Chapter 481: Captured
"Elise?" I choked out, my voice trembling. "What’s happening? Why did you—"
"Looks like she was right," Elise said, ignoring my questions. She raised her hand, revealing another ring next to the first. It was an ornate band of gold topped by a diamond—nearly identical to the bracelet I now wore. The control half of a Soul Binder, the same kind the inquisitor had tricked me into wearing.
"No! Please, no!" I recoiled, my voice thick with horror. "W-why? And where is she? What did you do with Elise?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing, of course. If anything, she’s enjoying her life more than ever right now, though she seemed a little irritated when I interrupted her and Alverin’s nightly fun."
"You’re lying," I whispered, blinking back the tears.
"Maybe, maybe not," she said with a wink. "That’s the best part about secrets, isn’t it?"
The bracelet weighed on my wrist with the weight of a mountain. I could feel its thick, malign power oozing over my soul, attempting to corrupt me. It took some effort to force the panic down, but my eyes grew wet, and my entire body started to quiver.
"No, she wouldn’t do that," I half-sobbed, my voice a fierce whisper, my hands clenched into fists. "She wouldn’t betray me."
Elise raised an eyebrow, a cruel smirk twisting her lips. "Wouldn’t she? She literally tripped over her own words to tell me everything about you. Like how you’re super distrustful of everyone except for her. About how she saved you, and that made you trust her more than your own companions." She paused, her smirk widening. "And this all while she’s spreading her legs for that idiot king too."
"Why are you telling me this?" I said, voice broken.
She sidled closer and cupped my cheek, ignoring my attempts to shy away. Her hand was gentle, intimate even, like a lover’s touch. I found myself drawn to her eyes, Elise’s eyes, and my tail went limp at the derision I saw there.