“You’re a thief, Cassidy!”
“I’m a what?” I snorted.
Hestia's hands clutched the cold metal railing of the cell, her eyes burning with anger as she snarled at me. “You're a fucking stealer. You stole Zarion away from me!” She pointed accusingly at my boyfriend, who remained composed, unaffected by her outburst.
‘She’s just a whining child,’ he mind-linked me.
I shrugged, and couldn't help but chuckle at her accusation. “I'm a... what? A stealer? A thief? Aren't you talking about yourself?” I shot back, finding amusement in her desperate attempts to provoke me.
Her snarls only intensified. Pounding her fists against the railing in frustration.
“Not that I want your husband anyway,” I continued, not allowing her to get a word inside my heart again. Their trickery about my Mamita being dead is enough. “Now that he finds you useless, you're trying to leech off my husband by pulling some stunt? You're a fucking whore, Hestia!”
“Fuck you!” she shrieked, her eyes narrowed into slits.
My grin widened. “You're a pathetic whore desperate to get to my boyfriend. Desperate to get a man. Well, let me tell you something.” I stepped forward, closer. Nearer. Seizing her by the hair and yanking it upward, making sure she couldn't claw at me, is perhaps one of the greatest acts I’ve ever done. “He is mine. Only mine. Do you understand?!”
Zarion remained hidden in the shadows but his dark laugh is everything.
“Bitch!” she hissed, her face twisted with rage and pain. I slapped her hard across the cheek, the sound of the impact echoing through the basement. Analiesse rushed to Hestia's side, propping her up to prevent her from falling to the cold floor. Both of them glared at me with venom in their eyes.
“Let's cut to the chase. Where the shit is my Grandmother?!” I demanded, my voice now calmer but no less determined.
They both looked at me at the same time before laughing cruelly, which only fueled the fire in my veins. I slapped Aneliesse this time. She didn’t budge. “We told you already. We fucking ate your poor old grandma,” Analiesse sneered.
My blood boiled vehemently. But I remembered Zarion’s words. I glanced at him and only bobbed his head. He’s right. I must refuse to believe their words until I can behold my grandmother's dead body with my own eyes.
“Liar. I didn't see her body. I know you hid her. Where is she? Just fucking tell me you weak pathetic bitches before I spill your throat out!!!” I threatened, my voice quaking the ceiling, fury reverberating in the shadows.
Analiesse's grin only grew wider. “We ate her. We ate your Grandmama. We ate her. We ate your Mamita…” she repeated callously until it sounded like a song.
Damn them. I am not going to believe it until I have proof.
“Fucking liar!” I sneered at them, ready to launch myself at the cell bars.
I stopped, a pair of strong arms holding me as if an anchor. Zarion's strong arms snake around my waist, pulling me away from the cell. Intimately, as if to mock and tease Hestia.
Envy sparkled in Brandon’s former wife.
“That's enough.” His deep, baritone voice commanded, his grip on my waist tightened preventing me from going back to the deranged women inside again.
“Let me go! I'm going to kill them!” I thrashed, struggling against his hold, my heart pounding with adrenaline and fury.
“My love, please... I don't want you stressed out,” Zarion implored, his voice softer now. “I'll let our men handle the investigation about your grandmother and the two captives. They will extract the information from them slowly.”
I looked up at him as soon as hearing that word. “Slowy?”
“By slowly, I mean deliciously,” Zarion purred as if reading my mind.
Indeed, his words were a soothing balm to my raging emotions. I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure knowing that Zarion was right. I couldn't let my emotions drive me into reckless actions.
Reluctantly, I nodded, leaning into his comforting embrace as he carried me upstairs. “Okay,” I conceded, my voice still tinged with a little bit of anger. “But I want to be there when they crack them—break them. I want to see those monsters pay for what they've done.”
Zarion pressed a kiss to my dry lips, his love and understanding evident in that gentleness. “You will, Cassidy. I promise you they will pay for their sins.”
***
Zarion and I fucked for an hour inside my room. He was hungry, so was I.
His strides were long and slow, but when I kissed him, they became quick and rhythmic. He was rough, then gentle. While I was wild above him, and submissive below him.
He fell into a deep sleep after that erotic encounter. I got out of the room sneakily and changed my clothes before going back to the dungeons.
Upon entering the dimly lit cell, I saw an Omega handmaiden and a Gamma, the Head of Zarion’s guards standing beside me. Hestia was still awake, her defiance showing in her eyes despite her weakened state. I’ve ordered one of the Healer to give them a concoction to sap their strength temporarily.
“You came back.” Hestia flashed her weakened grin at me, her voice soft to the lack of strength flowing within her.
I watched her carefully, wondering how she would react to my next move. I wanted to test the strength of her bond with Zarion. If he truly was her mate, she should be able to sense his condition even from a distance.
“What do you want now?” Her voice held a mix of anger and fear, her eyes darting behind me, searching for Zarion. “Where’s Alpha Zarion?” Her desperation was evident, and she seemed almost frantic.
“Where is my mate?” she demanded again, sounding almost crazed.
I couldn't help but laugh, though it held no amusement.
“Mate?” I scoffed, gripping her chin harshly. “Let’s see if he is really your mate,” I murmured, nodding at the handmaiden who promptly handed me a basket.
From the basket, I pulled out a cylindrical bottle while the head guard retrieved a small knife. Panic welled up in Hestia's eyes as she realized what we were about to do.
“What... what the fuck are you doing?!” Her voice trembled. “You're fucking crazy!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Do it fast,” I commanded the Gamma, my resolve hardening. This was a twisted test, a cruel experiment to reveal the truth.
I watched the blood trickle down from Hestia's wrist as the handmaiden carefully collected it in the cylindrical bottle. Once we were done, we gave her another dose of the weakening medicine, sending her back into a slumber.
“Give me my cloak,” I instructed the handmaiden, feeling the need to escape the suffocating atmosphere.
“Are you going to be okay, Miss?” she asked, concern etched across her face. I donned the cloak and mustered a reassuring smile.
“Yes.”
“Be careful on your way, Miss!” she urged.
I nodded, appreciating her concern. “If Zarion asks about my whereabouts, tell him I went to the attic. He will understand that I need privacy there and won't ask further questions"
“Alright, Miss,” she replied obediently.
“Very well.” I exhaled a misty breath then raced towards the temple.