Torn
Page 71
Oh. Shit.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I wasn’t surprised when the metal band was snapped around my neck again, but when he took the chain and dragged me out into the hallway, I had no idea what was about to go down.
The whole earning his trust thing had belly-flopped out the window.
Drake didn’t speak as he led me downstairs, and there was no way I was getting away from him at this moment. Not when he was this angry.
I wasn’t stupid. Running my mouth may have made it appear that way, but I was smart enough to taste fear on the tip of my tongue.
There was a blur of fae faces as he took me back toward the room full of cots and humans. The ancient guarding the door eyed the chain wrapped around Drake’s fist, smirking as he stepped aside. My cheeks burned with humiliation. Being led around, dragged from one room to the next with a chain in this ridiculous dress went beyond public shame.
He moved to the center of the room, and I stopped just inside, my toes curling against the cool wood floor. The cots weren’t nearly as full as they had been the last time I was here. Three of them were occupied. One of the humans, a female who looked like she was in her mid-thirties, was awake, staring listlessly at the ceiling. The other two were guys who looked like they were barely in their twenties, and they were asleep or passed out.
There was only one other fae in the room, a male who was leaning against the wall, his attention focused on the cellphone in his hand. I wondered if he was checking his Facebook account, and I squelched a hysterical giggle.
Drake looked over his shoulder, brows furrowed. Our gazes met, and a smile formed on his lips, turning cruel. A second later, he jerked the chain.
I resisted, and pressure clamped down on my neck, making it hard to swallow or breathe. Panic balled in the pit of my stomach, heavy like stones. Reflex took over, and I gripped the chain.
“You fight me even though you know it’s pointless.” Drake walked toward me, and the tension in the chain eased. Air rushing down my throat pushed back the panic. He stopped in front of me. “It’s either incredibly foolish or courageous. Which is it?”
I met his stare but refused to answer his question.
One eyebrow rose as he leaned in. His mouth was next to my cheek. “You’re a fighter, even when it’s useless. I can respect that, but that doesn’t mean I won’t break you.”
Turning my head from his, I exhaled roughly. “You’re not going to break me.”
“Is that so? I think I’m already well on my way.” He lifted the chain, rattling it. “You’re in my chains, eating my food, sleeping in my bed, and wearing my clothes.” His head tilted as he reached up with his other hand and traced a finger along my neck. I leaned back, and he chuckled as if I amused him. “You’ve already agreed to be with me. How exactly am I not breaking you, little bird?”
Anger flashed through me, causing my heart to pound in my ears. I lifted my gaze to his. “You will not break me.”
His grin widened, freezing the fire in my veins. It was also secretive and knowing, like he’d already read the book and knew how it would end. “I’ve only met a few halflings over the many centuries I’ve been alive.”
Centuries? I knew he was old, but good lord.
The prince turned, leading me over to where the woman lay. She didn’t move or look up at us. “We once had many humans in the Otherworld. They didn’t last very long. The feeding or the environment always got to them in the end, but we bred them, replenishing our stock before their inevitable deaths.”
I shuddered with disgust. The fae truly treated humans like cattle.
He didn’t seem to notice my distaste. “Unfortunately, the Otherworld is dying. Everything is turning cold and dead. The environment is no longer suitable to sustain human life, and without humans, we age . . . and we die.”
Something occurred to me. “Turning cold? Like the weather?”
Drake nodded.
My eyes widened. “It’s happening here. The cold spell.” I thought of the withered, dying vines outside of my apartment. “It’s because you’re here.”
“It’s adjusting to our needs,” he replied.
“But will your presence have the same impact here, like it did in the Otherworld?”
He shrugged. “It could, but it will take thousands of years. The weather will continue to cool. Winter is in our blood, after all.”
Shock rendered me speechless for a moment. “I thought the courts were dismantled. That summer and winter joined together and—”
His deep laugh silenced me. “The two courts did not simply join together. We overtook the summer court centuries ago. Winter rules all.”
I was barely able to process this before he started speaking again.
“Every so often, a fae would impregnate a human. Things sometimes got out of . . . control while feeding,” he said, grinning, and I remembered what Tink had said he’d seen once in the clearing in the Otherworld. The prince with several women. I imagined that could get kind of complicated. “Before we knew of the prophecy—the loophole surrounding the doorways—halflings were generally seen as an abomination. They were killed.”
“God,” I muttered.
“As if your kind treats halflings any better?”
I pressed my lips together, because he had a point, but whatever.
“But there were times when one of our kind took a liking to the human, to the child, and the halfling would grow.” Drake walked between the cots, tugging me along with him. The woman’s gaze drifted toward us. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he pushed me down with enough pressure that I couldn’t resist. He forced me to sit beside the woman. “Do you know what we discovered about halflings?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
I wasn’t surprised when the metal band was snapped around my neck again, but when he took the chain and dragged me out into the hallway, I had no idea what was about to go down.
