The King and the Coquette by Tilly Hart

Author:Tilly Hart [Hart, Tilly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

I followed Dante into the torture chamber as a monstrous chill gripped me to the core. On the wall hung various implements of solid wood and gleaming metal, none of which I wanted to see in action. The room was lit with a series of flickering lanterns, the orange glow dancing across the metallic weapons. A steady drip of water on stone resonated throughout the chamber along with Diego's erratic breathing.

I let my eyes fall on him, the man who orchestrated everything. He'd been drinking at the feast, and was still under the wine‘s influence, bleary-eyed and pale faced upon the chair that held him strapped tight. If the gods be willing, perhaps the wine would loosen his tongue before the torturer did. His eyes locked onto mine as he let out a low snarl, he looked more like a caged wolf than a man.

'So you couldn't do it then? Useless. I should have done it myself.' I flinched at his voice, deep and gravelled, and tinging on the edge of madness. The calm, calculating Diego had disappeared.

'She tried.' Dante grabbed a chair and set it before Diego, slumping on to it with a sigh. I shrank back against the door, wishing to be anywhere but there. I had to know if he would reveal my sisters' whereabouts, and as Dante pointed out, I had to face the consequences of my mistakes.

I glanced at Dante, my stomach flopping as the realisation of what just happened hit me. I had tried to kill the king. Our ruler. I was an idiot. Why hadn't I gone to him? It hadn't felt like a choice I had, would he believe me over his own flesh and blood? Why would he give a damn about my sisters? But now that I knew him to be a good man, I knew he would have listened and helped us. Even after holding a knife to his throat, he was there extracting information from his brother for me. He could have thrown us both in the dungeon and left us to rot. His father would have. But not Dante, his heart was bigger than ever he'd know.

'She didn't try hard enough.'

'Where are the girls?' Dante's voice was firm. 'If you tell me now, I can get them and it will be one less thing held against you.'

'Who cares? They aren't worth worrying about. She knew the cost of her failure.’

'Diego, please? I don't want to hurt you, I don't know what happened since you left Latania, but this is not you. Just tell us where they are and let the girls go. They are only children.'

Diego's eyes left Dante and settled upon me, they roved from my hastily fastened dress, to my knotted hair and a nasty grin crossed his face. 'So your reputation as a royal bed warmer holds up, if not your reputation as a killer. I hope spreading your legs was worth your sweet sisters' lives.'

Heat crept up to my cheeks at his words, but I didn't lower my eyes.

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