Page 93 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

I ncessant screams woke me up. All around me was darkness, and I struggled to figure out my surroundings. Where in the Hells was I?

“Declan?”

Another scream rang out.

“Please, love. Answer me. Tell me you’re okay.”

Nothing but screams answered back.

Every muscle in my body cried out in pain as I tried to move. My arms were free of their shackles. However, sharp thorns tore my flesh, making me realize that they’d been replaced by something else entirely.

A faint glow of light came from above me, and it allowed me to see that I was trapped underneath layers of thorny vines. Black vines twisted around my wrists and ankles, contorted themselves around in my body, securing me in their tomb.

Panic flooded my body. I hated the darkness, and now I was trapped inside of it. Closing my eyes shut, I whispered my mantra to myself.

Meanwhile, I tried to reach for my dynamis, but hollowness was all that I felt. Panic began to take hold of me as I grasped for something that was no longer there.

Screams filled the air again. Each was full of agony and pain. The sound gnawed against my skin, and it almost felt as if the woman’s screams were my own. Tears began to well in my eyes for her. I was ashamed that there was nothing I could do to save her from whatever torture she was enduring.

The screams continued for what seemed like hours until something within them changed drastically. As she screamed, her voice became more shrill and high-pitched, almost like a whimper from some sort of…animal.

Silence filled the cold cave that I was being held in, and I strained my neck as high as I could, hoping to catch any hint of a sound that she was still alive.

A howl bellowed from above, sending shivers rippling down my body. I knew that howl, the sound of the beasts that had wreaked havoc on our kingdom. Hot, frustrated tears ran down my cheeks. How could we have missed that Alastor had something to do with these beasts?

Thoughts froze in my mind as a growl emanated from the space above me. Two dark eyes stared back at me as the beast bared its teeth. It tipped its head towards the rocky ceiling as another howl rang from its body.

That was when I saw something that would haunt my memories forever. Below the beast were its thick, matted legs and paws. All except for one leg. A leg that looked very much like an arm…with fingers. Dear, gods.

Terror struck me like a knife. He was turning them into these beasts. Someone’s mother, brother, sister, child …they could be one of these foul beasts. The thought made my stomach sour. I only turned my head in just enough time to retch its entire contents.

What kind of depraved Hell have I found myself in?

E very part of my body felt aflame from the rampant torture Alastor had put me through over what I could only assume had been several days. I’d been in and out of consciousness so many times that I’d lost track of time entirely.

When we first began, I hadn’t been shocked to see Alastor’s face hover before me. There was no surprise when he unleashed his lightning dynamis on me and had his creatures claw their way through my skin. What shocked me was when Will entered the cave and worked alongside Alastor.

Fury screamed inside of me as Alastor ordered him time and time again to seal my wounds with flames. Alastor didn’t want me to heal completely, just enough to keep me alive to withstand the next session of torture. The memory of his words sent a tremor of fear throughout my exhausted body.

“ You will break for me, Elena, and I won’t stop until I find the key to your undoing.

When that time comes, you’ll hand over your dynamis to me willingly.

Until then, you’ll feel pain in every part of your body all the way down to your soul.

I’m going to make you suffer for all you’ve taken from me, time and time again. ”

Those last words still whirled around in my mind. From day one, it had been obvious that Alastor had a strong dislike for me. However, I was perplexed as to why he assumed I’d taken something from him. Whatever atrocities he thought I’d done had certainly fueled his fury.

Even thoughts felt too heavy as my exhausted body slumped against the cold, wet stone I was chained to. Alastor had stepped away, giving me a brief moment of reprieve.

“Love?” I reached out between our faint bond one more time.

I’ve tried to find our connection in every moment that I could, but I felt nothing at all.

I couldn’t feel my dynamis, but I could somehow still feel a faint tug of the bond.

It gave me hope that even if I couldn’t talk to him, Declan might still be alive.

“ If I survive this…please know that this wasn’t your fault, and I will always love you, in this life and the next.

” Tears slid down my face when I was met with silence once more.