The whole earning his trust thing had belly-flopped out the window.
Drake didn’t speak as he led me downstairs, and there was no way I was getting away from him at this moment. Not when he was this angry.
I wasn’t stupid. Running my mouth may have made it appear that way, but I was smart enough to taste fear on the tip of my tongue.
There was a blur of fae faces as he took me back toward the room full of cots and humans. The ancient guarding the door eyed the chain wrapped around Drake’s fist, smirking as he stepped aside. My cheeks burned with humiliation. Being led around, dragged from one room to the next with a chain in this ridiculous dress went beyond public shame.
He moved to the center of the room, and I stopped just inside, my toes curling against the cool wood floor. The cots weren’t nearly as full as they had been the last time I was here. Three of them were occupied. One of the humans, a female who looked like she was in her mid-thirties, was awake, staring listlessly at the ceiling. The other two were guys who looked like they were barely in their twenties, and they were asleep or passed out.
There was only one other fae in the room, a male who was leaning against the wall, his attention focused on the cellphone in his hand. I wondered if he was checking his Facebook account, and I squelched a hysterical giggle.
Drake looked over his shoulder, brows furrowed. Our gazes met, and a smile formed on his lips, turning cruel. A second later, he jerked the chain.
I resisted, and pressure clamped down on my neck, making it hard to swallow or breathe. Panic balled in the pit of my stomach, heavy like stones. Reflex took over, and I gripped the chain.
“You fight me even though you know it’s pointless.” Drake walked toward me, and the tension in the chain eased. Air rushing down my throat pushed back the panic. He stopped in front of me. “It’s either incredibly foolish or courageous. Which is it?”
I met his stare but refused to answer his question.
One eyebrow rose as he leaned in. His mouth was next to my cheek. “You’re a fighter, even when it’s useless. I can respect that, but that doesn’t mean I won’t break you.”
Turning my head from his, I exhaled roughly. “You’re not going to break me.”
“Is that so? I think I’m already well on my way.” He lifted the chain, rattling it. “You’re in my chains, eating my food, sleeping in my bed, and wearing my clothes.” His head tilted as he reached up with his other hand and traced a finger along my neck. I leaned back, and he chuckled as if I amused him. “You’ve already agreed to be with me. How exactly am I not breaking you, little bird?”
Anger flashed through me, causing my heart to pound in my ears. I lifted my gaze to his. “You will not break me.”
His grin widened, freezing the fire in my veins. It was also secretive and knowing, like he’d already read the book and knew how it would end. “I’ve only met a few halflings over the many centuries I’ve been alive.”
Centuries? I knew he was old, but good lord.
The prince turned, leading me over to where the woman lay. She didn’t move or look up at us. “We once had many humans in the Otherworld. They didn’t last very long. The feeding or the environment always got to them in the end, but we bred them, replenishing our stock before their inevitable deaths.”
I shuddered with disgust. The fae truly treated humans like cattle.
He didn’t seem to notice my distaste. “Unfortunately, the Otherworld is dying. Everything is turning cold and dead. The environment is no longer suitable to sustain human life, and without humans, we age . . . and we die.”
Something occurred to me. “Turning cold? Like the weather?”
Drake nodded.
My eyes widened. “It’s happening here. The cold spell.” I thought of the withered, dying vines outside of my apartment. “It’s because you’re here.”
“It’s adjusting to our needs,” he replied.
“But will your presence have the same impact here, like it did in the Otherworld?”
He shrugged. “It could, but it will take thousands of years. The weather will continue to cool. Winter is in our blood, after all.”
Shock rendered me speechless for a moment. “I thought the courts were dismantled. That summer and winter joined together and—”
His deep laugh silenced me. “The two courts did not simply join together. We overtook the summer court centuries ago. Winter rules all.”
I was barely able to process this before he started speaking again.
“Every so often, a fae would impregnate a human. Things sometimes got out of . . . control while feeding,” he said, grinning, and I remembered what Tink had said he’d seen once in the clearing in the Otherworld. The prince with several women. I imagined that could get kind of complicated. “Before we knew of the prophecy—the loophole surrounding the doorways—halflings were generally seen as an abomination. They were killed.”
“God,” I muttered.
“As if your kind treats halflings any better?”
I pressed my lips together, because he had a point, but whatever.
“But there were times when one of our kind took a liking to the human, to the child, and the halfling would grow.” Drake walked between the cots, tugging me along with him. The woman’s gaze drifted toward us. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he pushed me down with enough pressure that I couldn’t resist. He forced me to sit beside the woman. “Do you know what we discovered about halflings?”
