As the man with the whip approached, those that were closer stepped back a few paces.

They must not have wanted blood getting on their fancy clothes. It was a bitch to get out.

I swallowed thickly as I watched the tail of the whip swing with each step. The rhythmic back and forth, though frightening for what it meant, was also calming as the repeated movement grounded me.

With a sharp jerk, the woman to my side pulled me to my feet. She turned us as she pulled me further into the center of the ballroom. My eyes briefly caught Cassius's as I was pulled past him and the others. They made me cower away as I passed him. His dark brows were furrowed over raging storms. They narrowed.

I quickly glanced away. They were too much and were only helping to make my body react in panic. I needed to calm down. It was always easier to block things out when I was calm and didn't struggle.

I avoided glancing at any of the others. I knew I would get nothing from Ezra, or Axel since he was preoccupied with keeping Ezra under his control. Jaxon would probably be enjoying the show since it was no longer his friend in harm's way, and Zev would have his blank mask on that wouldn't be able to hide his satisfaction.

I wouldn't blame him for reacting and lashing out the way he did if it wasn't for how ridiculous the claim he fell for was. I knew that I would be satisfied if I had the chance to watch him suffer, or anyone like him, even more so if I brought that fate upon them. That's what Zev thought he was doing.

The women holding my arms pulled me to the center of the cleared circle as the man with the whip approached from the opposite side. He had unfolded the whip and let the tail fall on the floor, trailing it over the floor behind him. As we all approached the center, a section of the marble floor rose. In the center of the circle was now a white, marble pole.

The women pushed me up against it before grabbing a hold of my hands and raising them above my head pressing them against the cold marble. My eyes widened when the marble moved like liquid, banded around my wrists, and hardened, keeping me in place. Their harsh hands finally left my body once I was secure.

I looked through the space between my raised arm and the pole and swallowed as the man came to a stop in front of me.

I gasped more in surprise than pain at the cold edge of a blade as it ran down my back, nicking my skin as it sliced through the lace holding the back of my dress closed while synching my waist. Luckily the dress had sleeves attached to the bodice so the top didn't drop and flash everyone. I could feel goosebumps erupted at the feel of the fresh breeze on my bared skin.

I clenched my fists as the tremble in my hands grew. I didn't want my fear to be seen.

The man moved, disappearing from my line of sight. It was only a moment before I felt his presence at my exposed back. If he, or anyone, was shocked by the aged scars from lashes of a belt that already lined my skin, they didn't let it show.

The queen's heels sounded like cracks of thunder as she made her way back to her seat at the raised table. She leaned back and rose a wine close of shimmering, liquid gold to her lips. The corner of her lips was quirked up as she settled in to enjoy the show. The others at the table were nonchalant to the events taking place. The girl with turquoise hair, who I assumed was the Queen's daughter, looked bored as she scrolled through her phone. Others were engaged in quiet, private conversations.

They were acting like this was a normal occurrence.

Movement sounded behind me. I stiffened. Closing my eyes, I let out a deep trembling breath, forcing my muscles to loosen.

One times one equals one, one times two equals two, one times three equals three-

"Wait!"

The deep voice made me jerk back. The stone cuffs dug into my wrists painfully. They were sure to bruise.

Footsteps sounded behind me. I turned my head and watched as Cassius approached, his eyes on the Queen as she took another sip. His face was set in stone, his eyes hard, but calmer than before.

The Queen raised a questioning brow at him. Her eyes flashed with amusement. "Something to add, Lord Cassius?" She asked.

He came to a stop in front of me, blocking most of my view of the Queen. He clasped his hand behind his back as he looked at her. "She is weak. She will not survive fifty whips."

The Queen swirled the drink in her hand as her eyes ran over him. "It would be unjust of me to be lenient. She is facing the same punishment that any other being would receive for her crime."

Cassius's hand tightened. "It's a full moon tonight. It would be inauspicious and tempting the fates to end a life under the light of the full moon," he argued further.

Well, technically we weren't under the full moon's light, I thought to myself, not unless you were standing near one of the windows.

Confusion weighed on my brows as I watched Cassius's back. Why was he arguing for me? He was so angered a moment ago.

The Queen's hand paused. The sparkling gold liquid continued to spin and splash up the sides of the cup as she narrowed her eyes on Cassius. Her jaw clenched.

A few of the older women sitting at the table had stopped their private conversations and were now looking at the queen with worry lining their faces at Cassius's words.

