CHAPTER 41

Vita

IT HAD BEEN A week since Verian last tried to see her. Perhaps he'd finally given up after the dismissals, though the thought tore a hole right through Vita's heart.

She knew she was pushing him away. She knew he had good reason to leave, to be busy. Some part of her wanted to pull him into her room and accept the life he was offering, one of separation and loneliness.

But the other part expected more.

Life didn't need to be a fairy story, but she deserved someone who was dedicated to her. And Verian had shown where his true devotion lay.

They could still be friends, of course. She would never give up his friendship, not unless that was something he wanted. But lovers? More than lovers? She just couldn't see how it would work, not with the way they both wanted to live.

A deep exhale escaped her as she wiped down the wooden counter. The end of another busy night at Ad Noctua, one that had filled her coin purse quite nicely. She finished stacking mugs for tomorrow, then waved goodbye to her boss.

Her life wasn't exactly what she wanted, but it was good enough.

Vita tied a cloak around her shoulders, the chill of autumn in full swing. Edonia approached, the autumnal equinox, equal day and night. Edon was the brother of Edos, the golden twins who represented the harvest.

Almost absentmindedly, she wondered if the High Consul had a feast planned or if he'd returned to his reclusive life. She'd heard no rumors amongst the patrons of Ad Noctua, and Aurora was as tight-lipped as ever during their weekly lessons.

A noise caught her attention, but before she could turn, she was frozen in her spot. No matter how she strained, she could not move a muscle, couldn't turn her head as footsteps approached. Fear gripped her, sending ice through her veins as a simpering voice spoke in her ear.

"Hello, Vita."

Sleep called, even as Vita blinked her bleary eyes open, her head pounding as if someone was beating her brain like a drum. She let out a low moan, every muscle aching as she sat up and tried to stretch. Why was she on the floor?

The stone was cool to the touch, the room dark. Where was she?

The memory of the voice came back to her, full of venom…

"Hello, Vita . "

A chill ran down her spine as she tried to get her bearings. The smell was musty, like fresh air hadn't reached this place in many moons. Silence, other than a perpetual drip that echoed through the small space. Metal bars surrounded her on all sides.

She was in a prison.

But no, this wasn't the city jail. She pushed her way up despite the complaints of her muscles and walked up to the bars. There were no other cells in sight, just darkness surrounding her.

Vita was alone.

Terror gripped her, her mind racing to figure out where she was and why she was here. A sound from the corner of the room, like the shuffling of feet, drew her attention, and she hurried back to the far edge of the cell. With her back pressed against the rusty metal bars, she waited until a figure appeared from the darkness.

Braziers lit the person just enough for her to recognize him. The man from the tavern, the strange one who stared at her and then disappeared like an apparition that night she'd seen Petran. Dark eyes, light hair, and a disturbing smile on his face.

He said nothing, just scrutinized her as if taking in every detail of her existence. There was something wrong about him, something otherworldly, and it set her nerves on edge. The smile… the smile was positively wicked.

An unseen door creaked open somewhere in the darkness and Vita's eyes shot towards the noise as footsteps approached.

The air turned icy, her heart pounding in her ears as another man appeared from the darkness.

Amulius.

"Lovely Vita," he sneered, the low light of the braziers etching the cruelty into his face with harsh shadows. "How I've been waiting to get my hands on you."

He walked up to the bars, then turned back to the man in the cloak, giving him a nod.

Suddenly, Vita was no longer in control of her body. Every muscle twitched, and she began walking forward, step by step, until she stood in front of the Praetor. She watched in frozen horror as he reached his hand in, gently running his fingers across her cheek before gripping her throat.

"You really thought you could leave me? Did I not tell you that you were mine?"

Between whatever magic was controlling her and the hand around her neck, she could not speak. All she could do was wait in wide-eyed terror. She tried to call her magic, slamming her eyes shut and searching for the well of power.

Without warning, Amulius jerked her forward, slamming her face against the rusty metal bars.

Vita whimpered, the whisper of power she was searching for dissipating in an instant.

"Behave yourself. I know about your magic, witch. Did you take me for a fool all these years? Try anything and Spurius will melt every bone in your body."

A trickle dripped from her nose, and the metallic taste of blood was on her lips. With a glance at the other man—the mage with the wicked grin—she realized how doomed she was. Amulius had been hiding a sorcerer in his company, a man more powerful than she could even imagine. He could force her body to move, to act, could make her sleep with barely an effort. There was no strain in his expression, no tension in his muscles, even as he held her in place.

Amulius pulled her face to the bars, pressing his bitter lips to hers. She was helpless to protest, helpless to fight, helpless to stop him. Even as she tried to focus her control, she knew it was useless. Spurius was powerful, certainly more powerful than she.

Vita would be dead before her magic even had a chance to blossom.

It was over quickly, Amulius releasing her, though her body remained a puppet under the mage's control.

"Oh, lovely Vita, how excited I am to have you back." His dark eyes roved over her as if he could see through the cloak and dress that covered her body. "We'll have to make up for lost time."

With that, he nodded at Spurius, then returned to the darkness, disappearing without another word. The mage still refused to speak, just smiled at her as he stepped up to the cage, her body still restrained by invisible magic.

"You're very interesting," he said finally, the smile turning serious. He reached a hand to her cheek, running it down her neck and shoulder before brushing over her breast. "We're going to have fun with you."

Her heart raced, but then her muscles relaxed, Spurius' grip on her evaporating into the chilly air. Without another word, he followed Amulius' path out of the dungeon, leaving her cold and alone, the sound of the slamming door ringing through the space for a long while.

As the echo faded, Vita curled into a ball, trying to hold back tears.

Time ticked by, and the realization came on slowly, like a shadow creeping at dusk. She would die down here, without ever telling Verian or Renatus how she truly felt. Was the dismissal worth it? Did she get what she wanted by refusing to see them, refusing to speak with them?

The answer was no.

She wished she'd been able to go to the palace, wished she'd let Verian in the last time he came to see her. Now, her chance was gone, the perpetual drip ringing in her ears as she lay on the cold, hard floor.