Chapter 83

Chapter83
Mybodyshudders involuntarily,the cold leeching in through the dirtied denim pants Ihaveon and the thin shirt I pulledbackovermyheadto retain whatever heat Ican.
Mom breathes heavily just on the other side of the bars,as closeasshe can be without being too affected by the silver. I expected them to come back for me, but as my mom expected,theyare letting me heal before they start up again.
It seems they want ittolastaslongaspossible. No doubttheygetasicksenseof enjoyment out of our pain. But maybe that is how the dragonsare, maybe instead of livingforfire theyliveforothers suffering.
“Are you still awake….”Iwhisperoverto my mother. I hear hergroanbefore she clears her throat.
“There is no such thing as sleep in thisplace.”Shesaysback, her voice hoarse from dehydration.
“Howisyour pain?”I askher,not really knowing what else tosay.
There are hundreds,if not thousands, of questions running through my head. Questions I have pondered foryears,answersI had convinced myself that ifI knewthem, maybe I could be happier. But now when I have her here,Ican’t think of a damn one.
She chuckles before breaking intoacoughing fit. My chest aches with every chest rattling expelling of dust she lets out and I press my head to the cement, holding back tears. Afteramoment, she clears her throat and I hear a heavy sigh.
“Tenyearsand thesearethe questions you ask me?”
“Itseemed polite to havealittle small talk first,” I joke, and she chuckles lightly.
“Well, at least my brotherwasgoodenough to teach you manners.” She muses. I don’t have the heart to tell her he taught me a lot more than that but that itwasquick learning at the end of his whip or the whim of her niece.
“Whatdothey want from you?”Iask, decidingtoskirt around the familial problems she may not know we even have with her brother.
Thecellgoessilent, then there is an exhale and the sound of shuffling. When she speaks again, her voice is closer, more hushed.
“At first, they wanted to know where youwere.Iassumed you were alive and that your uncle had come for you as promised.” She explains. Ifurrowmy brows in confusion.
“Alpha Bentley didn’t come for me.”Isay slowly, “I was left in the pack for him to find.”
“No, youaremistaken. He promised me he would come for you. I couldn’t reach Caspian and-” She trails off, going silent again.
“Melody…?”Iwhisper,and Ihearasoft, quiet sob in the darkness.
“I need a minute,” she murmurs,and I hear her shiftawayfrom me.
There is a clatter as the door opens, echoing through the damp prison, lights flickering on asIcovermy eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the sudden change. There is a shuffling and I canhearasizzle to my rightasI blink and look at my mother clutching the bars.
“Do the video.” She whispers, her eyes darting toward the entrance of my cage with fear written all over her face.
“What?”I hiss, ashamed she wouldbackdown so easily, though pain has been a constant for her for many years.
“The sooner your mate knows youaremissing, the sooner they will come for you.” She mutters.“Ican handle torture, but you need togetout of here.This place will killyou, mysweetheart. I need you to promise me you will saywhatthey want you to, but don’t you dare show an ounce ofpainorfear? Otherwise,theywillstorm the mountain and it will be their death.”
She recoilsawayas footsteps echo closer and the same dragon man from beforestopsin front of me, a permanentscowlon hisface. He plays with the keys in his hands for a moment, his eyes trainedonme in thought before he exhales and unlocks the door. As if to mock me, he holds it open and gives meafake bow,showing I should exit the door.
My heart skins a beat,my eyes sliding to my mother,who stands now, watching meclosely, and shakes herheadasshe seems to read the thought in my mind. Panic rises as she touches the silver that burns her, but she never seems to react to.
Everything in my body is telling me to run. I know I won’t get far. HowcanI when he is so close and we areapparentlyon a mountain?Nodoubt this guy has wings when he needs them. One more glanceathimrevealsasmall smirk on hislips, andIrealize thatisexactlywhat he wants,He
wants metorun.
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Instead, I exit my cage, stepping to the side, allowing himtoclose it asIwait patiently for him to point me in the right direction. His disappointment is noticeable as the smirk falls from his face,replaced by a sneer,ashe reaches out and shoves me.
Ijoltforward,stumbling for afewsteps before catching myself on the silver bars, the metal sizzling as pain zips through my hand. Iretractit, hissing as I hug it to my chest and glare up at his all too pleasedface.
“You enjoy hurting innocent people?”Igrumble at him and he chuckles.
“Innocent? No. But you aren’t innocent,are you hybrid?” Heasks, tilting hisheadwhile I try to understand what the hell heistalking about.
