He sighs and walks toward her. “I can get you a pen and paper. I imagine writing the letter down would be easier than simply reciting it.”

“If you think I’m telling you anything you want to know, you’re an idiot.” The words escape without consideration of the consequences.

“One more chance,” Eric says, squatting in front of her. “I don’t usually give second chances, much less as many as I’ve given you.”

There’s a fire behind the façade of kindness. She recognizes it like she recognizes her own.

“You don’t deserve my father’s words,” she says.

Eric straightens, his back going rigid and hands curling into fists. “You are so like him. The bastard thought he owned the world, that he could get away with anything.” He pauses and takes a deep breath.

“Technically,” Lynell says, folding her arms and glaring at her uncle, “you’re the bastard.”

It was clearly the wrong thing to say. Eric’s face falls and his lips tremble in anger. He takes a step closer and she barely has time to blink before his hand is flying through the air. Lynell falls from the force of the slap. She catches herself with her right hand and lands on her shoulder, sending a spark of pain down her arm.

“Your father was a coward and a cheat. He didn’t deserve the Elysian name. And neither do you,” Eric says, standing over her.

Lynell’s body pulses with anger. A desperate need to defend the father she never knew, the father who never knew her but still loved her, fills her veins. She pushes herself to her feet so she can look Eric in the eyes.

And then she spits in his face.

His eyes widen, and he curses. She sees movement on both of her sides from guards stepping closer to her.

Then everything goes dark.

DAY 7

Pain pulses through her.

She opens her eyes and sees nothing.

Everything is still dark.

She panics and moves to sit up.

Her arms yank against restraints around her shoulders and wrists. Her injured shoulder shoots agony through her body, threatening to knock her out again.

She takes a few controlled breaths, eyes prickling with tears.

She moves her legs and finds them held down by restraints too. Her back aches against steel rods, and she guesses she’s tied to the bed frame.

It’s cold. Goosebumps flourish over her body. She moves and metal rubs directly against her skin.

She’s naked.

Panic takes over every cell. She starts writhing. The pain overwhelms her. Every inch of her body feels raw. She feels dizzy, disconnected from herself.

She screams.

“You asked for this, Lynell,” a voice says. She thinks it’s coming over a speaker. It fills her up from the inside.

“You can make it all go away. Just give me the letter,” Eric says. His voice is low and fighting anger.

Lynell blinks. She cries. She screams and lashes against the restraints. Blood trickles down her face, her arms, and her legs under the restraints. Then she sees a man walk into the room, grinning.