Sebastian shifted so fast, I could barely track his movements. One moment, he was standing between the snarling vampire and me, the next, he had his hand around the male’s throat, pinning him against the wall. The silver chains around the prisoner’s body were taut as Sebastian held the male high, and horrible choking sounds filled the air.
“Don’t evenlookat her,” Sebastian snarled, his voice far lower than I had ever heard it before. Locking one powerful arm beneath the prisoner’s neck, Sebastian slid his sword into its sheath before withdrawing his dagger.
The silver blade caught the purple light, and a shiver ran through me as my breathing turned ragged. The air thickened in the cell as the two males stared at each other. I moved back until I hit the black wall behind me. My free hand splayed against the stone, letting the cold seep into me.
It did nothing to help calm my racing heart. I wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. The library. Our bedroom. Out searching the wild for Syndra’s plant.
Gods, even being in Queen Marguerite’s horrible presence was better thanthis.
Sebastian moved the blade along the male’s cheek, tapping it on the prisoner’s chin. “I heard you wanted to talk to me.”
The blond prisoner grunted. “I changed my mind.” He spat. “You can’t make me talk.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I amverygood at making people talk.” Pausing, Sebastian looked over his shoulder at me, his arm still holding the prisoner against the wall. “Take my other dagger and go wait on the other side of the door. You don’t want to see this.”
Rapidly having arrived at the same conclusion, I did what the vampire prince asked. The hilt of the dagger was cool in my hand as I stepped out of the cell, a reassuring presence despite my inexperience with the weapon. Placing the lantern on the ground, I shut my eyes and leaned against the wall.
When the first scream shattered the horrible silence, my heart nearly stopped. It was quickly followed by another. And another.
My legs shook as echoes of what Sebastian was doing hit my ears. Desperately, I tried to focus on any other sounds. The faint echoes of wails that came from the upper levels of Ravenwood Dungeon. Water dripping along the walls. The scurrying of rats on the stone floors.
None of it drowned out the sound of metal against flesh. Of the repeated cries of pain. None of it drowned out the sounds of death.
This male is a bad person.
The phrase echoed in my mind, over and over again, until it was the only thing I could hear. He must have been. He wouldn’t be down here if he was good.
Sebastian wouldn’t be doing… whatever he was doing if this male wasn’t dangerous. That knowledge didn’t stop my heart from cracking when a broken, anguished sob came from the prisoner.
“Tell me, and I’ll make it quick,” Sebastian snarled, his voice coming through the door.
A beat passed before low murmurs hit my ears. I couldn’t hear what the prisoner was saying, but every so often, Sebastian muttered something in reply. Eventually, the prisoner’s words stopped.
There was a long pause, and then a bloodcurdling scream came from inside. It ripped through the silence like a sword through flesh. The shrill cry of terror and despair seemed to echo off the walls.
My heart pounded, and I pressed my forehead against the stones, wishing I was somewhere else.
I never hated the Tether more than I did at that moment.
Absolute silence descended. My heart raced in my chest, and the coppery tang of blood filled the air. Bile rose in my throat as I thought about what lay behind the door. I needed to think about something else. Anything.
Picking up my lantern, I glanced around the darkened hallway. The black stones on the walls seemed to absorb the light, and there was very little here. Another scream came from the cell, and I shuddered.
I was about to take a short walk down the halls—not very far, obviously—when a cool breeze blew through the tunnel.
That was strange.
I stared down the hallway, but I didn’t see anything. I was about to discount it when rapid footsteps came from the direction of the upper levels.
“Luna!” a female voice hissed.
The voice sounded strangely familiar, and something within me tingled. Who was down here? Tightening my grip on the dagger, I ignored the twinge of warning within me and turned the corner as I moved toward the sound of my name.
“Luna!” the same voice hissed.
A flash of red hair filled my vision, and then a pair of familiar eyes looked up at me.
“Syndra?” My eyes widened as confusion roiled through me. “What are you doing here?”