Free Web NovelChapter 53: Chapter 53
Riley’s ~~~
Cold water splashes across my face and I jolt awake with a sharp gasp, my body jerking forward as the shock hits me all at once. The drops slide down my cheeks, drip from my chin, soak into the thin fabric clinging to my body. My head pounds hard, my vision blurring as I shake it, trying to clear the fog wrapping around my thoughts.
I blink once.
Twice.
And then I see him.
The Blood Tither.
He stands a few steps away from me, arms crossed, watching me like I am something interesting instead of something human. Somehow he looks even more striking than before, his presence filling the small stone room until it feels like there is no air left for me to breathe. His lips curl slowly into a smirk as he tilts his head.
"You’re a strong one, Riley Grayson," he says calmly.
My breath stutters.
"What?" I whisper before I can stop myself.
My heart slams hard against my chest as his words sink in. He knows my name. Not just my first name. My full name. My stomach twists painfully as fear crawls up my spine.
"How?" I ask, my voice shaking despite my effort to sound steady. "How do you know my name?"
He chuckles softly like I just asked something amusing instead of terrifying. "You’ve been here for the past five days," he says slowly. "And you still are not giving me what I want."
Five days.
My chest tightens.
"For a mere human woman," he continues, stepping closer, "I want to kill you and feed on your sweet blood. You don’t know the kind of restraint it takes not to do that. But I cannot guarantee that restraint any further." freewebnøvel.coɱ
I swallow hard, my throat dry.
"You’re going to give me the answers I want," he says, his voice dropping lower, "or you face the consequences."
The way he says it tells me he is not joking. Not even a little.
"I’ve told you everything I know," I say quickly, forcing a smile that feels wrong on my face. "I’m no one. You won’t get anything from me apart from that."
He nods slowly, like he is agreeing with me, and that scares me more than if he yelled.
"No one?" he repeats. "So what were you doing in Obsidian Veil?"
My body stiffens.
"As far as my memory serves," he continues, pacing slowly in front of me, "humans can only be there as servants, maids, slaves. They are selected carefully and screened thoroughly. But you," he says, pointing directly at me, "were none of those."
I look away.
"You looked lost," he adds quietly. "Confused. Like you were searching for someone."
My chest aches suddenly and my mind drifts without permission.
Gunnar.
Caden.
Cane.
I hope their Luna is awake. I hope nothing terrible happened. I hope they are safe.
A sharp slap explodes across my cheek.
My head snaps to the side and pain bursts across my face as my ears ring violently. freewёbnoνel.com
"I asked you a fucking question!" he growls.
I blink rapidly, stunned, my cheek burning as I turn back to him in confusion. "You didn’t ask anything," I say weakly.
His eyes darken instantly.
He circles me slowly, boots scraping against the stone floor, and I turn my head to follow him because not knowing where he is feels worse than looking at him.
The light in this place is harsh and uneven, flickering from torches mounted on the walls, and it makes his shadow stretch and shrink in a way that makes my chest tighten.
"You see," he continues calmly, "you’re interesting because you don’t make sense. Humans don’t wander into Obsidian Veil by accident, and they don’t survive there long enough to be noticed, yet there you were, standing in the heart of it like you freaking belonged to that pack."
"I don’t belong there," I say quickly. "I was confused. I didn’t even know where I was because I wasn’t suppose to wander that far that’s all"
"Exactly," he says, stopping in front of me. "Lost, confused, yet carrying the scent of three Alphas strong enough to cling to you for days."
My stomach twists.
"I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about," I say again, even though my voice betrays me this time.
He leans down so we’re eye level, close enough that I can see the faint scar cutting through his eyebrow, close enough that I can feel the heat coming off him.
"Lying doesn’t suit you, Riley Grayson," he says softly. "You react too honestly."
I swallow hard. "If you know my name, then you already know everything else," I say. "So why keep asking?"
His eyes darken instantly.
"Because," he says, standing upright again, "I want to hear it from you."
He gestures with his hand, and the door creaks open behind him. Two figures step inside, both of them Blood Tithers, their eyes fixed on me like I’m something they’ve been waiting to see up close.
"Leave us," he orders without looking back.
They hesitate.
"I said leave," he repeats, his voice turning deadly.
They bow and retreat immediately, the door slamming shut behind them, and the sound makes me flinch.
He turns back to me slowly.
"Why do you have their scent on you?" he snaps. "Even after five days it should be gone, but it’s still strong."
My heart drops straight into my stomach.
"There’s only one reason," he continues, stopping right in front of me. Then he smirks slowly. "You’re their mate?"
The moment the word leaves his mouth, he bursts out laughing, loud and sharp, like the idea amuses him deeply.
I shake my head fast. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," I say quickly. "I don’t understand any of this."
"Of course you wouldn’t know," he replies smoothly. "But there are only two reasons a female carries a male’s scent this strongly for this long. Either you’ve been intimate with them or you’re mated to them."
I stay silent.
My hands tremble slightly at my sides.
"So tell me," he says calmly. "Are you their mate?"
I shake my head again. "I don’t know them," I say. "I haven’t seen them before."
His eyes narrow.
"How about we have a little fun then," he says casually.
My breath catches.
"What?" I whisper.
He steps closer, crouching in front of me so our faces are level. "Let’s test something," he says. "Let’s see how strong that bond really is."
Fear grips me hard.
"I told you the truth," I say, my voice breaking. "Please."
He reaches out and grips my chin firmly, forcing my face up. "If you scream," he says softly, "no one will hear you."
Tears burn behind my eyes as panic takes over my body.
Suddenly the door slams open.
"What are you doing?"
A female voice cuts through the room sharply.
He releases me instantly and straightens, his expression shifting to irritation. A young woman steps inside, her dark eyes flicking to me briefly before returning to him.
"You’re getting careless," she says. "The council won’t like this."
He scoffs. "The council doesn’t control me."
"They will if you lose control," she replies coldly.
He stares at her for a moment before stepping back. "Get her cleaned up," he orders. "She stays alive. For now."
The woman grabs my arm roughly and yanks me to my feet. My legs shake as she drags me out of the room and down a long stone corridor. The air smells like metal and something old.
We stop in front of a small cell and she pushes me inside, slamming the door shut behind me.
I collapse onto the floor, my entire body shaking as tears finally spill over.
Hours pass. Or minutes. I don’t know.
My head hurts. My wrists burn faintly.
Then suddenly I feel it.
A pull.
A sharp pressure in my chest like something is tugging at me from far away. My breath catches as warmth spreads through my arms, through my wrists, stronger than before.
"Gunnar, Caden, Cane"
How am I able to feel them this strongly? They’re here..
