“Did you hear me?” she questioned the pilot, who ignored her and lifted the shuttle into the air. Moments later, they flew over the palace, then continued for at least another mile before descending.
Cassia rubbed the spot on her wrist where her bracelet belonged. The border guards had confiscated it during the inspection, and now she had no way to tell Jordan her new location. In half an hour, his mission would be complete, and he’d sneak inside the palace to retrieve her. How long would it take him to discover she wasn’t there?
The shuttle landed behind a nondescript boxy building, unmarked and concealed on all sides by dense clusters of trees. Her palms turned cold as she exited the craft and met a new pair of armed escorts. Jordan would never find her here.
No one would.
At gunpoint, she walked through several sets of doors into the lab foyer, then followed the guards’ instructions until she wound her way down several hallways to a small room containing two tall chairs, one with arm restraints and one without.
She didn’t need to ask which chair was hers.
After a shove from behind, she sat down and rested both arms above the straps. One guard pointed his laser pistol at her face while his partner fastened restraints around her wrists and chest. Her legs were left free, but as short as she was, the tips of her boots barely skimmed the floor. She’d just begun scanning the room for anything she could use to her advantage when the door opened and Marius sauntered inside.
At the sight of him, she felt her stomach clench—not simply out of fear and loathing, but because the grin on his face confirmed that she’d been outplayed. Then her gaze wandered to the box of syringes and electrodes in his hand, and she understood how fatally she’d underestimated him.
“Yes,” he said, noticing the recognition in her eyes. “I know how your devious little mind works. The girl I married would have died before returning those missiles, so you’re going to tell me what you’re really up to.” He handed the box to the guards, who divided its contents and approached her.
Cassia’s heart slammed against her ribs. Jordan and his squad needed at least another twenty minutes before she betrayed their location. She had to find a way to stall the extraction process. When the first guard moved close enough, she kicked out and landed her boot between his legs. The other guards responded quickly, drawing their pistols.
“Go ahead and shoot me,” she dared, knowing full well they wouldn’t do it. They needed her alive to steal her thoughts.
Marius pointed at her shoulder. “Give the queen what she wants.”
Before she knew what hit her, there was a flash of light, and the area below her left collarbone grew warm. She smelled scorched flesh, then felt a burning sensation that doubled by the second until she had to glance at her shoulder to make sure it wasn’t on fire. The wound was deceptively tidy, just a coin-size red spot, but it burned like a live coal. She clamped her lips to keep from crying out, but her muffled sounds of agony were no more dignified than a scream, so finally she let one go.
“Laser wounds don’t bleed,” Marius said. “They’re self-cauterizing. I can shoot you in a hundred different places and still keep you alive to tell me your secrets. Remember that the next time you feel the urge to fight.”
She must’ve lost consciousness, because she blinked and noticed something new in her periphery. Electrodes were affixed to both sides of her temples, and when she glanced at the bend of her arm, she saw blood at the injection site. She whimpered in a mingling of pain and panic. How long before the serum kicked in?
Marius strode behind her. “Soon you’re going to feel a warm tickle, right here.” He ran a fingernail down the base of her skull, then bent to her ear and whispered, “I would know, wouldn’t I? You put me through this so many times.”
As badly as she wanted to slam her head into his face, the throbbing at her shoulder reminded her it wasn’t worth it.
“And then you’ll start telling me things,” he whispered. “Dirty little secrets you wouldn’t share with your closest friends. You’ll hate yourself for it, but you won’t be able to stop.” His lips curved against her ear. “It’s the highest form of personal violation, Cassy. I can’t wait to show you.”
“Cassy,” she repeated as a bubbly sensation flowed over the back of her head. “I told you what would happen if you ever called me that again.”
Marius stood up and circled around to face her, delight glowing behind his eyes. “What would you like to do to me?”