Bonds of Light and Fire

50. The Price

It took every ounce of self will she possessed to keep her voice from trembling. "Where are we?" Luciana demanded.

"Somewhere safe, not to worry. No one will find you down here."

Luciana refused to flinch, even as Kron's hands wandered down her arms. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing much."

"This seems like a lot of trouble for 'nothing much'." She jangled her chains pointedly.

Kron smirked. "Don't think I've forgotten what you proved yourself capable of. Iron was the only way to prevent you from making a mess of things. Admittedly, I did think it would be a little harder to kidnap you."

"I'm surprised that bastard brother of yours let you out of his sight," Malik said, leaning against the wall nearby. "Then again, he did seem a little preoccupied with Commander Kyllian when we last saw him."

"If you hurt either of them," Luciana seethed, struggling against her bonds.

"You'll what? Blind me for a few seconds?" Malik crouched with a sneer. "You can't even do that anymore. You're as useless as you were the first day we cornered you."

"And this time, there's no one around to help you," Kron chuckled. "You owe us for all the trouble you've caused. I think we have enough time to claim our payment now. After all, your ship to Wendlyn doesn't leave for another hour."

Luciana's eyes widened. "Wendlyn?" She rasped.

"That's right." Kron bent over her and began pressing kisses to her neck. Luciana's breath shook. "Your father misses you. He gave us special orders to return you to him."

"He said something else too," Malik called.

"That's right. What was it he said?" Kron straightened, cocking his head.

Luciana caught sight of two unfamiliar males behind him. Cruel grins sat on their faces. She knew that look. Knew what they were thinking. What they wanted. Luciana began to struggle once more and clawed at her light, though it didn't respond. Her breath came in short panicked gasps.

"I remember now." Kron bared his teeth in a gruesome smirk. "She wants to experience the real world. Let her experience it. Show her what it has to offer to a naive little female like herself."

"No," Luciana whispered. "No, no, no! Get off of me!" She thrashed against her chains and Kron laughed. He bent down, and she snapped her head into his nose. He stumbled back with a disgusted grunt.

"You little bitch," he growled. Luciana screamed as he pinned her legs in place with his own. Dirt piled around her limbs, summoned by Kron's magic.

"Get off of me!" She screeched. "Get off! Help! Someone help me!"

"No one can hear you down here," one of the unfamiliar males laughed. "Scream all you want."

"She'll be screaming for a different reason soon," the other said.

"Aeron!" Luciana cried. "Aeron!" Kron's hands slid beneath her skirts and he began to work the thin material up her legs. "No, no!" Luciana screamed louder, still attempting to throw Kron off. Tears burned beneath her lashes, but she tried to hold them back.

"Vaughan!" Luciana wailed, jerking against her chains until pain splintered through her arms. "Vaughan!"

One of Kron's hands wrapped around her throat, while the other began unfastening his pants. "I don't want to hear another sound from you, do you hear me?"