A tight smile spread across the Queen's lips. "I do suppose you are correct. It would be a shame to ruin such an auspicious night with death." She crossed her arm and rested her elbow on it, holding her glass up in front of her. She swirled it, watching the liquid spin before looking at the masses. "Due to the full moon, I will reduce Ms. Riars fifty whips of a braided leather whip to fifty lashes of a wooden switch."

Although daunting, I found myself breathing out a breath of relief at whipping being turned into a switching. I had only ever experienced the whip of a leather belt. I was relieved today wasn't going to be the day I'd experience a real whip.

I felt the air behind me fill with a slight static charge before it faded.

"M-"

"Let the punishment commence," the Queen said, cutting Cassius off before he could continue.

It wasn't long before her words were followed by the high pitch whistle of a switch cutting through the air. It cracked across my spine numbingly.

The pain didn't register on the first strike. When he brought down another punishing lash, I couldn't stop the pained scream that left my lips.

He administered another lash.

I felt my skin split.

"No! Stop!"

I opened my eyes that had closed against the pain at the shouted protests filled with desperation. I struggled to turn my head in the direction of their origin. When I finally managed it, my eyes landed on Ezra's as he stared at mine with horrified wide eyes as he struggled against Axel.

"Nea!" He shouted as another scream burst from my lips.

I struggled against the cuffs locking me in place. It wasn't long before my wrists were slick with blood, but even with the added lubrication, I couldn't free myself from the rain of strikes that were setting my back on fire.

I bit down on my lip, tasting blood. Cassius had ruined my chance to mentally prepare for the pain. It was useless to try now.

The strikes kept coming. The force they were applied with remained even and consistent. I hadn't realized I was clenching my eyes shut until I cracked them open and caught sight of my blood thinly splatter against the white floor through tear blurred eyes. Leaning my head against the pole, I looked up and found that Cassius no longer stood in front of me. No, I could see him in my peripheral vision restricting Ezra.

So that's why the shouting had stopped.

I dropped my head down, the effort of holding it up, even with it leaning against the pole was too much for my weakening body. The new angle gave me a clear view of red darkening the pink tones beneath the black tulle. It was slowly spreading.

My vision crossed and burred. I shook my head, no longer having the energy to voice my pain through my raw vocals. A numbness started to spread as my mind finally began to block out reality.

The sky was a muted grey, covered in clouds. Snowflakes drifted down from above. I watched, searching for the biggest one that stood out against the vibrant green evergreen trees surrounding me. Spotting it, I opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out, waiting for dor it to land on it and melt.

But sadly I didn't get to.

The tranquil moment was ruined when a softball of cold powder hit my temple.

Cursing in anger, I turned my heated eyes towards the laughing body of my brother. "You asshole!" I yelled before crouching down and grabbing a snowball of my own.

His laughter stopped and his eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

He slipped and fell as he dodged the snowball I hurtled his way. He grabbed snow on his way up and threw it at me as he ran. It broke apart in the air and wasn't even close to hitting me as I packed more of the powdered snow into a ball. I gave chase after him, following him further into the trees behind our house. He darted off to the side and I went to follow but ended up colliding with a hard body.

A croaked cry left my lips as pain burned my back. My brows furrowed. Why was I in pain?

I opened my eyes at the sound of a low growl. My cheek was pressed against a firm, warm surface. All I could focus on were the black buttons of the shirt I was pressed against.

The arms holding me tightened, making me cry out. They tensed at the sound before turning gentler.

I looked up through blurred eyes into Jaxon's hard face. It was twisted and lined with anger. His eyes had darkened to near black. A flash of light made my eyes travel higher. Golden flames danced through his blond locks.

"Jaxon."

The commanding, yet strained, voice came from Cassius. I looked over Jaxon's shoulder to find him standing there. He placed a firm hand on his shoulder, his fingers digging into his skin.

The pain must have been enough to clear his head. He shook his head and blinked. The darkness seeped from his eyes as they returned to their lightened honey colour.

He looked around confused for a moment before his eyes locked on me and widened. He was quick to release me.

Unfortunately for me, my legs weren't strong enough to hold myself up. They buckled beneath me, sending me crashing to the floor.

A croak left my lips as I lay on the soft layers of my dress that were growing damp and heavy with blood. The airbrushing against my wounded back itched.

Jaxon looked down at me with a foreign look on his face filled with uncertainty. He raised a hand slightly before clenching his fist and dropping it to his side. He took a step back when Cassius squeezed his shoulder again.