Begrudgingly, I awaited the searing pain of Will’s fire that would no doubt begin soon enough. I had been here for so long that I could barely feel the frigid sea water as it rose and fell against my shins. A heavy sigh passed through my lips when a whisper brushed against my ear. “Elena …”

The unexpected feeling made my body jolt upward until I was face to face with Will. My lips drew into a thin line as I glowered at him.

“Don’t look at me like that.” A flicker of hurt flashed through his blue eyes before it fizzled out.

“How else should one look at the person who has been searing the flesh off my bones for gods only knows how long?” Each word scratched like rocks through my sore throat.

After days of screams, I was surprised I had any voice left at all.

He only grunted in response, folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the rock beside me.

“Please, enlighten me on the correct way I should look upon the man who betrayed not only his entire kingdom, but his family and the woman he once claimed to love.”

Will huffed, running his palm through his thick blond waves. Not too long ago that simple action would have made my heart palpate. The only reaction it gave me now was nausea.

“Why do you always have to be so?—”

“Right?” I snapped.

“No. So?—”

“Honest?”

A snarl tore out of him. “So. Damn. Judgmental!” he seethed, his chest rising and falling.

“Is it really being judgmental when it’s true?”

My breath hitched as he suddenly invaded my space. His hot, rapid breaths brushed against my temple, and every muscle in my neck tried its best to tilt my head further away.

“You know nothing about my truth!” Will pulled away, releasing a deep breath. “Absolutely nothing.”

The harsh lines once present on his face softened, his shoulders fell as his back slumped against the harsh rock. The glisten of a tear caught my eye as it slipped down his cheek, wiped away as he ran a palm over his face. As I bit down on my bottom lip, a twinge of remorse prickled me.

“They took Isabella and my mother.” The air vanished from my lungs as he sighed deeply. “After everything that happened at the castle, I was told to abide by their rules or my insolence would be taken out on them both.”

“Will—I…I’m so sorry. Where are they now?” I asked tentatively.

The muscle in his jaw clenched. The silence between us became unbearable. “Isabella’s here.”

“Will—”

“My mother,” he interrupted, “she’s also here, but … she’s not entirely herself anymore.”

Hells.

“I was supposed to coax you into falling for me that night at the ball. When I didn’t come through as planned, Alastor turned her into one of those—horrible beasts.”

Guilt wrapped around my insides, squeezing so tightly I thought I might faint.

“This isn’t your fault.”

My eyes clouded with tears as I shifted my chin away to avoid his gaze.

He pulled my chin back to face him and didn’t let go.

“Lena, I can see the guilt and anxiety are reflected all over your face. It’s a look I’ve become very familiar with over the years.

” A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but then slipped back into a frown.

“There are several choices I could have made. So many chances to do the right thing, but I was a coward.”

“Will, in the end you were just trying to protect your family,” I whispered.

“No. Don’t be kind to me Lena, I don’t deserve it.

Protecting my family would have meant doing anything I could to get to them, to save them.

It would have meant fighting for the people I loved when they needed me the most.” His eyes shot across to meet mine as a chill rippled down my spine.

The words sent me back to my speech that I’d given him that night of the ball.

“The day you told me that, shame filled every pore of my body. I knew I had let you all down. That was my burden to bear for the rest of my life. Lena, I had choices, but I didn’t take them. ”

My mouth opened wide; however, no words escaped. I just stood there as it opened and closed like a floundering fish.

“It’s time I start making the right choices. Time to start fighting to protect those I love,” he growled, and in the distance, I heard footsteps entering the cave. “Hang in there a little longer, Lena.” His voice was so low it was barely a whisper. “I’m going to help you both get out of here.”

I barely had time to wipe the shocked expression from my face before Alastor grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the hard rock.

Over and over, my forehead cracked against the hard stone.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth and my eyes began to swell shut.

His relentless attack lasted until I saw stars, my body slumping against the heavy chains.

Falling somewhere between the realm of consciousness and unconsciousness, Alastor’s deep voice echoed in my ears. “Elena, I think it’s about time we summon your Lord of Shadows, don’t you?”