The Price of Her Obsession

ard and unforgiving, scanned Ethan, then the

ipping with contempt. She nudged Kaelen with her foot. "And you, Ethan, to

its ancient pages revealing truths she had never conceived. But sh

eft at all?" Her voice rose, laced with a familiar fury, the old accusations,

g he' d just read, everything he' d

rd. "You speak to me of shame, Seraphina? Look at me! This is what you ha

d and bloodied from digging for her damned locket. "You, with your sanctimon

elieve the book. She wouldn't believe him. Her hatre

her more than his submission. "Enough!" she spat, her face a mask of disgust. "Yo

take that... filth," she gestured at Kaelen, "to the incinerators." She didn' t even

a deeper despair. He had held the truth

onal guard, but by a different faction within The Order, men whose faces were set in expressio

ucian was waiting, a predatory smile on his handsome face. Several of

," Lucian said, his voice smooth as poisoned silk. "And I have

as not The Order' s methodic

cian continued, circling Ethan slowly. "She believe

into Ethan' s gut. Ethan doubled over,

," Lucian

pped Ethan' s arms,

targeted to inflict maximum pain without rendering him unconscious too quickly

The Matriarch believes you still harbor some... illusion of strength. Som

of his men brought fo

nally, taking the bar. "The hands that dared to touch forbidden

heard the sickening crunch as the bar came down on his left hand,

We' re just getting started. The Matriarch wants a message sent. She wants every bone in your hands turned to po

his mind, to find that place of detachment he had cultivated over the years, but the

hought of the experimental surgeries, the agony of healing. He had endured that too. This...

rse, stinging salt, rubbed into the open wounds on his hands, into the c

as he collapsed, a broken heap on the stone flo

riumphant. "There. I believe the message has

e metallic tang of his own blood and the