Closing my eyes, I tried to not think about it. “What didn’t they do? I know that they never fed on any of the anguish they created. Although, they never made it stop.”
“But that defeats the whole point of torture,” Regar’s response was instantaneous, filled with disbelief.
“Yeah.”
Okay. I thought I’d be angrier at the situation. My inner turmoil did push me to be fucking furious, but I had no energy left to express it.
While I was boiling up, I was also incredibly defeated. I wanted to scream and shout. Hit something, better yet somebody, preferably Ferro. Or the king. Although, the latter wouldn’t work out to my advantage.
All I could do was pull the still-wet towel, now from under my ass, and throw it at Regar through the bars.
He didn’t see it coming and yelped. “Hey, watch it.”
It was slightly funny, but I didn’t manage to express the amusement either. Perhaps what they said about a fae without their mate was all true. They were just a shell of their former self.
“I didn’t know it could feel like this,” I mumbled, while Regar discarded the towel with a wet slop. “Losing a mate.”
“Ah, so you’ve stopped dismissing the fact?”
I shrugged. I’d felt her, clear as day. Not only a sense of something terrible, but all of her. Not only her fear, but all of her. All of her. All of her. “She’s not going to be pleased when she finds out.”
He shook his head with a tut. “You’re likely wrong about that.”
“Why’d you say that?” I stared at Regar. He’d gotten a decent night's sleep while I’d stayed awake for Isay, and he hadn’t gone through the second-hand torture yet still he looked as exhausted as I felt.
“A mate bond is never born from only one-sided affection. A bond as strong as yours? Definitely requires deep emotions, especially since your bond was formed within weeks. Some fae work for years to build their mate bond into what you’ve presented. It is uncommon at best.”
“You’re saying she loves me too?” My poor heart started racing despite itself.
It wasn’t up to Regar to declare what Isay might or might not feel for me. I was in no position to worry about something as insignificant as her emotions toward me while it was still unclear if I’d be seeing her again.
“She didn’t say it back, if you were wondering,” I muttered sullenly.
Regar barked a laugh. “I didn’t take you for someone who needed vocal confirmation. Never looked for it with Sela.”
“Sela didn’t mean anything to me.” I shook my head. The rough stone behind my head rubbed against a bump at the back that sparked a jolt of pain. When did I hit my head? “Did you carry me here?”
“Teleportation is still only a fantasy. Yeah, we carried you. Why? Are you trying to change the topic?”
“I could do without the headache.”
He knew what I was talking about as his lips tugged upwards slightly. “You are fucking heavy, Kar.”
“You dropped me!” My mouth fell open, aghast.
“Just once. In our defence, you were thrashing like a coke addict.”
I rolled my eyes. “Decent excuse.”
“Yeah?”
“Fuck off.”
I closed my eyes to not see the depressing sight of the prison around us. Isay’s gentle face teased my mind. The way her hair spread around on the pillow, her lips parted and that delicious blush on her cheeks.
I preferred that image to the one I’d gotten during her torture session. Not that I’d seen her, more like experienced it through her. None of it was pretty.
“Regar?”
“Still here.”
“What else can you tell me about mate bonds?”
He was quiet for a bit, thinking it over. “Just about as much as any other unmated fae in the court.”
“You and Hiko never…” A stupid question. Of course they hadn’t tried. The prince was supposed to find a female to continue his line.
“I don’t think it works this way.”
“I’m sorry.”
Another silence filled the dungeon. The only sounds piercing the air was a dripping of water somewhere off to my left and our breathing, a creak or two as Regar adjusted his position on the cot and a clunking from farther down the hall. The clunking picked up, piercing the stillness in uneven rhythm.
“For fuck’s sake, would you stop that, Ferro?” Regar shouted across the shells, but it only grew louder until it vibrated through me, feeding my irritation and anxiety.
I wouldn’t be able to sit still for much longer. Even with my body broken, I would go after every single fae who’d played a part in Isay’s capture.
I needed to get out of here. And fast.