*Just existing makes me guiltyofwhateverbullshit you decide I did?”Iscoff.
He doesn’t respond, and I roll myeyes. “Of course the evil onesgetto dictate who they kill and make up liesasto why.”
“You aren’t supposed toexist.” Hesaysflatly.
Iwhip around, glaring up at him.
“I didn’tcreatemyself. A mate bondcreatedme. To you dragons mates may mean nothing, but to us, to my kind, a mate is everything. It is a gift from ourgoddessand a refusal of that is the grave sin.” I hiss at him.
He steps into me, forcing me to keep moving back as he glares down at me.
“Why would a mangydogandafish be given the giftofahybrid?” He goads me. “A species who only fights and one that only hides. You werecreatedasaweapon to be used against us. Our only weakness is now walking the earth instead of remaining where you belong, in the sea.”
Ispinforwardagain, my mind whirlingasI take in his words and digest them. Me beinghereisn’t just because of their desire to kill off the werewolves and lycans. Though clearly there is some tension between our species, but they are using me to lure out Caspianaswell. Fire and waterdon’tmix, they can’t.
Sowith the sirens restrained to their respective habitat and the dragons to theirs…everyone was safe. Until me, though,ifwhat that last bitch said is true, then I’m not the first or only hybrid. So why do I get to be treated like a problem and not the other supposed hybrids?
“Turn left,” He grunts and I follow his instructions.
“Wherearewe going?”Iaskcuriously as the hallway grows warmer with every step, the air dry and suffocating untilwebreak intoamassive room.
“The king wantsalook at you,” he murmurs, sounding displeased by this command.
ashe continues to shove me along
Thevastceiling is light up with fire, providing a flickering light along the lava rock floors. Sweat beads at my brow and drips down my back and I see the walls lined with warriors all standing at attention,readyto strike at a moment’s notice.
There isafountain in front of me, not of the water I desperately find myself in need of, but of bubbling magma in the center of the long walkway. He pushes me to the right, and I trip on a protruding rock,crashing to my knees.
Heat burns through myjeans,aspaineruptsovermy knee cap and I cry out in pain. I place my hands down, trying to standasfast as possible and my skin sears, the pads of my fingers and palm sticking to the rock as I tear them free with agaspand hold them to my body.
“Help the pitiful creature up,” a man sighs in boredom. “Clearly, she has no taste for our preferred level of heat.”
“What isityouwant fromme?”Iask,myjawclenching from the throbbing in my hands and knee. I am struck in the back andIgroan.
“He is the king. Address him as such.” He growls in myear.
“What do I want fromyou?” The Dragon Kingasks, sitting forward and out of the shadows. “That is a curious question toaskfor a spy. I believe it is more appropriate to askwhatitis you want from us.”
I furrowmybrows and scoff indisbelief.
“Me? A spy?”Iask him,“Is that what Giselle told you?”
“Why else would you be here?”He asks me curiously as he stands and moves toward me with slow and stiff movements. It is clear he is suffering some type of injury,his eyes filled with pain witheverystephe takes.
“Do you honestly think I came herebecauseIwanted to?”Iscoff.
“Spies go where theyareordered, not because they want togosomewhere.”Heshrugs.
“Your kind ambushed me and killed my gamma.”Igrowl,taking a limp toward him. “Giselle attacked first at the council meeting.Nottheotherway around.”
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“So that is why you are here then,revengeon my mate?”He asks, arching abrow.
Irealize now that the pain in hiseyesis not from any physical ailment, but mental. The way he seems to beg for freedom while doing something he has no control over. He is under control of Lily and Giselle, and whoever else is in on their little shitty plan.
“There is no talking to you.” I whisper to myself in shock. “You are as free as I am.”
“Take her back.” He flicks his wrist at the man escorting me, who grumbles as he drags me out of the room.
After a few moments, he stops walking and allows me to stand on my own, his eyes scanning the area before he steps close and looks down at me with a look of determination.
“What did you see in his eyes that made yousaythat?” he asks.
“He is a prisoner just as much as I am,” I scoff. “Can you not tell?”
“I can, but no one else seems to…” he says, glancing around like he is paranoid that someone may be listening. “Well, Princess, I think we may be able to help each other…”
1narrow my eyes and click my tongue. “Oh, and what makes you think that?”
“I can get you out of here, if you help me first,” he offers, and I bite my lip warily.
“What do you need from me?” I ask, feeling hopeful for the first time in days.
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