I slowly placed a hand on the cold ground and tried to lift myself up. I barely made it off the ground, fighting through the pain that tore across my mangles back, before hands harshly gripped my biceps and dragged me up. I limply hung in the hold of the women from earlier. My feet dragged as they approached the Queen. When we were at the base of the raised platform, I was forced to my knees before her again.

"Despite your former husband's actions, the lashes were still fulfilled. That being said, he will face his own punishment for interfering," she said as though I could focus on her words past the pain I felt. "You will now be taken to the deadlands."

She looked at the women holding me and gave them a nod. They both bowed their head with their hands over their hearts.

The women lifted their bowed heads and started dragging my limp body towards the staircase without a word.

I was so tired. Everything hurt. I didn't even have the energy left to lift my head to look into the green eyes that I fell in love with one last time.

The crowd parted to make way as I was dragged away. No one tried to interfere.

When we reached the top of the stairs, I managed a final glance over my shoulder as I was dragged out of the door. I had hoped to catch sight of Ezra, but my eyes locked with the one responsible for my state and situation, Zev. His features we tight. His muscles tense, and lips flattened into a hard line. His typically stone-cold eyes were narrowed and racing with emotions, but before I could make out which ones, the door closed shut.

My body continued to sag and grow heavy as the pain in my back became numbing from the movement. It wasn't long before I wasn't able to stop the blur in my vision from expanding and turning into darkness as unconsciousness brought temporary relief.

* * *

Bumpy inconsistent vibrations greeted me as I awoke. A sharp bump cracked my head against the hard floor I lay on, adding to the pain that already consumed me. The faint hum of mechanics powered by magic told me we were in a moving vehicle before I could open my eyes to the empty back of a van. I could hear the muddled, faint sound of music playing from the front as I lay in a puddle of wetness. Blood.

The woman in the passenger seat turned down the volume. "Do you think this is far enough?"

Her voice sounded hazy and distant in my ears. I blinked my eyes hard against the lure of unconsciousness. It kept pulling at me, tunnelling my vision of the grey, metal wall with black edges.

"Yeah, it should be fine," the driver replied as she brought the van to a stop. The sharp jerk sent fires of pain racing down my spine. Darkness spotted my vision. "I don't want to risk going too far. I heard there were recent sightings of Dark Fae by the border guards."

Through my barely conscious senses, I heard a door slam shut, it was followed by another.

It wasn't long before the back door of the van was being opened.

I cried out when a hand grabbed my ankle and dragged me across the rough, metal floor, but I made no sound when my body dropped onto the cold, hard ground. I couldn't. The pain had stolen my breath, making it impossible to breathe.

The pain was blinding. My eyes crossed, unable to focus as darkness descended once more.

* * *

Something cold and slimy nudged against my cheek.

My eyes struggled to crack open. They were too heavy. Each time I managed to open them slightly, they fell closed.

The nudge came again, harder.

I waited for the pain from the movement to hit, when I realized I felt nothing.

Not only did I not feel pain, but I also couldn't feel my limbs.

My eye cracked open.

Black.

All I could see was black.

For a moment I wondered I I had lost my sight, but then the black mass moved. My heavy eyes caught flashes of fur, large eyes, sharp teeth, and snow.

The large creature barked at me as my mind started slipping back into darkness. Not to escape pain this time, but to seek the warmth it promised. The sound sounded muffled and distant despite the creature being so close.

It nudged me again as I slipped away.

* * *

The next time I came to, it was to agony. I was lying on a hard surface on my stomach with my cheek pressed flat against the rough surface. I could feel sweat bead and drip down my forehead as I tried to keep my breaths shallow to reduce my movement.

Exhaustion still weighed down on my eyes, but the pain radiating from my back kept it from bringing me the relief I craved.

Slowly, my eyes cracked open to the slight of yellows, oranges, and whites.

Flames.

I could hear the sounds of crackles and pops under the whistling sounds of wind. The flames danced in my eyes and cast flickering shadows in the surrounding darkness.

I licked my chapped lips with a dry tongue.

"Thirsty?"

My eyes widened at the sound of a deep rumbling voice of a man. Unable to move, I began to wildly search for the source of the voice with my eyes in the dark space.

When they finally found him, on the other side of the flames, they froze and widened. My heart stalled as my eyes collided with familiar lavender ones.

My voice came out small and whispered; hoarse and terrified.

"Zev."

End of Book One