Page 17 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood (Of Fae and Wolf Trilogy #2)

Chapter Seven

Briar

I scuffled back as the light intensified, carving out a perfect circle in the middle of my prison. I attempted to get away from this new threat, but my body wasn’t cooperating, and my raw hands struggled to find traction.

Still, I managed to move back several feet as the edges solidified, creating what could only be another damn portal. Where the fuck were they taking me now? I should’ve known they wouldn’t leave me alone to heal.

My wolf eased forward, her hackles raised, but then a familiar scent hit my nose—lilac, rose, lavender, and wet earth.

Could it be my many-greats-grandfather?

My chest expanded in hope, but I squashed it. He hadn’t wanted me to be taken by the fae. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but this wasn’t going to be a welcome-to-the-official-fae-family conversation.

The portal stopped expanding. I couldn’t see through to the other side. My heart pounded and then nearly stopped when Many-Greats-Grandfather said, “You shouldn't have fought me when I tried to save you from all this.”

Despite being bloody, smelly, beaten, and weak, his attitude annoyed me so much that I managed to roll my eyes. That was what he wanted to say to me? I told you so? Why bother at all? “Yeah, you sure told me. Are we done?”

“Do not take that tone with me,” he said. “You should have listened to me, but you did not. Now here you are.”

I folded my arms as a shudder cut through me. My whole body ached, and my lungs burned. He hadn’t stepped through the portal, and the flickering circle was still open but not low enough that I would be able to easily reach it. “Did you come here to gloat?”

“No, and we don't have much time. I told Ember and Ryker you were…safe, more or less. We’re working on a way to get you home. Ember wanted me to let you know that you aren’t alone, and you aren’t forgotten.”

My heart clenched, even as my annoyance with him forced me to swallow that he considered this safe. “Are they okay?”

“They’re fine. Worried for you, of course. We will find a way to get you home though. You just have to remain alive.”

I rolled my eyes again since I seemed to have just enough energy for that. “Oh, good to know. I was considering dying just for spite.”

He continued as if I hadn’t said anything. “Whatever you do, you must not wed the Shadow prince.”

I flinched as if he’d struck me. It wasn’t as if Vad wanted to marry me now. As far as he knew, I had murdered his dad. His storm-cold eyes bored into me even in memory, his gaze filled with rage and grief, the sound of his roar echoing in my mind as he demanded they bring me back.

“Not only that, but you must not tell anyone of your Aureline heritage. Both those things are imperative.”

“You didn’t tell me the Aurelines were so…” What was the right word? “Evil.” Pangs of fear and grief stabbed through me while betrayal curdled my soul. I tensed further, digging my fingernails into my bruised arms.

“Some are, yes, but not all, I assure you.” He sighed.

He seemed to have run out of words. “Why shouldn’t I marry the Shadow prince, and why can’t I tell anyone of my lineage?”

Something cracked on the other side of the portal, and the sound of footsteps scuffing on stone came through.

“People are coming. I can’t stay. Remember my words.

Do not, under any circumstances, marry the Shadow prince or tell anyone of your Aureline heritage.

I'll return when I can. Be brave, child.

You are stronger than you realize, and you will not fall to these monsters. Fate will bring us through."

Before I could respond, the portal snapped shut with a faint pop. The prison plunged back into cold darkness, leaving me alone with my pain and the stink of my own blood amid the filth and damp. I wanted to scream. No matter what, I never got any answers.

When I called on my wolf to strengthen my vision, bile inched up in my throat.

Layered with filth, algae, and mold, this disgusting pit was an unholy grave for all those who had been trapped here.

Above me, jagged stalactites cut down from the ceiling, droplets of silver water forming and dripping into pools.

Several of the stalactites appeared to have broken off, and I dropped my gaze to find that they had fallen onto the ground.

Bones of what I assumed must be captives who had been here before me jutted out from a pile of hay that was not simply moldy but stirring with life. Slick black beetles slid among the discolored flakes, and ridged white worms writhed in the thin layer of muck at the edges.

Shuddering, I drew my focus inward.

Fate sucked.

My skin crawled, and my chest ached so painfully I had to blink back the tears. At least, Ember and Ryker were safe and trying to figure out a way to save me.

