Chapter 248
Drake's POV
The woman's laughter echoed through the dungeon like shattered glass scraping against my eardrums. She leaned closer, and I could feel the heat of her breath—rancid, like something crawled out of a grave—mixing with the cold air that surrounded her.
"What does it matter?" she purred, her voice dripping with malice. "I want to know everything about little Elowen. Her favorite songs, her worries, her deepest fears."
A chill ran down my spine despite the sweltering heat of pain radiating from my shoulders. My wrists screamed where the chains cut into flesh, but that discomfort paled compared to the dread coiling in my gut.
"Why?" I croaked, my throat raw from screaming earlier. "What the hell do you want with her?"
She pulled on the chain—not hard enough to spin me again, just enough to yank my body forward. I grunted as fresh agony lanced through my shoulders. Then she was right there, her lips brushing against my ear.
"Because I want to hurt her," she whispered, and every syllable felt like a knife sliding between my ribs. "The more I know, the more I can make her suffer."
My blood turned to ice.
This wasn't about me anymore. This wasn't even about Jessica and whatever bullshit game we'd been playing. This was about Elowen.
"Please," I heard myself beg, and I hated how weak I sounded. How broken. "Don't... don't bring her into this. She's got nothing to do with any of this."
The woman laughed again—a sound so cruel it made my skin crawl.
"Oh, Drake," she cooed, stepping back so I could see her silhouette against the flickering torchlight. "No one's uninvolved. Everyone plays a part. And your sweet little Elowen? She's the star of this show."
Tears burned behind my eyelids. I blinked them back, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. But inside? Inside I was screaming.
Elowen was in danger. Real, tangible danger. And there wasn't a goddamn thing I could do about it.
The woman circled me slowly, her footsteps silent on the stone floor. I could feel her eyes on me, dissecting me like I was some kind of science experiment.
"Tell me more about her," she commanded, her voice taking on a sharper edge. "What makes her tick? What breaks her?"
I clenched my jaw, tasting blood where I'd bitten my tongue.
"Go fuck yourself."
She sighed—a long, exaggerated sound of disappointment. Then her phone buzzed.
The change was instant and startling. Her entire demeanor shifted as she pulled out her phone and stared at the screen. The playful menace evaporated, replaced by something darker. Angrier.
She slumped into the chair against the wall, all traces of her earlier amusement gone. Her fingers tightened around the phone until I heard the plastic case creak under the pressure.
I considered taunting her—asking what had ruined her fun—but the brief reprieve my lips were getting from the gag made me keep my mouth shut. Whatever was happening, it had thrown her off balance. And that might be my only advantage.
Her eyes glazed over, that telltale sign of someone engaged in a mindlink. Her jaw tensed, and I watched the phone bow slightly in her grip. Whatever conversation she was having through that mental connection, it clearly wasn't going well.
The silence stretched on for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. I hung there, suspended by the chains, my mind racing with possibilities. Who was she talking to? What were they saying?
And most importantly—how could I use this to protect Elowen?
Finally, her eyes refocused. For just a split second, I saw something vulnerable flicker across her features. Fear, maybe? Uncertainty?
Then it was gone, hidden behind that same cold mask she'd worn before.
"Well," she said, rising from the chair with forced lightness. "Looks like I have to cut our little chat short."
She walked toward the door, her hips swaying in an exaggerated manner that might have been seductive if it weren't so utterly terrifying.
"Don't worry, lover," she called over her shoulder. "We'll continue this very soon. Until then..." She paused at the doorway, glancing back with that cruel smile. "Think of me."
She started to leave, then stopped. Turned back around.
"Wait," she said, tapping her chin theatrically. "I almost forgot something important."
My heart sank as she sauntered back toward me. She reached up and grabbed the gag, her fingers brushing against my lips in a mockery of tenderness.
"Can't have anyone knowing I was here," she explained sweetly as she forced the leather strap back into my mouth. My jaw screamed in protest, but I was too exhausted to fight. "If people find out about my little visits, they might make me stop. And we can't have that, can we?"
She winked, then finally—finally—she left.
The door slammed shut behind her with a resonant boom that felt like a knife twisting in my chest.
And just like that, I was alone again.
The chains were cold. The darkness was absolute. And the knowledge that she was out there somewhere, planning to hurt Elowen, was more agonizing than any physical torture they could inflict.
I tried to focus on something else—anything else—but my mind kept circling back to Elowen. Her amber eyes. The freckles across her nose. The way she used to smile before I ruined everything.
Please, I thought desperately, though I wasn't sure who I was praying to. Please let her be okay. Let her forgive me. Even if she never loves me again, at least don't let her see me like this.
I had to stay strong. For her sake. I couldn't let that woman use anything I said against Elowen. Couldn't let her exploit the information I'd already given away.
I have to be strong, I told myself. For Elowen. For whatever she has left.