“But Finley…” Hannon’s face was tense. “Nyfain—the prince…” His eyes flicked to the side. Apparently he didn’t want to sound overly familiar with Nyfain’s subjects in the room. Something that probably should’ve occurred to me and never had. Not like I would’ve changed. “He can’t handle what you’re going through. Hadriel said it’s breaking him down. He can handle pain, but he can’t handle you in pain. It’s breaking us all down, truthfully. He’s given Hadriel three months, and then he plans to trade himself for you. For his kingdom.”
A stab of fear hit my heart. That explained the impatience I was feeling through the bond. I’d figured he would do something foolish, and that was about as foolish as he could get.
“Well then,” I said, a newfound determination steeling within me. “We better hope Hadriel can network.”
“Our hope is in the hands of a stable hand?” Lucille said before thunking her head forward against the bars.
I grinned. “Not a stable hand, no. The most mediocre butler you’ll ever meet.”
I turned my back on everyone and unfolded the note with shaking hands.
My dearest Finley,
It’s hard to know what to say.
I miss you.
I love you.
I think of you always, especially when I sit on that little hill in the wood and watch the sunrise. Or when I crawl under the bedsheets in our tower room. Or when I work the everlass fields. Your absence is a gaping hole within me, a hollow that I could bear if you were free, living your life in peace. One I struggle with because I know you are in pain.
If you get this note, the rescue party has reached you. I hope they can help. Hadriel claims he is not worth much, but he has greatly helped me with the kingdom. He is a good person to have in a pinch. He always seems to know what to say in order to shift the mood of those around him. I truly think he’ll be useful. Leala seems to bolster him, so they will be a good team. Worst case, they will bring you a little comfort from home.
I have all the faith in Hannon, but I don’t have to tell you that, of course. I did try to dissuade him from putting himself in harm’s way—I know you would’ve wanted me to—but he wouldn’t hear of it. I think he has a strong, determined sort of animal that thinks nothing of sacrificing itself for its loved ones.
It is clearly a family trait.
I will continue to help you through the bond in any way possible. Please, please take care of yourself as best you can. Try to escape, but do not take any unnecessary risks. Stay strong and stay alive. I will not let you suffer for much longer. I will ensure your freedom with my last breath, if need be, as is my duty. One way or another, you will be free of your cage, and then I need you to finally find happiness.
You are my heart, little dragon. Guard yourself well, because in so doing, you guard the most precious part of me.
Yours forever,
Nyfain
P.S. I would’ve liked to smuggle you in a book, but it seems Hadriel chose the skimpiest of clothing options available. I worried where he might stick the book in order to get it to you…
I laughed through my tears, the ache for him overwhelming. Through the bond, I felt an answering surge of warmth and love. He must know what I was doing.
I lay down and held the note to my heart. I had my family now. I had my friends. Together we could do this. Together we could make miracles.
SIXTEEN
HADRIEL
After removing us from Finley’s dungeon, the guards brought us to the next floor up. One of the robed, moldy creatures shoved me, but I was too shocked to verbally retaliate.
“Was that for real? Did you recognize them too?” I whispered to Leala, and the guard shoved me again. Turning to him, I said, “My darling, you can’t look tough when shoving a man wearing a maid’s outfit. It simply isn’t possible. There is no toughness within the absurd. Just let it happen. It would be much easier that way.”
I must’ve confused him, or made entirely too much sense, because the next shove was halfhearted.
“I thought they were all dead,” Leala murmured as we walked down the center of a wide grouping of cells, most of them containing people sitting in the middle of their individual cells or leaning against the side. They watched us walk by, not one face I recognized.
We turned a corner and continued on to another block of cells. There were quite a few more prisoners in this area than in the one below.
“Hmm, yes,” Leala said after a guard gave her a particularly hard shove. “How about you give me a spank to go with it?”
I glanced back at the demon, who looked confused and wary. Her kink seemed to make even the most vicious of creatures uncomfortable. Clearly we wouldn’t be fitting into this establishment, which was crazy, since their kind had made us what we were. Well…maybe not made, but certainly brought it out in us.
“So did I,” I replied. “So did everyone. The master is going to just love finding out that his people have been kept here like this for so long.”
“It’s probably better he doesn’t know. He couldn’t have done anything to save them. Not without damning us all.”
“Too true.”
We passed a woman sitting in the middle of her cell with her legs crossed and her arms resting on her knees. Her eyes flicked open, revealing a lovely and slightly startling indigo stare. I’d never seen eyes that color.
I stumbled and then paused, transfixed for reasons I couldn’t explain. She watched me as Leala walked on and my guard debated whether this was a fine time to ignore my maid’s outfit and shove me as he figured he should.
I waited for her to say something. It felt like I needed for her to say something.
She took my measure before looking to the guard. Her expression didn’t change, but suddenly it felt like she understood my whole situation—why I was here and the role I needed to play.
She closed her eyes again, and I felt released.
I sucked in a breath and started walking right before the guard moved to shove me. He hit air and then stumbled forward, bumping into my back.
“See?” I told him. “That’s why you don’t try to shove people like me. You just end up looking like an idiot.”
“You need to get that smart mouth whipped off you,” the officer growled.
“Probably. But someone will probably end up fucking it instead. I give great head.”
The guard sucked in a startled breath.
What was with this place? Did they not know the sex demons who’d been holed up in our kingdom all this time? Because chatter like that shouldn’t be a shock to anyone around these parts.
“Woman. Here.” The officer with Leala stepped to the side and opened a cell, a dingy sort of affair with a bit of straw spread across the floor and a bucket in the corner.
“Oh lovely, Leala. What a fine setup.” I smiled at her in goodbye as they led me a little farther down the cell block, to a tiny chamber on the other side—rough stone with bars in the front. “And a fine establishment for me, too. Lucky, lucky.”
The door clanged shut, and I had a moment of intense claustrophobia, squeezing my chest and curdling my stomach. I breathed deeply, trying to quell the panic, when I heard, “It’ll get easier.”