A scream left my lips as I strained against the restraints, the sudden pain jolting me before disappearing yet again. The feeling causing a laugh to break through the tense atmosphere, full of humor and sarcasm.

"Where is our Prince Dareios?" The man, or the torturer, questions yet again with the same cold voice when I rolled my head to stare at his covered face. The only thing I saw was his dead eyes and bloody hands.

"Where is that bloody woman who stabbed me?" I question back only making the man shake his head and toss the short knife on a tray beside my head. The leather straps holding down my head, neck, chest, arms, and legs.

So much for overkill.

"The more you resist. The worse this gets." The torturer tells me, silently walking out of my vision as I closed my eyes and smiled past the pain.

"Mhm. You don't know that I was once a slave. Someone like you couldn't fathom my pain tolerance." I say boldly, knowing he wanted the information of where Dylan and how to get Pairs out of my shield. Though I wouldn't say a word, I am loyal to those who are loyal to me.

"Are you testing my role as your torturer?" He questions, sounding somewhat surprised at my snarky response as I maneuvered my body and looked up at him.

"Is it bad to do so, Mr. Torturer?" I ask him, a grin rising on my face when the wounds littering my body burned away and healed once again. Each time hurting my pride but I wouldn't let my weakness show.

I'd made that mistake once, I wouldn't make it again.

"I knew Valkyries were interesting, but this is truly..." The man thought of a word when I laid back down on the metal table and worked out the kink in my shoulder.

"Insane?" I answer him with a soft chuckle as he walked back over to me and peered down at me.

"Extraordinary." He corrects making me smirk and nod to the knife in his hands.

"We've learned that those don't work on me." I remind him as he stared down at the dagger. "Let us try a new approach. Shall we?" I taunt him while he sighed and shook his head again.

"Valkyrie. You trouble me, but I'll give you what you want since you've impressed me. Give me a few hours and I will return with the woman." He tells me, staring at the stab wound on my waist that has yet to heal due to the poison on the blade the woman stabbed me with.

"Thank you, Mr. Torturer." I gave him a swift nod while blocking out the pain in my waist and closing my eyes.

"It is Proximo, Valkyrie." He corrects me again as I opened my eyes and stared at him with caution.

"Name is Khole." I introduce when he nodded and left awkwardly. Once the door was closed, I shut my eyes knowing I would need to regain my strength while Proximo was away.

? Dylan ?

"Those assholes have just called war with us!" Agalana screeches, the walls of the house shaking with the fury of her lightening when Hrudra nodded along with her.

"You can't. You don't know how vicious demons are." Pairs cut in, shaking her head swiftly as Hjala shook her head and stared at the twins, Getha and Sevetha.

"They do not know how dangerous a Valkyrie is. We died fighting and came back to life just for the same cause. I am sorry, Pairs. But I will not sit by and have a comrade in the hands of enemies." Hjala shook her head, her face littered with small bruises that weren't healing as easily as her broken arm. "You two, scout out and figure out where she is. We will-"

"They want us." I cut in finally, Khole's bloody blade resting on my lap as I shook my head. "They will stop at nothing to get us to return to the empire," I admit to them before standing up and clutching on her blade. "I will return and trade myself for her."

"Are you stupid? They are going to punish you!" Pairs yells at me as if I was the dumbest person ever when I snapped my eyes at her.

"Then am I to sit here and wish for a miracle? There won't be one! I won't let her get into this situation because you couldn't protect her!" I snap at her when she stood up and slammed her palms on the table.

"Don't you start this shit! You left her and went to have sex with another woman! What?! Were you gonna fuck a girl or are you mad at me for interrupting your hunt?! Fuck off, asshole! You are such a hypocrite that I can't even fucking stand you! You are aware that Aita knows about little wee Khole! Unlike me, she'll tell Khole the truth about your intentions! What then?! You expect Khole to come running into your chest after she hears about the blood moon?! She's not weak anymore! I hope she rejects you like you've rejected her more than once!" Pairs screams angrily at me, her face flushed with horror at her words but she didn't back down.

W-Was she... challenging me?

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"Do you think I don't feel horrible, Kayleigh?" I ask her, her eyes growing colder at the sound of her name passing my lips. "I feel horrible for not being here... It's why I am willing to give myself to save her. I've changed ever since I've met her. She's done so much for me and yet here I am not grateful for her. Your challenge won't rise my demon until I have her back in my grasps. So do not try it." I warn her before staring at the bloodied blade.

It's been almost a month since I've met her yet here I am ready to sacrifice everything for her.

She's my world whether they believe me or not.

"I will accompany you," Agalana says, throwing her bag over her shoulder already ready to go when Hrudra nodded in agreement and crossed her arms.

"The rest of you will remain here and watch over Kayleigh." Hrudra's cold voice rang through the home as the others nodded in agreement.

"We will contract with stronger faye to protect the manor. Don't worry, they will not come through here again without a spear in their gut." Valrun says with a cheeky grin plastered on her face while the twins nodded in agreement.

"I want to come," Hjala growls as Hrudra stared at her with a dead look.

