Chapter 28: Chapter 28

I collapse when I see the aftermath of what was left of them, my legs going out from under me, and I realise that by saving one, I just signed their death warrants. If only I told him earlier or when Matitus checked on me last night, they may still be alive. Silas grips my arm forcing me to my feet and I avert my eyes. I couldn’t see those innocent girls like that, see the dead look on their faces with their throats ripped out. Silas drags me toward the castle, my feet barely able to keep moving as the doors open and I see Abigail standing in the corridor, tears running down her face at what happened outside. She knew they died because I saved her.

“Get to work” he snaps at her and Abigail and the cooks run off down the corridor. Silas drags me into the library. Matitus and Dragus follow us in before he lets me go and I crumble on the ground. Dragus comes over and kneels down beside me. “Leave her be” Silas growls at him, making him back up.

“That was unnecessary, Silas,” Matitus says angrily at his mate.

“She needs to learn” is all he says as he retrieves my grandmother’s book. “Come here” Silas says, making my eyes snap to him.

“Don’t make me say it again” he growls and Dragus moves closer before reaching down and picking me up off the ground and placing me on my feet. I stagger toward him, gripping the desk for support.

My entire body is shaking and numb. Silas unwraps the cloth around the book and I watch the fire crackle in the fireplace off to the side of me. Stepping in front of me, Silas hands the book to me.

“Read it, now,” he says, thrusting it in my hands. I grip the book in shaking hands, letting my thumb run over the leather. Silas watches me expectantly as I open it and drop my head to examine the first page.

The fireplace crackling loudly beside me, and I feel my eyes dart to it again. Not even hesitating, I toss it in the fireplace. Watch as the fire licks at the leather binding it. Silas walks over, not even afraid of the flames as he reaches in picking it up. The cuff of his shirt caught alight and I held my breath, praying that it was long enough to burn the book. Silas blows off the flame burning the book and pats his shirt. I am shocked to see it isn’t even marred and still perfectly intact.

“Nice try, but I don’t recommend you do that again,” he says, placing it back in my hands.

“Now read it.”He says his voice held a warning that wouldn’t like what he would do if I didn’t do what he asked of me.

“No, fuck you, Silas read it yourself” I spit at him. Silas growls low, and it makes my hair stand on end as he steps closer pressing his chest against mine and forcing me to lean back. Silas grips my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

“I will burn this entire city and everyone in it to the ground if you don’t tell me what it says” His voice deadly calm and emotionless making a cold shiver run up my spine. He lets go of my chin and I open the first page. I see the emblem that’s bound into the leather, I run my fingers over it.

“What is it?” he asks.

“The emblem on front” I answered before flicking the page over and I almost burst out laughing when I read it. Of course, why didn’t I realise that.

‘To unlocketh the secrets and breaketh the beshrew. One will first breaketh the bindings with the key.

Only then shall the words appear.”

“What’s so funny?” Silas asks, and I can’t hold in my laughter. I handed him back the book.

“You need the key to break the binding and read the words,” I tell him tapping the front cover making him look at it. He growls, yet the smile on my face never waivers. I see Dragus look at me nervously.

“Do you know where it is?” he asks. I knew exactly where it was, sitting beneath the floorboards of my bedroom in the house I lived in with my grandmother. That would explain why she refused to let me sell it for medicine.

“You do know where it is, don’t you?”

“Yes, and burn the city to the ground and I will never break that curse,” I tell him, challenging him. Silas growls, stepping closer, impossibly close, and I can feel his anger washing over me in waves.

“You didn’t really expect me to help you after what you just did? I never lied yesterday. A fae’s magic manifests the exact time they were born. I didn’t lie, I didn’t have my magic yesterday. But you knew that didn’t you because you showed me the seer stones. You really are a monster,” I tell him, and he grabs my arm tightly, so tightly I can feel my arms bruising under his tight grip.

Silas drags me from the room and I let him, not even caring where he was taking me. When he marches us past my bedroom though, Dragus grabs my other arm.

“Where are you taking her?” he demands.

“The dungeons,” he says, ripping me away from Dragus.

“The dungeons? Silas she will freeze to death down there” he growls at him reaching for me, but Silas just glares at him pulling me back before he starts walking again. He opens a door and I see stairs leading underground. I shiver instantly as the freezing cold draft hits me. I almost stumble down the steps, but Silas's hand on my arm keeps me upright. Once downstairs I see cells and snow-covered parts of the ground from the barred windows that look outside, they weren’t very big and I could only see the wheels of the cars that were above ground level. The snow coming through the bars and making a pile under each little window. Silas opens up one of the steel cell doors and tosses me in before closing it.

“Silas, she will fucking die” Dragus says, ripping the cell door open. Silas grabs him, pinning him against the bars, and Matitus tries stopping him. Silas then opens the cell next to mine before chucking Dragus in it. “Stay down here with her then,” he says before locking his cell too.

“Silas, they are our mates, this is wrong. You are risking her life,” Matitus says as Silas pockets the key.

Silas then walks up the stone steps and Matitus steps closer to the bars before taking his cloak off. He passes it through the bars to me and I quickly put it on. It has his scent all over it and my body instantly relaxing as it fills my nose.

“I will get you out of here,” he says before walking off in search of Silas.

Sitting down, I lean against the brick wall facing Dragus who does the same from his cell.

“Can’t you break the bars, aren’t dragons all strong and mighty?” Dragus chuckles and shakes his head.

“No, these bars are blessed and only the key Silas has will open them,” he says resting his head against the brickwork. I sigh and try to get comfortable. The concrete flooring was incredibly uncomfortable, and my ass was starting to ache. The day seemed to drag out. Dragus fell asleep for a few hours while I tried to do the same. Except it was much too cold. Snow under the barred windows was nearly 3 foot tall, and I felt like I had been put inside a freezer. My teeth were chattering and my fingers had gone numb. I breathe on my fingers trying to warm them, my fingertips turning blue, but even my breath felt cold as I tried to warm them. Tugging the cloak tighter around me, Dragus opened an eye looking at me. The cold did not even bother him at all as he sat in just a shirt and jeans.

Dragus seeing me shivering called me over. “Come to the bars” But I was too cold to even move, and it seemed like too much effort just getting up. Dragus walks over to the bars before sitting down and placing his denim-clad legs through the bars on my side.

“Lora, come I can help warm you,” he says again and I force myself off the ground before walking over to him. He tells me to sit between his legs and I do. Dragus hisses as he presses his body against the bars and wraps his arms around me. I look at him and he looks pained. “What?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

“God, your skin is like ice,” he says. Dragus removes his shirt and I lean against him on the bars. I hear him hiss in pain and flinch behind me.

“Why do you seem like you’re in pain?” I ask, leaning forward and looking back at him, and I see the burns running across his chest and arms. “Like I said, the bars are blessed, they burn to touch,” he says, tugging me back against him. I shake my head and try to shift away from him, but he just wraps his arms around me tighter, his warmth seeping into me.

“I’m fine. I heal quickly,” he says, rubbing his hands up and down my arms. Dragus being part dragon definitely has its perks. His skin is toasty warm and after a while I stop shivering and eventually fall asleep against him.

When I wake though, it’s because I am overheating. Sweat running down my neck. Dragus had fallen back asleep against me. His heat was becoming unbearable as I tried to untangle myself from his arms. Dragus stirs when his arms drop to my sides, he goes to put them back around me when I whimper in pain and shove myself away from him. Looking at the barred windows, it is pitch black outside and I can’t even see my hands in front me.

I groan as I lay myself on the concrete, its coldness not offering any relief.