“Oh my God,” I whispered, horrified, my stomach twisting painfully. “You—”
“We need to feed,” Drake replied, tugging on the chain until my gaze found his. “They enjoy it. You would too if you’d stop fighting me.”
“They enjoy it?” I whispered, sickened. “What kind of life is this?”
The prince didn’t respond. He opened another door, and I thought about what had happened at Flux. I had no idea if all the humans who worked at the club knew about the fae, but some did, and look what had happened to them. They were murdered. “You killed all those people at the club. You—”
He tugged on the chain until I was brought to the tips of my toes. “They crossed me. It would be wise of you to learn from their example.”
I wanted to ask how they’d betrayed him, but I was pulled into a room about the size of a walk-in pantry. It was dimly lit by a bare, hanging bulb. I gasped. I was no longer thinking of the club or the humans lying on the cots. A figure was hunched against the wall, his hands secured together. A heavier chain ran from his wrists to the wall. Russet, wavy, limp hair fell over his pale, high cheekbones. A purplish-blue bruise covered the left side of his face. He was shirtless, his pants were undone, and his chest was a mess of scratches and bite marks.
No. No, no, no.
I didn’t want it to be him, but it was. It was Ren.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Ren,” I cried out, rushing forward.
Drake caught the chain, jerking my head back. The metal dug into my windpipe. I grabbed the chain, fighting for length. “Did I give you permission to go to him?” he said.
A powerful surge of hatred boiled up in me, stronger than I knew was possible. Ren’s chest was moving with slow, shallow breaths. He was alive, but the network of veins under his skin was abnormally dark. I didn’t have to ask to know what they’d been doing to him.
Not taking my eyes off Ren, I struggled to get oxygen in and words out. “Please. Please let me go to him.”
The prince didn’t respond for what felt like forever, and then I felt the chain loosen. “Don’t make me regret this concession. He will pay for your actions if you displease me.”
Hating the prince with every fiber of my being, I went to Ren’s side, kneeling down on the scuffed wooden floor. “Ren,” I whispered, placing my hand on his right cheek. Carefully, I lifted his head. Lashes fanned the deep, dark circles under his eyes, but he was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “Oh God, Ren . . .”
“Don’t feel too bad for him,” Drake said, approaching us. “He’s caught the eye of Breena, and she has been real . . . hands on with him.”
I didn’t know who this Breena was, but she was officially on my to-kill list. Brushing back the flop of hair from his forehead, I brushed my lips over his brow.
“How romantic,” Drake said dryly.
I closed my eyes against the burn of salty tears, but I couldn’t un-see the ragged scratches and the surface bites. I didn’t know everything that this Breena and the others had been doing to him, but I knew it wasn’t pretty. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, pressing my cheek to the top of his head. “I’m so sorry.”
Ren’s shoulders rose with a ragged breath, and as I drew back, his eyes fluttered open. Oh God, those beautiful green eyes were all his. They were slightly dull and a bit unfocused, but they were his. Tears snuck free as his gaze found mine. How had I ever mistaken the prince for him?
I forced a weak smile. “Hey.”
“Ivy?” Ren murmured.
“It’s me.” I smoothed my hand down his cheek, feeling several days’ worth of stubble.
Another breath shuddered out of him. “You . . . shouldn’t be here.”
Pressure clamped down on my chest. “Neither should you.”
His eyes drifted shut as he leaned into me. His lips moved, but there was no sound. I had no idea what kind of mental state he was in, but if it was anything like how he looked, it couldn’t be good, and I wanted to tear the room apart. I had no idea if he remembered anything about our conversation the last time we saw each other or if he hated my guts because of what I was and the position it put him in, but I didn’t care if he loathed me. I couldn’t bear to see him like this.
“I told you he was still alive,” Drake said, “but him staying alive depends solely on you.”
Pressing a kiss to Ren’s temple, I then looked over at the prince. He stood a few feet from us, my chain dangling from his grip.
Once he had my attention, he smiled coldly. “I will let him go in exchange for you.”
I stilled, not sure I was hearing him correctly. “What?”
“I will let him go, right now, if you agree to be with me.”
My lips parted as I sucked in air. His offer echoed in my head, and I was almost too horrified to consider it. He couldn’t be serious.
“If not, I cannot promise that Breena will make things . . . as pleasurable for him as she has in the past,” Drake said.