Meanwhile…
In the bowels of the icy dungeon, the air was thick with rot and damp stone. The only light flickered from a torch mounted on the moldy wall.
Lila lay slumped in the far corner, little more than a heap of bloodied rags. Her once-proud face was swollen and pale, her skin torn from earlier whippings. The stench of her wounds filled the cell.
Footsteps echoed.
She stirred weakly, forcing her eyelids open. Through the blur of blood and pain, she saw three figures enter—Damian, Lucian, and Liam.
Damian stepped forward slowly, his boots clicking sharply against the stone floor.
Lila whimpered.
“Save your breath,” Damian said coldly. “You’ll need it for the next few days.”
She blinked at him, lips trembling. “Please…”
But he ignored her.
Turning to Liam, Damian’s tone became
