Captured To Become A Vampire Prince's Bride {Book 2}

Captured To Become A Vampire Prince's Bride {Book 2}: Chapter 18

"What is it?" I heard Leandra roar, causing the chattering at the table to halt.

I didn't hear the response over my sobbing, but I felt Leandra physically tense up, her grip growing tighter around me. Too late to protect me from what I already saw, what had already burned into my memory.

"It's Cornelia's head," the General's coarse voice said, just loud enough to hear.

Gemini.

She failed.

I could still feel her eyes looking into my soul, dead and lifeless. Not shaking with excitement like before, they lacked the same enthralled glow. They were a dull yellow, a dead yellow, like a wilted daffodil. My own hands, like her ginger hair in that box, had specs of her blood on them.

"Get this out of here," the General ordered lowly.

"Wait, there's something in her mouth."

There was a rustle and then complete silence.

"A note..."

My head shot up and my eyes locked on to the crumpled paper in Iyeong's hands. Her normally straight brows were crumpled together much like the note as she opened it.

"What a stunt you guys tried to pull on me, it would've worked if I didn't have my wits about me. Do you guys think my nose doesn't work? You all smell and that stuck to Cornelia much like her skin tried to as I removed it. She wouldn't give me information, but that's okay. I hope Arianne enjoys this present and I hope I can make it much like her 16th birthday present again. From Austin, King of Drecott."

He flayed her.

The General stared at me from beside Iyeong, "what does he mean by that?"

My memory flashed me back to my 16th birthday, I'd been dating Chase for a few months, and he decided that every hour from 9 am to 8 pm, he'd give me a new charm to fill my Pandora. I told them that, and again, everyone was silent as they tried to figure out how that related now. Even I couldn't figure out what he meant by that. My mind was a mess trying to figure everything out at that moment.

"He means- he means he'll send her back piece by piece. Like how he gave Arianne her charms piece by piece," Iyeong spat with pure disgust in her tone. "What a sadist."

A vile taste hit the back of my throat and I knew I was about to throw up any minute at the thought of seeing anymore mutilated parts of Gemini. The fact that he took pleasure in this filled me with anger and disgust. I knew he was a terrible man, but he hit a new low with this; he was evil. If this was how he treated Gemini, I couldn't bear to think what he'd do to Alexander, who he despised so much.

That was the second time I'd lost a friend and in such a gruesome way. I'd never been able to help them, to save them. It was like I was cursed.

"Hey," Leandra turned my head softly to look at her, and I saw nothing but sympathy in her eyes, "let's get your hands washed and get you away from this."

I nodded stiffly and got up with Leandra, she kept an arm over my shoulder and one on my arm, keeping me up. I could hardly feel my legs and I felt like all the air had been knocked out of me.

I felt a tug and turned, Iyeong was holding on to Leandra.

"You know that means she's up next, she's our final chance," said Iyeong, meaning me.

Now my legs were done as my vision completely blurred over. I felt like someone was hugging me too tight and I couldn't breathe in, only out.

"Hasn't she gone through enough?" I heard the King yell.