A Court of Snow and Storms

23. Frozen Minds

He was alone. Utterly, irrevocably alone. Guards stood outside his home, not a single one daring to venture inside. Cyrus and Colette were banned from returning to the house. He'd ordered the guards to turn Ellie away, should she try to visit. He'd ordered the same for his parents, but they hadn't tried to see him.

Not once.

And while he told himself it was because Viviane was upset and Kallias was angry, both with good cause, another part of him whispered that it was because they no longer cared for him. They no longer needed him. No one needed him. No one wanted him. The Court would have a new Heir. His parents would have a new child. And he would shut himself away as he had in the very beginning, but this time, he would not try to stay alive.

His hand slid to his neck, brushing against the four jagged scars there. It would have been better if he'd died when Melantha's nails split his throat. It would have been better if he'd been held as her slave for the rest of his life. At least then he could feel pain, anger, and sorrow without guilt on top of it all. Guilt was eating him alive. Guilt was a wolf whose claws ripped his mind to shreds and gorged itself on his thoughts.

He shouldn't have yelled at his parents. He should've spoken to them when he was calmer. He shouldn't have said the things he did. He shouldn't have pushed them away. He shouldn't have cast Cyrus and Colette aside, after all they'd done for him. He shouldn't keep Ellie away.

But what else could he do? He couldn't face them. Any of them. He couldn't let them see how far he'd sunk in the span of a few days. Or had it been months? He didn't know. He didn't know anything anymore. Not even his name. He was numb everywhere except his mind and heart, and those were the two things he wished he could freeze. He closed his eyes and gave up, letting his thoughts draw him places he wished he could forget.

❅•~❅~•❅

Chains rattled as the Witch tugged on them, pulling the collar taut at his throat. Warmth gushed from gaping wounds on his arms. The Witch grinned as she let his blood fill a goblet. She took a sip and her tongue passed over pointed teeth.

"It seems I chose my pet well," she crooned, gracefully slipping to her knees. She waved a hand over his wounds and they were instantly healed. "One who can satisfy my needs in every way." The Witch took another mouthful. "But can I satisfy yours?"

He didn't dare speak. Didn't dare breathe a word of protest. He would not be the one who suffered for it. She emptied her glass and set it aside. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth. He didn't move as she smoothed white hair from his face and drew his lips to hers.

He blinked back stinging tears, refusing to let her see what she'd reduced him to. She smiled, pushing him back onto the bed. He didn't protest. Didn't fight. His every instinct screamed at him to move. To find a weapon and drive it through her heart. He didn't.

His breath came in shallow gasps. It was all he could do to keep her from noticing. Her taloned fingers deftly undid the lacing on his pants. He stared at the ceiling, willing himself to leave his body far behind. Become nothing but a hollow shell. Something that did not respond. Something that did not move, or breath, or live.

He swallowed the sounds that rose in his throat. He fought the instinctive movements her tongue elicited from him. He rebelled with every part of his being, but it wasn't enough. He wasn't strong enough. All he could do was let silent tears roll down his cheeks as she gave him what he did not want.

❅•~❅~•❅

Elodie sat on a bench, staring listlessly into the street while her cousins played nearby. She was certain Mina and Micah would report to Ebner about her behavior. She'd receive yet another punishment for doing something that could make people question the state of her wellbeing. Elodie didn't care though. She couldn't find the strength to make herself care.