound. Her wrist slid from the handcuff and she reached down to pull the safety pin from her sweater.

“No, Piper. Do not do anything to let them see you’re a healer. And for the love of the gods, do not risk your life for mine.”

“You’ve done more than that for me. I know you let yourself get captured, Cain. I’ll be mad about that later. Right now,” she wiggled the pin around until she heard a click. “I’m going to heal you as best I can.”

Men were easily fooled by the sweet little girl routine. They hadn’t put her cuffs on tight enough, they didn’t even use decent handcuffs. It was almost insulting. But all she had to do was bat her pretty eyelashes at them and they automatically assumed she couldn’t defend herself.

“Save your strength. Please, Piper, do not waste your efforts on me.”

Once her hands were free, she could crawl over to him. Her right leg was in an older steel cuff. She wasn’t going to get that one free with a pin. But if she stretched…just a little more…a bit farther… Got it!

Piper touched Cain’s foot, the one that wasn’t nailed to the floor.

“Piper, no. I command you to stop.” He tried to pull away.

“Hush. I’m not going to blast you all at once. That would tip them off. I can stream it to you slowly, softly.”

Now, Cain wept. “Do not do this, I beg you. Spare yourself. Do not risk your life for mine. I am a Thracian, you… Piper, your destiny is greater than mine.”

“Cain,” Piper whispered. “I’m going to ask you to please hush now. Receive what I freely give, and don’t waste your strength trying to convince me otherwise.”

At first, she wasn’t sure, but then she knew he was laughing at her. “If any man should think you are the weaker sister, he shall have quite the surprise. I will live for you, my princess, if for no other reason than to warn your dream man about the strong woman he is mated to.”

“Good, I’ll hold you to that oath. Now close your eyes and gather your strength. If we are going to get out of here, you’ll need it. Keona will come for me. I know she will.”

Piper closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep. If only she could reach the man in her dreams. She’d tried to send out messages to Keona, but Ashton blocked her telepathy. He’d sensed her mental call to Keona and shut down the part of their brains that connect to one another. His ability to control the body without touch was frightening. Did anyone know what a threat he was? How much power he wielded?

With every muscle in her body, she concentrated on healing Cain’s life-threatening injuries. She sent her aura through his veins, his muscle tissues, his capillaries, and even into his brain. The healing energy caused him to relax and she sent extra comfort to where he hung by his wrists. With her power, she directed blood flow to his hands, so they would not lose circulation. She closed down the sensors in his brain that registered pain, allowing him to sleep. In his foot, she diverted blood from around the spike and kept any infection from spreading into his tissues.

If it took every ounce of her powers, she would keep him alive. Keona would come. Piper only had to wait and be as strong as Cain. She would see her sister again, and she would get to hold her dream man in her arms in the sunlight.

Piper held those hopes close to her heart and prayed that her sister searched for her. She prayed like Cain did, thanking the gods for his strength, for her ability to heal and she asked Ares to give them both the endurance needed to get through this trial.

Keona would come, and her dream man searched for her already.

Please Zeus, let them find me.

 

To Be Continued…