Indebted

45

Atticus spent at least three days being optimistic that something regarding his circumstances would change after the interview with the mated dragon men who knew where Esti was. Any moment things would change. He was willing to overlook their obvious attraction towards Esti. If they helped him escape and Esti wanted all three of them in the end Atticus would happily accept them just to have Esti back.

After three days, and not even a single unexpected footstep came down the hallway towards his cell, Atticus accepted that even though the interrogation with Joey and his Daddy had gone differently than the others, nothing was going to change. Fear of spending years trapped in this cell starting to yell louder in his mind.

None of his own attempts to break the various binds around him had proven to be fruitful yet. Without access to his magic or his dragon being able to exert its power, Atticus was left human strong. Insufficient to do any damage to the heavy reinforced concrete all around him. All he had was the muted connection to Esti, she hadn't learned to shield, or he still dared hope she still wanted him when he found her again.

After Joey and big papa, there had not been another interrogation. All variety in his days gone. Atticus got his meals, daily exercise. Sporadic chances to switch books from a trolley cart that rolled around the cells. His world felt impossibly small. Esti, he knew had spent two years alone on a rural farm with only her mother. Not even given a chance for new books. The first new person she had seen, had come to enslave her for the king.

Atticus could endure comfortable confinement. His mind couldn't help but start to fear that he wasn't going to manage an escape or be set free. He would just be left here to rot underground. Since the War that broke Fae, there have been rumors of a dragon more than ten thousand years old, and still appearing young. Atticus heard his dragon in his mind. The rarely talkative dragon was apparently not in a mood to comfort Atticus today. Thousands of years trapped in a cell did not appeal to Atticus.

Worse was considering what Big Papa and Joe could decide to do. They knew where Esti was, had secreted her away themselves Atticus was certain of that. Atticus had no idea how the Council functioned, where the mated dragons fell in the power structure. Only knew that his father didn't trust The Council anymore than he did the dragon court.

It had been five days since his last visitors had left. Nearing two months of confinement. Esti, steady and solid, and achingly far away. He already had no idea how Esti had survived the whiplash change of pampered court lady with high standing, to indentured serf, and then slave. Atticus, thought he had believed in her strength. He had undervalued her, like everyone else. A shame he needed to make up to her. God damnit he just needed her.

Every breath felt too shallow. The distance too far. The shame and anger in equal parts burning under his skin that it was his own damn fault he was in this position in the first place. Atticus was spending his day how he spent most of his waking monotonous time. Remembering every moment he had with Esti. Her face, so pale, like a ghost. Heart racing with adrenaline, but she had detoured in her flight to safety after being attacked. She had stopped to try and bring more sunlight to her basement room. To where he knew she had been planning to hide for the rest of her life.

Atticus had seen too much of how Esti looked during the worst moments of her life. Other people's memories telling him so much about his mate. Atticus had tried to store and remember every memory he had ever glanced of her while at court. Even the ones that left him with nightmares. Atticus had seen through Norman's memories how Esti was taken into custody charged with the murders Atticus himself had committed to save her. Atticus had lived a sheltered, privileged life. Esti was younger than him, and lived through more suffering than he would have ever considered possible.