Rafael laughed. “Is that any way to speak to your dear dad, Lu
c?”
Lucas? Cain had mentioned Rafael’s wayward son. But whose side was he on?
“Elizabeth has nothing to do with this. Let her go, father, or I will kill you.”
Rafael dropped the girl’s thin wrist. She fell to the floor, unmoving. She appeared dead, but Diamonique couldn’t be certain.
“She’s the real reason you left, isn’t she?” Rafael hissed. “This pathetic little creature meant more to you than me or The dominion.”
“She is an innocent! She’s not part of your twisted faction.”
Rafael laughed. “There is no such thing as an innocent, especially a woman. I taught you better.”
Lucas took a step closer and growled, “You taught me to hate. Elizabeth taught me love.”
Diamonique was fast losing strength from whatever the chains had been coated in, and she was
getting a damn headache with all the family drama. Then Cain’s eyes landed on her, and she could feel the intensity of his anger even from across the room. Underlying that emotion was love and its warmth gave her renewed strength.
“Can you free yourself, love?”
His words were as soft as a butterfly touch in her mind. “I’ve tried, but I’m just not strong enough.”
As his gaze raked her body, presumably searching for signs of injury and found none, she could sense the relief flooding him. She stifled her urge to call out to him and instead used their mind link to send him a message.
“Look at the ceiling, Cain.”
When Cain’s gaze followed where she indicated, noticing for the first time the glass panels, he stiffened.
“The sun will be up soon, love. We need to get out of this room now.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“I see you’ve spied the pretty windowed ceiling. I had this place built specially for you and your little whore, Cain. I knew if I took her, you would follow. I wanted to watch the two of you roast together. Thoughtful of me, don’t you agree?”
“Fuck you, Rafael. By the time I’m through, you’ll be the one in this room, burning to death.”
“I think it’ll be fun to watch as you and Diamonique perish together under the morning sun. I’ve set up a special camera just for the occasion.” Then he glanced down at the blonde at his feet. “She’s an unexpected guest of course, but she was readily available and I was hungry. Oh well, she’ll just have to share the room with you. You aren’t upset by that are you, Luc?”
Lucas remained silent, but the rage Diamonique saw in his eyes was a clear sign of what he thought of Rafael’s little plan. Diamonique shivered at
Rafael’s matter-fact tone. He was more demented than any of them had realized.
“Lucas is a true ally now,” Cain told her mentally.
“Be careful, Cain.”
“Always, my love.”
Cain looked back at Rafael. “You might think you’ve thought of everything, Rafael, but there’s one thing you didn’t figure into this little plan.”
Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
He stepped towards Rafael and taunted, “You didn’t count on Lucas being on my side.”
Rafael snorted. “He was manipulated by you, nothing more. In the end, he’s my son and will do as I say.”