Ruins of Temptation (Corium University Trilogy 4)

“Please, I’m hungry and tired and have nothing to tell you.”

Rushing forward, he gets in my face and growls, and spittles of saliva land against my cheek. “You’re a fucking liar, and we both know it. Tell me what I want to know, and this can all end.”

Tears prick at the back of my eyes, and I’m so close to exhaustion that it’s not even funny. No matter how much I blink back the tears, they still somehow escape and traitorously slide down my cheeks. I hate, with every fiber of my being, that he gets to see me so weak, but I’m past the point of caring.

“Your tears don’t do shit to me, so if you’re trying to get me to feel bad for you, maybe try harder?”

“I already told you half a million times that I don’t know who they are. I know nothing and have no information for you.” The tears become bigger, and my pain and exhaustion rush to the forefront of my mind. It’s all I can feel and see.

Quinton is resilient and refuses to show remorse. As soon as I start to give in to the exhaustion, he has one of the men toss a bucket of water at me. It’s cold and soaks me to the bone until I’m a trembling mess, and my body is ready to give out completely.

“Please, I can’t do this anymore. I don’t have any information. Please, I’m begging you.” Maybe I would tell him what he wanted if I knew it wouldn’t get me killed. I value my life more than giving in.

He leans in close, filling my field of vision. There’s nothing in the world but exhaustion, hunger, and cold. I can’t stop shivering. I can hardly keep my eyes open to look at him.

He takes me by the chin and jerks my head up. There’s no light in those eyes. No soul behind them. Just endless black pits. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know.”

“H-how can I?” My teeth are chattering so hard that I can barely speak. “W-when I have nothing you want?”

“Come on. We both know you’re lying. You’ll lie to your dying breath to protect those fuckers. Do you honestly think they would do this for you?” He shoves my head away before backing up. “They would sell you out in a heartbeat. There’s no such thing as honor or loyalty for heartless fucks like them. Are they worth this?”

I don’t have the strength to hold my head up anymore. It hangs low, my dripping hair falling on either side. “I don’t know anything. Please, stop this. You’re wasting your time.”

“Me? I have all the time in the world.” His heavy footfalls pace back and forth, but I can’t lift my head to look at him. I’m too weak and sore. I don’t want to see him, anyway. I don’t want to look into his soulless eyes.

The footsteps come to a stop in front of me. “You’re going to see what a patient person I am. I can wait forever. The question is, can you?”

There’s so much evil in his voice. Cold, hard, inhuman. I raise my head slowly, still shivering, my eyes burning from the effort of holding them open. “For the last time, I can’t help you. I don’t know anything.”

The smile he gives me balances on the edge of a serial killer smiling at you before he kills you. “We’ll see if a few weeks of solitude will loosen your tongue a little bit. Help you see things in a different light.” I don’t have the chance to ask what he’s talking about before he motions to one of his men. He springs into action, untying me, his hand firm around my wrist as he forces me to my feet. My wobbly legs barely keep me upright, and then we’re moving. I don’t bother looking up because I know where he’s taking me.

My nightmare is just beginning.

2

LUCAS

My footsteps echo down the large empty castle halls as I walk Aspen and Quinton to the meeting room. The only other sound is the rapid beating of my own heart, pushing blood through my veins at an irregular speed. My hands are shaking, and my gut feels like more acid than usual is swirling around in my stomach.

It’s been so long that it takes me a moment to recognize this foreign feeling. Fear. I’m afraid, which is a notion I am not very familiar with.

I’m never scared. I used to step into a steel cage willingly, knowing only one person would survive the fight. At first, I did it because of the money, then I did it merely for the fun of it. Yes, fun.

So why do I feel afraid now? Maybe it’s the fact that it’s not my life in danger. It’s the girl walking a few steps behind me. The girl I didn’t know was my daughter until earlier this morning.