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Cold slammed into my body, making it difficult to breathe. I slowly cracked open my eyes and let out a groan. I was lying on a metal slab in the punishment room. I was going to suffer for what I attempted to do to the giant. This was going to hurt, that was for sure. But nothing hurt more than the sense of failure that I felt. It broke me, thinking of my fragile mother being in the hands of a Janton, a member of a race that had poisoned another race into near extinction. She must have been petrified.
A cool tear trickled out of my eye and splashed against my cheek. I was convinced that the room was so cold that my tears could turn to frost. When was the punishment coming? I remembered Anastacia telling me that waiting for the punishment was far worse than the actual punishment. Now that I was lying on the table, I could understand what she was talking about. I didn’t dare to move, knowing that if I attempted to escape, the pain would be more intense. It wasn’t like I wanted to move, anyway. I’d lost the one person that I was desperate to protect. My mother was gone, and now my survival didn’t matter so much. My siblings stood by and watched as my mother was traded for the life of a brother that none of us had any attachment to. We could have done something had we worked together. For the first time, a thought lingered in my mind. Jade would never have sat there and watched as a woman was brutalized for a second time. Another horrible thought also occurred to me. My father could undo what made my mother infertile. She had yearned to give Max a child. Max. Max was a good father, someone who loved both Amber and I, and Father took him from us. Before I could contemplate the matter of Max’s death more, the punishment lights began raining down on me.
The pain was nothing like I’d felt before. It felt like bullets were being shot into my body. I screamed as my vision began blurring. It felt like the agony would go on for an eternity. To my utter horror, the pain intensified to the point where I couldn’t take any more. I wanted to escape so badly that I pleaded with my body to give out. All I wanted was for the pain to stop. It needed to stop. It had to stop! Something snapped in my stomach, uncoiling like a viper waiting to strike. My entire body was filled with energy. I felt the pressure building in my gut, to the point that it burned so bad. I had to release whatever was inside of me. Suddenly my vision cleared, and it took me a moment to realize that the pain had ended. I blinked, surprised that the entire room was bathed in a bright light. Moments later, I sat up and peered down at my body, which was glowing. What the hell?
I aimed my palms at the punishment light, and a bolt slammed into it, making the lights blink out. My body dimmed and I took in deep breaths. So I was more gifted than I had expected. But that light made absolutely no sense. It wasn’t like I could actually go to Father. He would only repeat my punishment over again. And... Wait a second, that monster was not my father. If he loved me, he would never have taken Mom from me. He had no soul. He was going to pay! I wasn’t sure how, but I was positive that I could figure out something. Forget making Lex pay—he was small pickings—but Lord Peirc sold my mother to the enemy. I would most likely never see her again. That thought nearly stopped my heart. Mom. When I was released, I’d go back to my suite, and she would no longer be there. Suddenly, staying in the punishment room seemed like the more appealing of the two fates. I didn’t want another reminder of how I wasn’t strong enough. But before I could avoid my failure, the door opened and Lex walked in, his expression of boredom turning to surprise when his eyes landed on me.
“Gwen, you’re one tough chick. How in the hell are you still awake?” Lex asked. I rolled my eyes and slowly stepped down from the table. My legs were much steadier than I expected. I gave Lex the evil eye.
“You’ll pay for this, Lex,” I warned. “You’ll pay for what you did.” Lex shrugged, unconcerned by my threat. He didn’t have to believe me. In fact, it would suit me if he forgot all about my threat. That would make things simple for me. Lex wouldn’t believe that a woman could be his doom.
I was annoyed that Lex whistled as he led me down the hallway. He waved at everyone, as if the crew of the ship were his homeboys. As soon as I entered my room, Lex shut the door behind me. I eyed Lena, who sat on my mother’s bed.
“Obi needed a place to stay, so I was booted from my room,” my half-sister explained. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep. I glanced at the clock and groaned. Dinner was in less than two hours, and I was required to attend.
***
“Waiting for an invitation?” Lena asked as she opened the door. I sluggishly made it to my feet. The red gown that I wore felt like it was made out of lead. My entire body pleaded for me to rest. But I had to put on a show, lest my father stuff me in a punishment room again. I would defy my father by being nearly the last person to enter the room. But I wouldn’t push my luck.
“Father is sending Jade to Lord Rema. She’ll become a member of his harem,” I reported. Lena’s expression hardened, making me think that she knew of the lord’s reputation.
“And are you telling me this to hurt me?” my sister challenged.
“No,” I responded. “Just keep it to yourself. I’m sure that Father will announce the news when he’s ready.”
“So the information is a peace offering, then?” demanded. “And tell me, Gwen, what do you think that this is going to do, absolve you of guilt? You could have told father that Jade died. You could have said that Jade’s family went on vacation. We both know that you could have made everyone believe the lie.” Her dark eyes met mine and a chill ran through me. Did Lena know my secret? How could that be? Maybe she pieced things together? I didn’t have time to ask Lena, because she spun on her heel and stormed out of the room.
As I walked down the hallway, I had to grapple with one fact. I could have made everyone believe that Jade had left the country. But I had been afraid of risking Mom’s life. In the end, she was in the hands of the Janton, and I was stuck on Lord Peirc’s prized ship. There was no getting out of this hellish life that I had no control over. My heart pounding, I forced myself to walk to dinner.