"That's too bad." She simply says to her.

"Please stay here with me." Pairs whisper softly to her mate making Hjala relax a little and sigh.

"Only because I am hurt," Hjala grumbles, not looking pleased at all but knowing she'd only slow us down in the long run. I shrugged away from the table, watching as the ladies bid their goodbyes and grabbed their last few weapons.

Pairs was right though.

I couldn't blame them for leaving when I did even before them when it was my responsibility to watch over my own mate. Her words made me think and question so many things.

Did Khole truly want to mate with me?

Was it I really was afraid like Alican said?

Did I cause this to happen?

Is this karma for all my bad deeds?

Then there was Aita who had harmed Khole. I know my forced betrothed would be furious that I was with another woman when the crown was promised to her.

Aita had my best interests but... She out of all people refused to leave people in the dark. Whether that someone was Khole or not. If I didn't get there in time, Aita would tell Khole everything about the blood moon and who I was.

I had to be the one who told Khole about all of this, even if she hates me for the rest of her life.

? Khole ?

"You wanted to see me?" The woman says, her dark brown eyes watching me closely when I strained against the restraints and smirked.

"Oh yes. Thank you for my lovely wound. It's just such a delight." I said sarcastically and pulled at the leathers on my wrists. "Take off these restraints and we can get down to business." I sneer at her only making her laugh at me in a mocking way.

"I see why my Prince is mated to you. But you are quite disgusting. It's not a wonder that he wasn't there, especially on the blood moon." She shrugs walking over to me and pulling out one of her knives.

"Blood moon?" I question, my curiosity overriding my anger for her stabbing me in the gut when she cut the leathers away and let my wrists go.

"He did not tell you?" She says beyond shocked while unlacing the leathers at my throat. "I always hated that bastard for leaving girls in the dark. He is truly a jackass." The woman snarls darkly and backed away.

My hands went to the leather around my waist, tearing at them and letting my blood-stained clothes fall against the table. I coughed, rubbing my sore throat as she tossed me a rag.

"The blood moon happens about twice a year. It's a time when faye such as wizards, wolfs, vampires, everyone even demons. Think of it as an orgy party just wide scale for all faye. We can't help ourselves because the blood moon has also caused sexual needs to increase. No one knows why but we don't question it. It's a good way to let off steam." She explains to me before I pushed up into a sitting position and held the rag against my stomach.

Suddenly my throat tightening at her words.

"A-And you're telling me this moon came about yesterday night?" I ask her, growing sicker with every thought that ran through my mind.

Did Dylan leave to feel satisfied by another woman...?

"Yeah. We all have an urge and if ignored there can be serious consequences. Thankfully, you only develop your need after your immortality comes to life. But either way, it is still very painful." She tells me as I thought back to the agony I had prior to their intrusion.

"And if you didn't settle this need...?" I question her when she glanced at me with a horrified expression.

"You didn't?!" She screams, her eyes wide with curiosity all of a sudden. "Wait... You and Dareios-"

"He left before the day started yesterday," I mumble sadly, looking away as she jumped in front of me and forced me to look at her.

"We've gotta get you laid. That bastard rejected his own mate before the blood moon? Oh, Hades... Come. We may be enemies but for now, we are wing-women." The woman winks, pressing her palm against my stomach making me yelp in pain. "Vylé?it." The wound on my stomach stitched together, the poison disappearing and leaving me energetic.

"What wa-"

"I poisoned you with dead blood. It's ancient and very little races still use to deadly technique. Don't worry. It's out of your system and you should be fine." The woman assures me with a timid smile. "Proximo! Get your lizard looking ass in here!" She barks making me jump, the door opened a moment later with the rather unamused torturer.

"What is she doing out of her confines, Lady Aita?" Proximo asks, glancing over at me as I shrugged. Not even sure what the woman that suddenly is being nice wants from me.

"She didn't fulfill the blood moon, Proxi!" She shouts at him when he looked over at me shocked.

"You haven't?" He says while my face burned with embarrassment, but I didn't say a word. Still entirely confused by what she is wanting to do. "She is mated to Prince Dareios. He will not agree with what you are planning, Lady Aita." Proximo notes making Aita wave away his words and grabs my shoulders in a hard tug.

"It does not matter! He has rejected the poor girl and she needs to... feel better so to say." Aita says mysteriously when I pulled away from her and narrowed my eyes at her.

What she was saying didn't make me feel any better than the torture Proximo was giving me before. It was like this was the new torture Proximo was speaking of before he left.

"I don't trust either of you. You," I pointed at Aita, "stabbed me in the gut not even three hours ago. Then you tortured me for hours that felt like years. What makes you think I will do your bidding just for your entertainment?" I snap at her, feeling powerful now that I was feeling more back to health and I was two leather straps away from harming them.

Aita grinned darkly making me shrink back into myself when she leaned forward, her darkening eyes watching mine.

"You don't have a choice. I will make you do whatever I want whether you like it or not. You may have been a slave before, but now you are mine. Little Valkyrie." Her words sent awakening fears to run through me as I shivered.

Maybe having Proximo torture me was better than this...