(Ereshgal POV)
Kisaya traced slow circles across my chest with one finger while I held her against me.
"We should tell Lureh to go for walks more often."
Kisaya laughed softly. "We should."
Her finger continued along the same path.
"If you keep doing that, you are going to wear a groove into my chest."
Kisaya pinched my side.
"Ow!" I flinched. "Do not pinch me."
"It was your fault." She narrowed her eyes at me before pressing herself closer and tucking her face against my neck.
I shook my head.
"We should get up" she murmured, though she made no effort to leave my arms. "Lureh will probably be back soon."
"Or" I said, tightening my hold around her, "we could stay exactly where we are."
Kisaya lifted her head to look at me. "And let Lureh find us like this?"
"That sounds like a problem for her."
She laughed, and I leaned in to kiss her before she could answer. Her lips lingered against mine, and the hand resting on my chest curled lightly against my skin.
When we finally pulled apart, Kisaya rested her forehead against mine.
"We really do have to get up" she whispered.
I let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Fine. But I am not happy about it."
"I can tell" she said with a soft, teasing laugh.
She gave me one last kiss, shorter this time, then held on to me for another moment before sitting up. I did the same, and together we gathered our clothes and began getting dressed.
By the time we left the room, it was already noon.
Lureh eventually returned carrying far more things than I had expected. She immediately began showing them to us one by one, talking without pause as she explained where she had found each one and how much it had cost.
She stopped for a moment, as if she had almost forgotten to mention something, but then turned back to Kisaya with another of her finds. The two of them quickly became absorbed in discussing it, giving me the perfect chance to slip away.
The day passed quietly. Just as I had the night before, I waited until everyone was asleep and trained until dawn.
I was nearly ready, but practicing alone could only take me so far. At some point, I would need to test it against an actual opponent. I could ask Kisaya to help me.
I lowered the swords and watched the sky brighten above the rooftops.
Only four days remained. We needed to bring more people to our side, and soon. There was no more time to waste. Yet we could not make a move until we knew who to trust.
Almost as if my thoughts had summoned him, Ashren arrived at the workshop a short while later. He entered the courtyard without hesitation, moving as though he already knew the place.
When he saw me, he approached and dropped to one knee.
"Prince, the interrogation is over. You can come to the temple now."
I smiled.
"Excellent."
After putting the swords away, I found Kisaya and told her I was leaving. A few minutes later, Ashren and I left for the temple.
As we walked, my thoughts returned to Namur. Should I really drink his blood? There was no telling what his memories might contain, or what they might do to me. Even so, the information inside his mind could be too valuable to ignore.
When we reached the temple, Hadan was waiting for us.
One look at his face told me enough.
"How did it go, old man?"
Hadan sighed. "We could not get anything out of him, even after an entire day of torture."
That was unfortunate. I had hoped they would manage to learn something. It seemed I had no choice but to drink Namur's blood.
"But he really does seem like a different person." Hadan continued. "He does not show any emotion at all. I am not even certain he feels pain."
"Let me try," I said. "My second rune might be able to help."
Hadan raised an eyebrow. "If your rune could do that, why didn't you mention it earlier?"
"Because I am not certain it will work, and using it would kill him. It seemed better to try getting the information another way first," I lied.
Hadan nodded, accepting the explanation.
Of course, my real concern was being discovered. If I had used my supposed rune immediately after we captured Namur, it would have been difficult to explain why his body had suddenly been drained of blood.
We descended to the chamber where Namur was being held. The moment I entered, I nearly lost control. There was blood everywhere.
Thankfully, I never actually inhaled when I pretended to breathe. I knew that if I did, I wasn't sure I would be able to resist.
I closed my eyes. My hands were trembling, and I could feel my fangs beginning to extend. After a few moments, I opened my eyes again. When Hadan saw my expression, understanding flickered across his face.
"This must be your first time seeing the aftermath of torture." he said. "Do not pity him. He deserves it."
I almost laughed. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Hadan nodded. "Do you need help with anything?"
I shook my head. "No. Leave me alone with him."
"You'll have complete privacy." With that, he turned and climbed back up the stairs.
I approached Namur slowly.
He remained seated in the same chair, though they had secured him far more tightly than before. His skin had gone pale, his face was swollen, and several of his teeth and fingernails were missing. Cuts covered almost every part of his body, and judging by the blood coating his skin and pooling on the floor, he had already lost a great deal of it.
The tools they had used to torture him lay beside the chair.
If this had been the temple of another god, desecrating it like this might have drawn their anger. The goddess of the underworld, however, had little reason to object. Death came for everyone in the end.
Yet only one thought occupied my mind.
What a waste. All that blood, spilled and left to dry.
"Still alive?" I asked, though I could hear the faint beat of his heart.
His blue eyes shifted toward me, but his expression did not change.
"They told me you did not say a single word during the torture."
I stopped beside him. He continued watching me in silence as I picked up one of the knives they had used. Its blade was coated in fresh blood.
Without thinking, I ran my tongue along the edge.
My entire body shuddered.
What was I doing? Had I really just licked blood from a torture knife?
"Interesting"
My gaze returned to Namur.
"Are you truly Ereshgal?" he asked.
"Of course."
I moved closer. All that blood was beginning to cloud my thoughts, but I forced myself to remain in control.
"I wonder whether it's true that you don't react to pain."
I took one of his swollen, bruised fingers and bent it backward until it pressed against the back of his hand.
Not even a flicker crossed his face. I reached for another finger.
"You know..." I said as I bent that one too. "Your expression doesn't change, but your pupils widen. Your heartbeat stutters."
I leaned closer.
"What do you think that means?"
"No matter what you do to me, I will not tell you anything" he said.
I nodded.
"You don't need to tell me anything. You only need to sit there while I..."
My smile widened.
"...enjoy this. Very, very much."
Namur did not answer.
His eyes fixed on me as though none of my words had reached him. But I knew he felt the pain.
My gaze dropped to the knife in my hand. Using it would be a mistake. His body was already covered in cuts, and if I opened any more wounds, he might lose what little blood he had left before I could make use of it.
Instead, I set the knife down and rested one hand on his shoulder.
"You know something?"
I caught his collarbone between two fingers, choosing a bruised spot where the skin had not yet been broken. Then I squeezed until the bone gave way.
Namur's entire body tensed. His face remained still, but the muscles in his neck stood out, and his breathing stopped for a brief moment.
"Broken bones hurt more than cuts."
I moved on to another bone, then another. Still, I had to give him credit. He remained conscious.
I studied him for a moment.
"This is nothing compared to what you did to me."
The strain reopened some of his wounds, and fresh blood welled from the cuts. A thin red line ran down from his shoulder and across his chest.
My eyes followed it.
I swallowed as the thirst burned in my throat.
To hell with it. We needed the information.
My fangs extended the instant I gave in. I leaned toward the wound on his shoulder and breathed in.
The scent flooded my senses.
It was so good.
So rich.
Every other thought disappeared.
I sank my fangs into him.
"What are..."
Namur jerked against the restraints, then went rigid.
By the time his words died in his throat, I was already drinking. The remaining blood rushed into my mouth, and I swallowed without pause until there was almost nothing left.
Then the strange sensation returned, as though something else were flowing into me with his blood.
I pulled away. Namur's body sagged against the restraints, and the faint heartbeat I had heard before was gone.
I waited.
A few moments later, my vision began to fade.