Her mind froze as the cloth dampened. It started with the slow flow of water trickling into her nostrils. She held her breath, still rubbing at the robe with the knife, trying to rip through the fibers. She held her breath for what seemed like an eternity, one agonizing second after another, and pain exploded through her lungs. When she couldn’t hold it anymore, her body forced a breath out.
She knew not to breathe in, but her lungs burst with agony, and she couldn’t control it anymore. Involuntarily, she breathed in, sucking the wet cloth against her face. No air. Panic burst through her mind. There is no air. I’m going to die. Her body shook, rebelling against the suffocation. Her vision burst with images of Malphas, his body convulsing as she poured the water on to the towel, the stake still protruding from his chest.
I’m going to die. All rational thought flew from her mind. She’d beg Josiah for mercy, do whatever he wanted to get out of this.
I poured the water. I’m the monster. Sheer terror and agony warped her mind.
After ten lifetimes, she felt the chair tilt up again. Please.
Josiah pulled the towels off her face before yanking off the hood. She gasped for breath, sucking in air. Her wet hair plastered to her face. Icy water soaked her shoulders.
Josiah looked into her eyes. “This is the part where I ask you questions.”
What had her plan been? The knife—gods help me. She’d dropped the knife.
Chapter 27
She glanced at Caine, but he wasn’t moving. He just stared at her, his eyes empty.
“He can’t save you, Rosalind.”
Josiah touched her cheek, and she flinched. He’s going to drown me again. He’s going to kill me. I’m going to die at the hands of a sadist.
She clamped her eyes shut, trying to get a grip. She needed to master her fear, to keep her wits intact so she could figure out how to get the hell out of here.
“Tell me about the Vampire Lord,” Josiah said.
Shit. She’d already divulged too much. “The Vampire Lord?” she repeated, stalling. Frigid water dripped down her chest. Her teeth chattered; her body shook.
Josiah gripped her sodden hair, yanking her head backward. “Start with his name.”
“I don’t know,” she stammered. She wasn’t telling this asshole anything until her mind broke completely. “I just heard everyone call him the Vampire Lord.”
“Where does he live?”
She gasped for breath, and her throat burned. “No one told me.”
Josiah slammed his fist into her face. Pain burst through her cheek, searing her skull.
She glanced at Caine, who watched her impassively. In fact, he seemed completely unperturbed by this whole thing. What the fuck, Caine?
The incubus obviously had no plan to help, and couldn’t get out of the chains, anyway.
Use what’s around you, Rosalind, her mind screamed. But she couldn’t get her hands on a single weapon. The only thing she could manipulate in the room, was—
Josiah.
Whatever it was he wanted, she could use it against him.
He yanked her hair tighter, nearly ripping it out by the roots. “Does the Vampire Lord have an army?”
“He didn’t tell me,” she said, staring in to his blazing eyes. She wasn’t about to tell him that the General of Ambrose’s army sat just a few feet away, staring at the two of them.
Josiah’s breath was hot on her cheeks. “I know he has an army. And I want to know everything about it. How many are there? What are their plans? You will tell me every single thing you know,” he said through gritted teeth.
“It’s hard to think when you’re hurting me,” she said—stalling, again.
He tightened his other hand around her waist. “I want you to know that I will never let you out of my sight again. You’re mine, Rosalind.”
Fuck this guy. What he wanted was glaringly obvious: he wanted complete control over her, and he wanted to hurt her in the most brutal ways possible.
But what else did she know about him? He had an intense curiosity for all things demonic. He tended to underestimate her strength and her ability to look after herself. On top of that, he had a serious rage problem. These were all things she could use against him.
“I don’t know. Josiah, please,” she let out a sob. “None of this is my fault. I don’t want this spirit in me. When the ring comes off, I burn with excruciating pain. It’s like my whole body is on fire.”
“You’ve told me this already.” He slipped a large hand up her body, tightening it around her throat. “Tell me about the Vampire Lord, or I’ll put the hood on you again for more water.”
“It’s a curse, Josiah,” she said. “I don’t want that magic. I never want to feel that pain again. You can’t imagine the agony.”
He looked into her eyes, licking his lips. “Oh really?”
She’d laid the bait. It was working.
“I never wanted this curse, Josiah. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt.”
He yanked a knife from his weapons belt, and slipped behind her back, cutting through the knot that bound her hands. He gripped her wrists hard, pulling her hand in front of her face so she could stare at the iron ring. “You still wear Blodrial’s ring. He is your saving grace, and you betray him.”