Page 87 of Jagged Souls

I wondered how he stopped the monsters from eating us through the bars, but I didn’t want to get close enough to find out in case there wasn’t a fail safe and he just relied on Zita not wanting to test it either.

As I drag myself back to the middle of the cage, I can’t help but understand why she betrayed us. She was trapped in here for months. I have only been in here for a couple of hours, and I already want to kill him.

I can’t move more than a foot without being attacked.

I can’t see anything at all, the darkness making me mad.

I can only hear the scrape of claws and the gnashing of teeth across the bars, setting my ears on edge. I’m flinching at every noise, always wondering if this time they’ll be able to get through the spell. If I’m a second away from being dragged out of here and eaten alive.

Struggling to my feet, I look towards the direction where I saw the light. Nothing but darkness greets me now.

My pulse hammers inside my skull, I turn my head left and right, looking.

Searching.

Waiting...

Why didn’t the idiot bring a fucking flashlight?

“Varius!” I scream as I catch a flicker of light.

My pulse beats so fuckinghardas I wait for a response. Any response as I stare into the darkness.

There’s no light anymore.

The minutes tick by.

Come on.

Please.

I didn’t imagine it.

Fuck. Did I imagine it?

Fuck!

I imagined it.

I scream, letting out all my helpless pain. A high-pitched wail I’m too exhausted to be ashamed of.

A monster roars not far from the cage, and I jump out of my fucking skin. I am on edge, my heart racing like mad. I want so godsdamn badly to be hopeful. But at the same time I’m terrified of it.

I was so fucking hopeful when Khalid talked to me and again when Maddox arrived.

I can’t take another disappointment.

Can’t take –

There!

I take a step towards the light before I force myself to stop. I shuffle back. “Varius!” I wait a beat. “Varius, I swear to the fucking gods if you don’t get your ass over here, I’m going to drown you in your own piss after I beat it out of you!”

My arm is throbbing in pain. The bone is still sticking out of my skin from when Eduardo broke it, and the fall just made it worse. I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m in so much agony, I would’ve been sick a dozen times over if I had anything in my stomach. Antonio didn’t give me any food or water.

“Don’t give up hope, Micha,”I hear in my head as I close my eyes. Maddox’s voice keeps me standing when all I want to do is sag to the ground and cry.“We’ll always come for you.”

I swallow hard, shoving the rising sobs back down my throat.