Chapter 9: Chapter 9

CASVAN

“You know, you could probably save yourself the agonizing pain and tell me what I need to know, instead of wasting my time and making me do this to you. If you talk, your brother will at least get a respite from our session later,” the little witch said, as she twisted the small, sharp dagger coated in liquid silver into my pectoral, right between my ribs.

Blood gushed out just like it had a dozen other times since my interrogation started. After each time, she’d always give me something from a vial that would eject the silver out of my body.

I was moved out of the healing compartment to this place, which I guessed was their interrogation room. The women had a lot of questions they expected me to answer.

The problem was I didn’t feel like talking, especially not when I was being stabbed repeatedly with daggers coated in silver. It kind of amused me that they thought I was a werewolf.

Yes, sometimes I could change into a wolf, but I could change into a few other animals too. It was because of my essence, the symbiote that each of my race received as a gift right after we were born.

It was our life force; it was what gave us power and unique abilities. So in reality, I wasn’t just any kind of shifter, though silver did seem to irritate me, but that was all.

It didn’t kill or affect me the way it did a real werewolf, and I’d seen those. I made a mental note to steal a lot of these vials. They would come in handy when I chose to ally with the wolves.

Now that I had a mate, it would be good to have more allies, unlike before when I didn’t give a fuck what happened to me. I had to protect my kitten now, and in the future, our youngling.

I would give the vial to Alaric for him to find out what was inside it and make more of it. The bitch was healing me so that I couldn’t die before she was through with me.

She didn’t know that it would take a great lot to end someone like me. Sure, the blood loss had made me weak, but it wouldn’t kill me.

“Fuck, you are enjoying this too much, aren’t you? I’m glad to make your day. I’m always all about pleasing the ladies, as you humans like to say,” I growled out when she stabbed me again.

The pain was excruciating, but I could take it. Jakos was probably hurt more than I was; the last time I’d seen the guy, he looked almost unrecognizable.

My torturer was a pretty redhead with eyes almost as dead as those unfeeling ghouls I’d seen. I would have wasted my time ogling her, if I didn’t have my beautiful mate.

But I did. I had my Kitten, my sexy, beautiful mate, who already owned my heart—the woman whom even now I could sense, due to the temporary connection between us.

“You could be stubborn all day and not answer my questions. Fortunately for me, we’ve got tomorrow and the day after that. Eventually, I will break you.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it; my ribs hurt from how much I was cackling.

If this little puny human woman thought she would be able to break me, then she should definitely think again. I was pretty sure she was going to try her best, though.

There was a darkness in her I instantly recognized, but even then, breaking me was something she could never do. How a pretty little thing like her could torture someone as large as me without fear of repercussion was beyond me.

She had mettle. I would give her that, and she knew how to work a knife.

From all her moves, and that of the older woman whom she’d called Lydia, I knew they were properly trained. They’d have to be; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to elude us all these years.

The torture went on for another hour or so before I was finally pumped with tranquilizers, then moved again. This time, I was taken to the dungeon and not back to the hospital.

Fuck, I hurt all over, and I suspected I’d probably bled a whole gallon of blood. Feeling drained and a bit disoriented, added with the smell of my own blood overwhelming my senses.

I didn’t realize I wasn’t alone until I saw her feet right outside the cell I was in.

“Hello there, your highness. Are you here to tell me you’ve accepted my offer of alliance?” I asked, although I doubted that’s why she was here.

“What did you do to my daughter?” the queen asked, standing there with her warriors.

The queen, who was also the mother of my fated mate, was the opposite of my Reyna in every single way—and thank the aethers for that. My Reyna was beautiful, and despite her cold exterior, I could sense her innocence, her kindness buried beneath the surface.

This human—I couldn’t sense any ounce of goodness in her. Something seemed off about her in a way that was different from the redhead, and a lot worse than her.

Her hatred of anything nonhuman was deeper than the eye could see. And as someone who had witnessed others in similar situations, I knew nothing ate at the soul more than hatred.

“I’m guessing that’s a no. And I don’t understand what you mean,” I replied.

“I know you did something to Reyna. I just want to know what it is you did.”

“I did nothing to her. I am not your enemy,” I gave her a half-truth, the only thing I could give her at the moment.

“Lies. I’ve seen monsters like you. I know what you are capable of. You won’t get what you want here. I will die before I let that happen,” she said, turning on her heels, about to leave.

“My warriors and I can protect you,” I yelled. “Keep your entire people safe.”

She snickered.

“What we need protecting from are monsters like you. Nothing you say will convince me otherwise.”

“Believe what you want. What I know is that if you don’t ally yourself with me, you condemn your people.”

“And you just condemned your brother for not answering my question.”