Page 83 of Demure
Sierra’s eyes raised to meet Conlan’s as he glared down at her with obvious disapproval.
She didn’t really know what to say, but she didn’t even have time to respond before Conlan used a long wooden stick to lift her chin so he could take a look at her face from his seated position a few feet away.
“Well, this is unfortunate. I imagine you are useless to me as a Fae.” He snapped his fingers at the man next to him. “Lock her up with the others.”
Sierra’s heart stopped.
What others?
She didn’t have to wait long to find that out either as she was dragged through the castle. She hadn’t been to this section of the castle before, but she had a feeling it was some kind of more advanced dungeon.
The four guards dragging her attached her wrists to iron cuffs, which were on the wall, before placing similar cuffs that were attached together around her ankles. It was dark in this room, but with her new night vision, Sierra could make out the other forms hanging in much the same way she was on the other walls. She also took notice of the hard stone surface of the floor beneath her, as opposed to the dirt of the other dungeon.
As the men finished locking her up, one of them spat at her feet. “We found your little escape attempt,” the guard spat, and Sierra closed her eyes just in time for him to kick her in the ribs.Sierra moaned in pain, trying to move her hands to hold her side before remembering they were locked tightly above her head.
“Don’t try anything funny. These are Fae chains, so you won’t be able to break out or shift even if you try,” another guard snapped in perfect English. Apparently, they had just been ignoring her before. They must’ve considered her worth their time now that she was Fae, something which made Sierra’s insides twist.
Sierra didn’t say anything, instead focusing on breathing through the pain in her ribs and the gag in her mouth. It was likely that she had a broken rib from the kick, since she hadn’t been able to brace herself before his boot had made contact. She just hoped that the rib hadn’t punctured anything to cause internal bleeding.
Sierra’s mind churned. She had never asked Aodhan if Fae healed faster, but since they were so long-lived, she assumed it must be so.
The four guards just laughed at her obvious pain before pulling the gag from her mouth and moving toward the large iron door, closing it securely behind them after they vacated the room.
As soon as the door was closed, Sierra remembered the other forms hanging on the other walls. She lifted her head, trying to blow her hair out of her eyes to make out who was in the dungeon with her. Her eyes focused on the form closest to her, blinking a few times as her vision blurred.
“Aislan?” she whispered, seeing the curly brown hair and thinner frame that Sierra had come to associate with Aodhan’s brother.
“Sierra?” He lifted his head, revealing what looked like a split lip, his face covered with bruises.
“Are you okay?” she gasped out before remembering his traveling companions. “Are Kaye and Braan…?”
Aislan tipped his head to the left.
“We’re here too.” Braan’s voice sounded pained from his position across the room, and he didn’t lift his eyes to meet hers. Sierra’s gaze caught on the third form, the furthest away from her. Kaye was in the darkest corner, and she lifted her head to look at Sierra but didn’t say anything, likely due to having human vision and being unable to see in the inky blackness.
“What happened?” Sierra gasped out.
Aislan shook his head lightly, grimacing in pain. “We were captured on our second day here. We had snuck into the library the first day without issue, and we thought no one had noticed, but the next day, when we tried again, guards were waiting for us.”
Sierra grimaced. “And Aodhan?”
“What?” Kaye’s voice was shaky. “He’s with you.”
“No.” Hope bloomed within Sierra. “He was with me until a few days ago, but then he came to find you.”
“Well, we haven’t seen or heard from him,” Aislan answered. “And if he left a few days ago, he should be here. Slaine is feeding us information, and she hasn’t mentioned Aodhan at all. She would have told us if he came looking for us, and he would have gone to her first. Everyone knows she has all the connections and runs one of the largest underground information networks in Fuinseog.”
Sierra felt something tighten in her chest. “So, if he’s not with you—and he wasn’t at Fia’s cabin—where is he?”
Chapter Fifty
Aislan shook his head. “We have no idea. Hopefully, this means he is still in a position to rescue us, or I’m afraid?—”
Sierra cut him off. “Don’t say it. We will find a way to escape with or without Aodhan.”
Braan groaned from across the room. “Did you, or did you not hear them say these are Fae cuffs? That means they are immune to all types of magic, and our increased strength is useless against them.”
Sierra was quiet for a moment, but no matter what Braan said, she refused to believe she had come this far—to have basically sacrificed her entire human life—just to rot in a Fae prison. “If you have that attitude, you will never find a way out. Where there is a will, there is a way.”
