When Liam woke up, he was in a different room. No longer in his cage, he was now tied upside down, being whipped from behind.
The pain had been constant since then...
With tired eyes, he tried to understand why the whipping had stopped. He saw Rolo and a witch with green hair. She made a silver circle with her hands—a viewing spell he had seen Alexa attempt hundreds of times but never succeed.
Liam's stomach flipped when he saw Agatha in the spell. His baby. She looked as radiant as ever. He listened to her conversation with Mingway.
Mingway neared Agatha, and the look he gave her made Liam's skin crawl with anger. He stared at her bosom. That fucker! Liam would kill him.
Then Liam felt cold as he listened. He didn't know how many days he'd been away or what Mingway had said, but Agatha seemed angry.
He couldn't help but worry. He didn't want her to be mad at him. What if she didn't marry him? What if she left him again?
Liam overheard, "Thank you, Commander. You don't know how much I appreciate this. Good thing I didn't marry that jerk!"
Her words broke his heart into irreparable pieces. It shattered all hopes he had left. Up until now, she still didn't trust him, and he couldn't blame her. All her life, everyone her family trusted had turned against them. The very people they trusted had killed her parents.
Rolo and the witch had long gone, but Liam was still thinking about it. It pained him to hear and see that Agatha didn't want to marry him. It was much more painful than the physical torment he was experiencing.
He loved her, but she didn't feel the same. She had only accepted their bond accidentally, it seemed. If she had the choice, he knew she wouldn't accept him.
He thought, Is it because I'm a Dirty Blood? But she loves Aiden despite him being one. Is it because I'm a Blue Blood? Is it because I'm lazy? But I've changed. And I can prove it to her.
Liam was left alone for the longest time since his arrival. The lashing had stopped, but the pain hadn't. His body started to feel numb, and the sting swayed him toward slumber.
But before he was swallowed by the void, the entire place seemed to explode.
Everything shook until, slowly, stones began to fall accompanied by dust. Then the door exploded into tiny pieces.
Smoke, fire, and flying debris were everywhere, obstructing his view of what was happening.
The thick smoke around him made him cough, but before he could breathe properly, he was released.
The ropes vanished, and his head hit the floor painfully.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I forgot you were hanging."
The speaker, whom he couldn't clearly recognize, came to him and helped him stand.
Then it filled his senses. The soft voice, the flowery smell, her warm touch, and her beauty, so damn gorgeous.
He couldn't take his eyes off her. He couldn't believe Agatha was here.
"Aggie…" he breathed.
"You're bleeding," said Agatha. Her hands trembled against his skin. He could hear her breathing hitch, panicking while healing him.
He didn't care about his wounds or the pain. All that mattered was Aggie. The fact that she was here for him.
He grabbed her by the neck and kissed her before she could protest. He poured everything he was feeling into that kiss. He sucked her lower lip and then licked it eagerly.
"Liam…" she groaned.
Agatha's moan made him hot all over. As he deepened the kiss, he gripped her arms and arched her back.
"Wait!" She gently pushed him away. "We should stop." She blurted out between breaths. "We need to escape from this horrible place first."
Still dazed, Liam nodded eventually. "Yeah," he said. "You're always right."
While Agatha continued to treat Liam's injuries, a body flew across the room, almost hitting them, save for a few inches. Then Hiyasmin entered, holding a long sword.
"What the heck are you doing here?" he managed to ask, his voice still weak.
Feeling a little better physically and emotionally now that Agatha was there, he was able to darken his gaze at his sister.
"Why are you here?" he asked once more.
Hiyasmin grinned. "Well, I'm here to save your shitty ass."
Two men tried to slice her, but she easily avoided them. She twisted a few times, then swung her sword, and blood soon painted the floor and walls.
"It's too dangerous here, Hiyasmin."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Hiyasmin lost in his eyes so he got anxious quick. Shit, Ludwig would kill him if she ever got hurt. He would kill himself if she got hurt.
Once all of Liam's injuries had been treated, he immediately stood up. Since Agatha was losing her strength from healing him, he snaked his arms around her waist and helped her up.
"We need to get you out of here," ordered Liam. "Hide somewhere safer."
Flames surrounded every corner, but he easily made the fire cower away. One by one, unconscious bodies fell from above, and Agatha and Liam looked at Alexa, who was riding her broomstick. She was using her magic, beating everyone near her effortlessly.
Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted, shattering the ground. Agatha was suddenly snatched from his hold by a mysterious force he couldn't see.
He saw her body fly away, landing in the far corner of this forsaken dim place.
Liam ran after Agatha but stopped when a sword buried deep into his arm. It had been aiming for his head, but he managed to avoid it enough to stay alive.
"What a fucking coward. Needed saving from your lady, eh?" It was Rolo, displaying his other sword.
Liam smirked. "Let's get it on, then."