My eyes landed on Jade, who was dressed in a beautiful emerald day dress that had a slight shimmer to it. The other sisters at the reject table were all dressed in stunning masterpieces that Anastacia was bound to be jealous of. I thought of Jade and her fate, and felt somewhat responsible. If I had wanted to change Father’s mind, I could have. I could make it so that he would never know. But I had been a coward, hiding behind the excuse that I was keeping Mom alive. I walked over to the table and sat beside Anastacia, who was eying Karen with annoyance.
“What’s up?” I asked, ignoring the empty chair to my left.
“Karen knew about what was going to happen to your mother. Meg was the one that chose the woman that should get impregnated, and the traitor didn’t warn us.” I was still pissed at Anastacia for using her telekinesis on me, but what could I have physically done to a bunch of giants anyway? Maybe she really was trying to protect me.
“I see,” I whispered, Lena’s words coming back to me.
“Be nice to my sister. Earn her trust, then tell her what Lex did when the time is right.” In that moment in time, Lena’s words seemed hopeless. Jade was no more than a reject who enjoyed doing housework. But was there a power lurking inside of her? After all, hadn’t I found a way to destroy the punishment light? Instinct told me to keep my mouth shut in regard to the deadly light. It was unnatural, something that hadn’t been documented before. “Gwen, I know that you’re mad at me. B—”
“I’m not mad at you,” I said, rushing to assure Anastacia. She may have been vapid and shallow, but my sister meant well. Lena glanced in my direction and nodded, as if she were agreeing with my assessment of Anastacia.
“I still don’t think that Father is making the right decision about David being a knight,” Lex suddenly shouted. “I’m a warrior.”
“You’re a bully who likes to beat up women.” Lena sneered. “Now shut up and eat.” I blinked in surprise at the platters of food that I hadn’t noticed. The loss of my mother was making me feel off-kilter.
“Lena, you should remember that Nerethian women are seen, not heard,” my father coldly reprimanded. Just to piss Father off, I slipped into his mind and planted a suggestion there. His eyes momentarily glazed over, but he straightened right away.
“Lex, you don’t like your position?” my father coolly demanded, which made Lena arch a brow. The topic change threw her off. I selected a piece of bread, some cheese, and a chunk of meat. After punishments, most of my siblings were too upset to gorge themselves on food. I decided that I would act the same, though I was ravenous. Using the strange power gave me extreme hunger pangs.
“Father, I’m not a scholar, I’m all muscle,” Lex boasted.
“All muscle, huh?” my father asked, a sly grin on his face. That should have been Lex’s warning not to speak, but he admitted it himself, reasoning wasn’t in his toolbox of skills.
“Father, David shouldn’t be sent to the military, I should be,” Lex argued. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do.”
“Yes, Lex, you’re so obedient. I asked you to be obedient and you’re questioning me in front of everyone? What a wonderful display of obedience.” Lex frowned and then he stiffened.
“Dad, I...”
“Lucy, I want to spend some time with you tonight,” my father said, which made Lex’s jaw tick. He stood, his hand forming into a fist. My father ignored his aggressive act because I would have warned him if he were in danger. I pretended to be absorbed with my bread, my excuse for not telling the man what was going to happen.
“You son of a...” Lex roared before slamming his fist in my father’s nose. Anastacia squealed and raised a hand, stopping Lex from moving. Blood oozed from my father’s broken nose. Blood splashed onto his white silk suit. Tears ran down Lucy’s face as she eyed her angry son. Father’s eyes fell on me, his gaze hard.
“Gwen, tell Lex to attack his mother,” he mentally demanded of me.
“Here?” I mentally wondered, my eyes wide.
“No. He’ll deliver the punishment in the punishment room,” he mentally said, which made me feel guilty. I had wanted Lex to suffer, not Lucy.
“Okay,” I said, my voice hollow. I used my mental gifts to calm Lex. As soon as the anger leached out of him, Anastacia was able to release him.
“DAD,” Lex said, eying the blood spattered on Lord Peirc’s shirt. The sight actually brought me satisfaction. Before I could order my brother to do anything else, Lady Valera hurried over to my father, her face stern. She rested a gentle hand on my father’s shoulder, and he nodded.
“Forget it, Gwen,” my father said before storming out of the hall.
“Does that mean dinner’s over?” Karen asked.
“NO. I’m still here,” the lady reminded my sister. She walked over to the dais and primly sat in her seat. I was exhausted, and didn’t think that I could delve into her thoughts. I took another bite of my food, my stomach screaming for me to eat.
“What an eventful night,” Lena commented, her eyes briefly meeting mine. She glanced at Lady Valera and shook her head. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I arched a questioning brow, but Lena’s attention drifted elsewhere.
“Are you guys getting along?” Anastacia inquired.
“She’s nice enough,” I offered, since I didn’t want to make up a lie about how we were the best of friends. Lena detested me, and I knew it.
“She’s weird. What was up with all of the brow raising and head-shaking crap?” Anastacia whispered to me.
“I don’t know,” I said, not wanting to discuss Lena’s motives. As long as she wanted to hurt our father, that was good enough for me. I couldn’t believe that he had given my mother away in hopes of getting his son Obi returned to him.
“So, do you want to come to my room tonight?”
“Sure,” I said, deciding that Anastacia was my best option for gossip. Karen looked my way and shot me a grin. I returned it with a scowl, letting her know that her actions weren’t going to be forgiven. Karen’s eyes next landed on her mother, who must have said something, because Meg glanced at me with a nervous expression on her face. What was that about? I couldn’t fish in anyone’s mind tonight. I was too exhausted. But I’d find the information one way or another.