A/N A short glimpse into Sunny's mindset after being caught by the River King. Hope you enjoy.
Not beta'd so forgive any mistakes.
Sunny's eyes adjusted to the dark first when they finally opened, and then the light when a door was swung wide from above. His breathing was labored. His chest hurt, and the taste of his own blood was still thick on his tongue. He was shackled - no longer in Quinn's prison cell, but to a metal post and he couldn't move.
He didn't have the strength to, anyway.
The sound of descending footsteps drew his eyes upwards, and soon he was looking into the face of the River King. The man who was his ticket out of the Badlands had a different expression on his face than when they'd met earlier. There had been a hint of skepticism when Sunny had given him Bale's head and told him that it belonged to M.K. If he'd sensed that Sunny was lying to him then, he hadn't shown it. Not until this very moment.
"Nobody double crosses me. Not even you."
Bale's lifeless eyes stared back at Sunny. His head had been flung from the River King's grasp to the floor in front of him.
"I'm not a fighter; I'm a trader, and someone with your skills can fetch a good price from the right buyer. You wanted out of the Badlands. You got your wish."
Each of the River King's retreating footsteps took him further and further away from the plans he'd made. Every movement of this ship was taking him further and further away from Veil and their baby. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know what the future held for him at this moment. All he knew was that an ache was building in his chest that had nothing to do with the injuries he'd sustained earlier that night.
For the first time in his life since he'd been a boy with no memory of his past, he felt hopeless. For the first time Veil wouldn't be there to drive away the darkness that threatened to overshadow his soul. There'd be none of her softness or light to make him feel as if he was more than what Quinn and everyone else in the Badlands thought he was. She was all that he had. She, and their child were his family, and the mere thought that he might not see her again suddenly hit him like a solid blow to his chest.
The scream that pierced the silence in the dark room he was in, ricocheted off the walls and came from the depths of his soul. Hot tears made their way down his face to mingle with the sweat and blood that already covered it.
He had to find a way back to her. No matter what he had to do. He had to find Veil again.