Page 59 of Crown of Death
I’m so confused. So conflicted. It’s agony, it takes everything I have in me to take half a step back. Cyrus’ eyes are foggy when they rise to meet mine. Filled with desire and lust and something I swear is love. But it can’t be love because…because it’s justimpossible.
I shake my head. “There’s still so much I have to finish. Still too much I have to learn. Still far too much I don’t know about myfuture.”
Slowly, the pain returns to Cyrus’ face, and I think I die a little inside at the sight ofit.
“Not yet,” I sayquietly.
But the pain turns to sadness and resolve. He nods as his shoulders sag in defeat. He turns togo.
“Did I win?” I askquietly.
“Win?” he says,pausing.
“The game,” I say. “You said I could see Eli if Iwon.”
There’s a little look of betrayal in his eyes that shatters my complicatedheart.
“Yes,” he says, sounding tired as the ocean. “You won. You may visit Rath, just for a fewminutes.”
Without another word and without any more begging, he turns, and walks out of thearena.
Chapter 13
Ireturnto my room and change. It’s comforting wearing my own clothes once more. Just simple shorts, and normal t-shirt. Even though my entire world has been turned upside down. Even though my insides are all insideout.
It’s Rafael who waits for me outside my suite. To my utter shock, he looks perfectly normal once more, wearing clean clothes, no signs of blood, and no cuts all over hisbody.
“Vampires heal quickly?” I ask as I follow him to the elevator. I stand beside himuncomfortably.
“Yes,” he answers stiffly. I have a feeling the King growling at him earlier has put him on edge when it comes to his interactions with me. “Even more so with the aid of humanblood.”
“Oh,” is all I say around the tightness in mythroat.
We plummet through the belly of the casino. Down and down until surely we’re below ground level. Finally, the elevator slows, and then the doorsopen.
It’s nearly pitch black as we step out. It’s a long hall and only a single light is on the wall at the far end of it, probably fifty yardsaway.
Down the dim hall, I followRafael.
He walks to the middle of the hall and produces a set of keys. He unlocks a door, and holds it open forme.
A rush of cold air brushes over my skin as I step inside. If possible, it’s even darker in here. I barely make out the shape of stairs descending down into roughly carvedearth.
Down and down we walk, until finally we hit levelground.
It’s adungeon.
The space that opens up isn’t particularly large. There are five prison cells that break off from the central space. A man sits in a chair in one corner, but darts to his feet when he seesus.
“Take a five minute break, Harris,” Rafaelsays.
The man nods and sets up thestairs.
“Logan?”
Through the dark, my eyes search. They land on the furthestcell.
Eli climbs up from the ground, grabbing thebars.