Laced with Venom and Honey: Book One by Ali McDonald

Author:Ali McDonald [McDonald, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-21T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Pain nipped at my wrists through the intense grip of the magnetic handcuffs that I hadn’t seen since Viewing Night. I was fiercer then, more angry and less settled. I had lost that fire since I’d eased into the Heir Audition, forgetting who I was and what I wanted, which was ultimately to escape.

Forced into my room with my hands still behind my back, I was not given any time to check on Cleo or Ember. I didn’t know what their tests were, but I assumed theirs were just as deadly as mine.

Bring my arms in front of my body, the handsy Stone Guards attached my handcuffs to my unmovable twin sized bed. “Now, shut that loud mouth up before I have to do it for you.” The larger one waved his hairy knuckles high in the air above me. Yes, he was bigger, but still smaller than Ridge.

I wondered where the lieutenant was now. I’d accused him of being part of creating the test and putting all of us in danger. So much for his protection. I knew he was a liar the entire time, and it wasn’t like I trusted him. No, I didn’t let myself trust anyone really, but he’d seemed so genuine with his words and promises of protection that I’d lost sight of what was really going on.

The Heir Audition was a death match, not an elegant competition to present ourselves as royalty. It was a way to observe who could conquer all, who could conquer the world. All of it, every single blood-soaking bit of it was for Commander Blackstone.

It all made sense now; why I was so valuable. The commander already saw me as a vicious killer after I shot Alluvium. Then, because of Al’s words, the commander must have already known I was a Descendant of the Ocean Ring, a family that had roots deeper than the sea in the outer layer of Veltyn.

It was a repulsive game he was playing with us, but we were pawns, not kings and queens. There was nothing we could do to stop it. Play or die. Those were our options.

The mess of blood at the top of the water entered my brain like a nightmare in the daylight; something I was used to. With the color of blood staining my mind, I did not flinch or become nauseous this time. It was just another thing I was becoming too familiar with.

Still soaking wet in my new black suit that had already seen more death than my tight-laced dress, I leaned forward, unzipping the front. Moving my body in unnatural positions, I tried to determine the best way to remove my suit’s clinging wetness. The act was impossible with these stupid handcuffs. Thrusting my torso and arms in rapid movements, Venom Dreams fell to the floor, rolling under my bed.

I yanked and yanked on the magnetic handcuffs until resentment inflamed every bone in my body and tears were streaming down my face like silent, hidden waterfalls.

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