The Immortal Queen by Jennifer L Hart

Author:Jennifer L Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fairy tale rewrites, Norse mythology, ya fantasy, sleeping beauty rewrite, ya
Publisher: Jennifer L Hart
Published: 2018-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

THE TROLLS BRING HIM to a cave on a spit of land some distance from the castle. He recognizes the area, it is one they’d passed by in the darkness. He’d marked it as they’d passed as a potential hiding place in case he and Nic needed a place nearby to hide.

The cave is damp, the waterline from the most recent high tide wetting the sand several steps within. The place smells foul, dank like mildew and rotting sea life as well as hints of despair. From his vantage, dangling between the trolls he can see more iron chains hanging from the ceiling. A large meat hook sways ominously over an open pit. The cave has a single clear purpose.

Torture.

The trolls drop him like a sack of meat onto the stone floor. He grunts, his teeth clattering on impact.

“You’re pretty tough for a shifter.” The troll leans down, narrowing its coal black eyes on him.

Aiden doesn’t respond or correct them on their assumption that his wolf is merely another form.

The troll rights itself until it’s looming above him like a pile of boulders. “Don’t worry, we’ll break you. Even if it means we gotta drag your little blonde companion in here and hang her from that hook.”

“No,” the protest slips out before Aiden can stifle it. Must not rise to his bait.

“Too easy, Dav.” the other troll grunts. The thickness in his voice makes him sound even more stupid than the other one. But just because they are dumb, doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. “I thought he’d be a challenge.”

“Don’t worry, shifter, that’s only a last resort. Plenty of steps between here and there. Strip him.”

The chains are removed from Aiden’s legs first. He tries to kick but his muscles barely respond. It’s as though the limbs have gone numb. Soon though, soon he will have enough strength back to kill these fuckers.

If they didn’t poison him again first, of course.

The leader, Dav the other one called him, takes a curved knife to the inner seam of his trousers. The blade goes slowly as though in anticipation, the tip brushing over his skin. It moves up his leg in a sick sort of caress, leaving a thin red line in its wake, a bloody reminder.

Aiden swallows hard as he recognizes the light in the troll’s eyes, the dark desire there. He isn’t just following orders, he truly wants to hurt Aiden. And the more pain, the more he, Dav will enjoy it.

He sucks in a breath when the blade reaches his crotch, coming close enough to shave the hair off his balls. The troll smiles, satisfaction radiating from him like a sun. “Oh yes, I’ll break you. I can almost hear the snap.”

Aiden affects a bored tone, casting his gaze to the troll’s own reproductive equipment. “Jealous, are you?”

The second one laughs, but Dav’s eyes darken. “You’re no better hung than a mortal. I’ll show you a real—”

“Get on with it.” The other grunts impatiently. “He’ll be here any minute.”

Dav’s lip pulls up but he continues down the other leg, his movements more efficient.

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