My shoulders drooped with shame. They shouldn’t have to get involved with fae matters, and even if they did, they didn’t have the right magic to make rescue a possibility.

Hell, Many-Greats-Grandfather couldn’t even get me out through that portal, and something had stopped him from reaching out to me sooner. It must not be easy for him to communicate like that, and he lived in this realm.

I placed my forehead on my knees, which throbbed from where I’d scraped them during my near-drowning. I grimaced and straightened, replaying all that had happened. The real version, not Douchewaffle’s false vision that still wavered at the edges of my mind, trying to catch my attention.

No . I wouldn’t let these bastards win. My wolf snarled threateningly as I pushed the false memories out of my mind, leaving me with the horrific-enough truth.

She pushed forward, wanting to shift into wolf form.

At first, I resisted. With how bad my injuries were, it would be risky to shift.

After the way my feet and hands were ripped apart, the stretching of my skin and body could tear worse, making them horrible.

But at the same time, if they didn’t tear worse, the magic surge would heal me.

And I needed a chance to get out of here.

So I stopped holding her back. My wolf surged forward, desperate to use her senses to find a way out. My skin tingled as the fur tried to sprout, but then everything halted. My wolf pushed harder, but there was, like, a wall.

Something pressed hard against my skin, causing even the tingle to ebb. There had to be some sort of magic in here.

My wolf jerked back like something had harmed her. And the truth crashed hard on me.

I couldn’t shift, so there was no way to heal myself.

My bottom lip quivered, and I tried like hell not to break down, but it was so damn hard.

Drip.

I had lost everything , and I wasn’t even being dramatic.

Drip. Drip.

The slow, irregular dripping of the water grew louder with each drop. If I didn’t get myself under control, I might die from the noise alone.

A muted sound caught my attention, so faint I’d almost missed it. I urged my wolf again to help me hear.

After a few more minutes of dripping, the sound again filtered into the room—a faint whimper followed by a deep sob or scream.

The masculine-like noise resembled the cry of someone who’d screamed himself raw with despair. The hoarse voice held a vaguely familiar tone, as if I might have heard it before.

The sound grew louder, as if he were on the other side of the wall and drawing closer to me from some room beyond.

Too weak to stand, I crawled toward the sound, wincing as my bruised and bloodied knees scraped against the rough floor. The dripping continued and pelted my body, and my hands grew slick with blood.

My stomach knotted. With all this water, the structure of the cave could be compromised, which meant I had to be very careful.

I approached the part of the wall where the crying seemed loudest. The voice drew closer, along with a soft plopping sound, as if he were dragging himself. Then it stopped, and the cries grew more muffled, desperate, and aching.

I bit my lip and pressed my hands against the wall. My open wounds stung, but I needed the support to help locate the source of the sound. Maybe there was an opening in the wall or some way to more directly communicate.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused on the man’s breathing and whimpers instead of my own torment.

My wolf took charge, and I ran my fingers over the wall and felt.

..a divot. I paused, listening. This was where the sound was coming from.

I opened my eyes and found a vertical crack that ran from the top of the wall down to the floor.

It was fingertip-width, and when I peered through it, on the other side, I could make out a shivering dark form.

I moved to change my view and realized he was curled up with his head lowered and his fingers thrust into his shaggy, greasy chestnut hair. His ragged gray shirt was soaking wet and clung to his form, leaving his bruised and battered arms bare.

"Are you okay?" I whispered hoarsely. I flinched. What a dumbass question, Briar . I wanted to bang my head against the wall. But what else could I ask? None of us was all right, but saying hello or good evening would have felt contrived.

The crying stopped, and the man lowered his shoulders and lifted his head. “Who’s asking?”

Even though I could see only about an inch of him at any time, I made out tunneling needle marks on his flesh near his collarbone and the front of his chest.

He was one of the prisoners I’d seen in the hall. The one who had said he couldn’t keep doing this.

Inhaling shakily, I wanted to give him hope, but even the time I’d been here had started feeling like eternity, and I already had the sense that there would be no escaping. “Someone who heard your cries earlier and wishes like the void to get out of this place.”

He tipped his head back and looked at the crack sidelong, managing a hoarse croaking laugh. “I am sorry we find ourselves alike in this state. Are they feeding one of those traitors from your lifeblood as well?”