Royal On The Run (unedited)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Natalie

With my hands bound behind my back, tears falling down my face of their own accord, I watched as Anthony and now bloody and bruised Aspen, rip Brooklyn from the cell and strap her to a hospital gurney. They bound her with thick leather straps that had to be cutting into her skin, cutting off any circulation she had. Once they had her bound and gagged on the gurney a doctor came down the steps.

She was an older woman, obviously scared out of her wits. Her steps were wobbly as she walked across the cobblestoned floor. Her eyes twitched and she held herself with a steely sort of state, like she didn't want to be doing this. She probably didn't. Though at this point, Anthony wasn't caring if someone wanted this or not, if it meant him getting control of the kingdom, it was going to happen one way or another.

I couldn't help the snarl that left my lips. "What'd you threaten her with, Anthony? Poor woman looks like she's about to have a heart attack if you look at her the wrong way."

Anthony barely glanced my way, not bothering to answer. Aspen tried but with a hand with a vice-like grip around his arm, he turned with a snarl of his own.

Bastard.

The woman sent me a glance over her shoulder as she went to Anthony's side. Anthony hissed something at her and she steeled herself to look away at me, making Brooklyn her priority.

She was gentle as she prodded Brooklyn's arms. Her hands came to her head, with a mother's instinct, she wiped the tears from her face before reaching over for a needle. With one hand remaining on Brooklyn's face, the doctor injected the needle into the opposite side. Brooklyn jerked at the intrusion, only held back by the leather strapping her to the bed.

"What are you doing to her?" I was on my knees against the bars, Blake at my back. That had been an entirely different type of devastation when he came around. He wouldn't listen to my pleas for answers, he ignored me as if I didn't exist. The shock of it was probably why he was able to tie my hands behind my back without my trying to fight back and knock him onto his ass for his betrayal. This was definitely not the same Blake that had smiled when bringing Amara back to the palace, the one who grinned and laughed, having the time of his life as he watched the dead media at his feet. Something had to of happened in the past few days, was it me? Did I factor into this in any way? Was he pulling an Amara and working for both sides?

There just wasn't a good thought for this entire situation. I was tired of the betrayal, and having him at my back, my bound hands attached to him through a tether was something I never envisioned happening. Not in this context.

"Anthony!" I screamed, pulling against the rope. Blake didn't even have to move at my tug, he was like lead on the ground. "Don't hurt her!"

Anthony finally turned to me. "I want answers, Natalie. Sometimes you have to torture to get the ones you need, no matter how much it pains the poor victim." He patted Brooklyn's cheeks. Brooklyn didn't bat an eyelash. "See, she can't feel anything." He turned to the doctor. "Proceed."

The doctor nodded and turned to a table with various tools displayed. She took no time in selecting one, a drill from the looks of it.

"You're numbing her to take a tooth out?"

Anthony put a hand to his heart in mock hurt. "I'm not a monster. I am a sympathetic man when I wish to be."