A Gift from the Goddess

Book TWO – Ch.# 31 *CRACK*

…Another finger joint. The third now in under five minutes, him still refusing to answer mne.

Truthfully, I was a little surprised he was holding out for as long as he was. He was still determined to resist my questioning and refused to cooperate. Was this really the hill he wanted to die on? After everything he’d been working so hard on for at least a decade? “You know… I’ve been doing a lot of research lately,” I said. “Thanks to you, my health has become a point of focus for me and I’ve actually learnt a lot about our kind’s anatomy.”

And I grabbed another finger, pressing it tightly in a way that conveyed the threat. Just hard enough for a pathetic whimper to leave him.

“Like for example… did you know that our joints heal faster than all other injuries?” I asked. “Faster than cuts, gashes… faster than even bones breaking? It’s something to do with how our joints relate to our ability to shift. They naturally have to heal quicker in order to compensate for that.”

*CRACK*

Another finger. “…But evidently that doesn’t mean it hurts any less,” I added.

“Please… stop…,” he cried.

Though it did him little good. He already knew what I wanted to know and could end this whenever he so desired.

“I did the math…,” I said, ignoring him. “I could hypothetically dislocate all of your fingers about five times within the next hour without any issues. That means I can repeat this process approximately every twelve minutes. The only question is… how long will it take before you finally answer me? Another round? Another four? …Ten?”

“Goddess… enough… I’m begging you.”

*CRACK

And I leaned in, right next to his ear.

“Then tell me where the docuinents are, Sterling,” I whispered. “Tell nie what they contain.”

Only his cries replied, screaming out from the pain. Something that merely annoyed me enough to then grab his next hand, ready to start again with a fresh set of digits.

But, finally, it seemed that was enough for him to speak. “Why do you care?!” he shouted back. “You’re angry at me but I wasn’t the one who dosed you. I was just the supplier, commission to make them. The man you’re trying to protect right now is the one you should be torturing,” I knew that. Of course, I did. To a certain degree, I should be pissed at my father.. and I was. But this went beyond simply protecting him now. This was my only chance to locate the documents and… and, well, after that I could choose what to do with them. An internal debate for myself another time. All that mattered right now was getting the information… and making Sterling pay. “I’m the one asking the questions,” I reminded, “You’re not in any position to be arguing right now.” …And I grabbed another of his joints firmly… readying to snap it at any second… giving him one last chance…. “Okay, okay!” he yelled. “Okay… I’ll tell you. Just… please. Please stop. I-I can’t take it anymore.” “Where are they?” I wasn’t keen on wasting any more time. Despite being several floors up from the dining hall, there was every possibility someone could hear should they wander this way. Not that they should have a reason to. It was meant to be a private level for the Alpha heir and all the attendants would be on duty serving the dinner guests.

“Where are they, Sterling?” I repeated again, himn taking too long to answer.

the border between Lockdale and Ashwood.” Right… I already knew about that warehouse. My father had been the one to originally tell

exactly in the warehouse?” I asked.

that simply mentioning the warehouse would be enough to

that it’s in the warehouse,” he said. “Please… let me go now. I told

This wasn’t amateur hour, I’d had plenty of experience in situations like this. I’d been taught to be an expert in getting answers, no matter how I went about it. If he actually thought that I would believe him so easily, then he

across. “Tell me where exactly in the warehouse they are,” I repeated.

enough that I had to press my knee harder into his back.

firmly. His denials sped up in speed, becoming more frantic. “…Two…,” I continued, bending it backwards slowly. He was almost screaming now, shouting that he didn’t know as if it was somehow going to save him. Which, of course, it wouldn’t. Oh,

“… Three-”

he yelled. “A floorboard in his office, under a rug! He

I sighed in exhaustion.

seems to work better when subjected to pain. So, I wonder then… if that’s the case, have you finally had enough? Or do I need to

that

the documents contained. Please don’t insult

Alpha? I was only just beginning to learn what that was and even I could tell

this situation might have played out very, very differently. An outcome that made me shudder to think about. “Sterling,” I prompted. He still hadn’t replied, “I swear… if you don’t tell me right

H-…Rae?”

then spoke from behind

the suppressors. He tried to atta-.” But, somehow in the time I’d been distracted, Sterling had gotten his hands on one of my spare shoes that I’d left by the bedside table. And before I could finish explaining to Kieran what was happening, he then swiftly embedded the heel of the stiletto into my thigh. “Rae!” Kieran yelled,

to pin Sterling back down. He’d already

Sterling away. “That bitch bas it

she is truly like? I bet that image of a beautiful, sweet girl will be shattered once I tell you what she’s capable of.” “He planned to kidnap me,” I said, cutting in before Sterling could say anything else. “He followed me upstairs and told me he was going to mark me. Force me into becoming a Luna for some new pack

1

“Lies!” Sterling yelled.

Kieran’s eyes had already darkened in a threatening way, my explanation alone already being enough for him to turn

truth. Right now.” Kieran

way he spoke. It wasn’t like anything else I’d experienced. He wasn’t simply asking the question, more so there was an almost … tangible force behind his words, one that even I could feel. A weight

started, squirming under the pressure. “I…

Whatever it was, it looked as though he was physically struggling against the order, refusing to answer Kieran. “I… J… renounce my loyalty to the Ashwood pack, its Alpha, Victor Lycroft, and

it seemed he freed himself from