“I was scared, Frey. He almost killed me. I told you I didn’t feel safe there.”
“Yes, but you didn’t say why.” He stands and crosses the room, stopping next to me. “What else haven’t you told me?” The doctor is in the process of removing the electrodes from my head when Frey stops him. “Leave us,” he tells everyone in the room.
I’m surprised to see them all comply, even Matron Kaniz. Frey steps to the door, locks it, and switches off the lights. The only light in the room is from the display, which is paused on Avery’s execution, but that too gets turned off. The temperature in the room soars and I begin to sweat. Frey paces around me, slowly, almost tauntingly.
“Why?” Frey asks from somewhere in the room. I can’t tell where he is exactly, but it’s not close to me.
“Why what?”
“Why would a Dracken leader try to kill the daughter of another Dracken leader?” He sounds closer this time. “He must have thought you to be a threat, but why? What did he know about you that I don’t?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I struggle with the restraints, trying to get myself free.
“I thought getting you into bed might reward me with your trust and honesty, but I guess I was wrong.”
“You had to drug me for that!” I shout. “How pathetic!”
Pain radiates up my legs. I try to scream, but Frey shoves the bite plate into my mouth. The discomfort grows, almost to a breaking point then stops. I spit the device out and swear at him.
“You fucker!”
The pain returns, followed by a burning sensation. I let out a scream, hoping to alert someone in the common room to my distress, but no one comes.
“The room’s soundproof, Max. I could spend hours in here with you doing all kinds of things and no one would know.”
I need to loop. Time loop preferably, but I’m in so much pain that I can’t get my mind to focus. I try and concentrate on a spot in the room, but I’m unfamiliar with the layout that I’m afraid I might wind up in the wall or something.
“I know you’re one of them,” I spit out. Frustration replaced by anger. “Addie is too.”
“So?” he says nonchalantly. “There are a lot of us, and if I guess right, after the contestants of the event have been determined there will be many more.”
“And your goal is what? To take over Tarsus?”
“Not just Tarsus, but everything. There will no longer be an Outer Limits. No one will be rewarded for being loyal to the Patrician by being sent to Icarian.”
“I thought only battle winners went there?”
“They do, but they’re all Patrician favorites. Manipulated somehow, giving them the advantage over the rest of us.”
I curl my fingers into a ball, realizing this is probably why I was maimed. So, do they do this to everyone they want to have win? How have they managed to get away with it and not get caught by the Keepers? Garrett was right, I’m a threat now, to all of them. If I demonstrate that I’m another Patrician favorite, I’ll be placed higher on the Keepers’ kill list, regardless of who my parents were. Maybe my points will even be knocked down to where I can’t recover and will be killed in The Litarian Battles.
I need to manipulate the situation. Get Frey to believe I’m on his side until I can figure things out. This whole realignment can’t just be a battle over governmental power, there has to be more to it. I take a couple of deep breaths to get my temper and anxiety down. Frey is standing next to me, so close that I feel his breath on my cheek.
“What do you need me to do?” I ask, sounding calmer, more in control.
I sense him smiling. “Do what I tell you, no questions asked. Don’t hide anything from me. I need your full trust and honesty. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” I answer without hesitation.
He’s on top of me, pressing his heavy body against mine. “Good.”
He kisses me hard on the lips. I return the gesture, determined to show my allegiance. He lowers the chair until it’s almost supine. He doesn’t remove my restraints, but does loosen my clothes. I feel him, all of him. I hate myself for letting Frey inside, but I need him to trust me. Time passes slowly, but he does eventually free me.
“Matron Kaniz will be coming for you in a few hours. You will be branded with the Dracken mark.” He helps me from the chair, pulling me against him. “I suggest you get it here,” he says, tapping the top of my chest. “That way, I can see it on you at all times.” He kisses the spot, then opens the door and leaves.
I linger in the room, afraid to step outside and get bombarded with questions from Addie or Rem. The light from the hallway allows me to see the damage Frey inflicted on my legs. Gouges, not deep but severe, line both my calves.
Seems he’s familiarized himself with Aedox torture methods.
The blood that had seeped out of the wounds is now mixed with a gel. It’s a rapid healing solution, which is what caused the burning sensation. The Aedox use it to quickly heal our injuries so they can be reopened for maximum scarring.
The common room and hallways are empty when I finally emerge. I look at the time on my wristband, which shows it’s just after midnight. I hustle across the way, change into my nightclothes, wash the gel from my legs as my wounds have healed, brush my teeth, and get into bed. I don’t fall asleep since I know I will be woken up in a little while to be maimed, again.
Fourteen
I must have dozed off. I didn’t even hear her come in. But when I open my eyes, Matron Kaniz is standing next
