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‘Again.’
The thaumaturge pressed the button. Cress bit back her wince.
‘Again’
Sweat began to pool on her forehead.
‘Again’.
Another zap. Another grimace.
Levana’s heels clicked on the tiles as she sauntered over to the small blonde girl. Cress refused to look her in the eye. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of showing her fear. Though she couldn’t hide her flinch when Levana brushed her hair back. The seemingly nurturing move made her skin crawl.
‘This doesn’t have to continue, little one.’ The matriarch’s saccharine sweet tone made Cress want to wretch.
She leaned closer, her perfect red lips hovering over Cress’s ear. ‘We know you miss your friends.’ she pouted. ‘Just tell us where they are and we can reunite you.’
Silence hung in the air as Cress kept her lips clamped.
‘No?’ Levana’s tone grew lethal. ‘Have it your way… TURN IT UP!’ she screamed, leaving Cress’s ear ringing.
The Queen’s servant brought the machine up a level.
‘Let’s do two, just for fun.’ Levana said wickedly.
The machine was turned up again. Cress fingernails dug into her palms as she braced herself. White hot pain shot through her again and again.
‘Next level.’
She couldn’t hold back anymore. Her lips parted as a heart wrenching scream filled the room.
‘NOO!!’
Thorne shot up in bed, gasping for air. He looked around the dark, empty quarters. A deep sigh worked through his body. It was a dream. A horrible dream. He was on the Rampion. And Cress was… Cress was…
Thorne climbed out of his bunk, the pit in his stomach bigger than ever. He ran a hand over his face, catching the stubble he couldn’t be bothered to shave. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair went every which way. Aces, Thorne had looked better when he was in prison. Felt better too. Though it was hard to imagine anything being better before her.
When Thorne first saw Cress, he thought she was just an odd little hairball. Then the crash happened and she became his eyes. By the time he got his sight back, she’d unknowingly become his heart.
Now she was gone, trapped on a ship where a psychotic monster was doing who knows what to her. Thorne couldn’t bear it. It was torture and he wasn’t even the one being held captive. He had to do something.
Thorne tapped the nearby port screen, Cress’s port screen. The background image was a group picture, taken before he got his sight back. Iko had shouted for everyone to smile. Cinder had looked up from her project a second too late. Wolf was brooding in the background, no doubt thinking about Scarlet. Thorne smiled and gave a thumbs up. And then there was Cress, beaming at Thorne.
He was a fool. A Stars damned fool. Cress had slipped right through his fingers. Thorne wouldn’t let it happen again.
He was getting her back.
He was bringing her home.