Page 23

The Hope that Cracks

I t was a strange feeling…

To have your body give up on you but your mind still be conscious…

or at least a part of it. As for Anástasi, she had passed out the moment the dreaded deed was done.

Garmr had forced her to use her powers like I had always feared he would.

He had used her like the weapon I always accused her of being.

Her body and mind nothing but a vessel to channel the power he himself hadn’t been born to wield.

But Anástasi had.

The true daughter of Hades.

She possessed the power to not only summon souls to her command, but now, she could bring life back to the dead. Which was the real reason Garmr had needed her. To bring back this monster and with it, the destruction of the world.

I wondered why it had taken him so long. Why hadn’t he made her do this all that time ago? Had she not been strong enough then?

I had no answers, I just knew that the second the colossal beast took its first breath, our body gave up.

Which meant that before I had chance to witness the horrors that came next, our eyes had closed and we were being lifted into Garmr’s arms. I knew that because I could still feel, hear, and smell everything.

Like how he hushed tender words down at us, empty words that meant nothing. Words of praise that sickened me.

I could feel his arms tighten around us, with the admiration he bestowed upon us. And I could smell the sheets as he lay us down on the bed, after carrying us back to our room.

And throughout it all, I was powerless to do anything.

All I could hope for was that he didn’t see the letter we wrote. Hopefully, when Anástasi finally woke, we would still have a chance at escaping. Although the second I heard the locks turn, I felt this hope shatter, cracking like a glass orb filled with my dreams.

But before he left, I felt him brushing back my curls, tucking them behind my ear like he actually cared. Then he asked,

“Why did you have to make me do that?”

Of course, he received no reply but, boy, if I could have said what was on my mind, then I would have lashed out in the worst way.

“Let’s hope when you wake, you are back to the girl I know,” he said, but then the most startling thing of all was when I felt him lean over me so he could whisper in my ear.

“I know you are in there, Ella.” I would have gasped had I the ability to do so.

“I know you’re in there, playing your little mind games with my queen, but it won’t work.

For you wish to start a war with me? Then so be it, but you will lose, for I have something you do not… ultimate control.”

I felt the slightest grit of my teeth. But then he saved the worst till last, whispering,

“I can make her love me and love me she will.” Then he kissed my cheek and just before he left, I heard his voice by the door remind me of my dire hell, “And as for you… you will be my prisoner, forced to watch for all eternity.”

After this the door closed and internally, I was left with nothing else to do but scream in silent horror at the forced life he painted.

A future I would pick death over rather than watching this monster violate me this way.

But a new nightmare plagued me now, making me question which Anástasi I would face when waking?

The friend or the foe?

It was maddening. A torture like I had never known.

A cruel waiting game that I was forced to endure in the darkness.

Because unlike Anástasi, I never slept. This part of my mind I was locked to never turned off.

It was just a punishing, endless existence I could never escape.

The only time I ever remembered finding the comfort of sleep was during the battle when I had been knocked out.

Waking to find Garmr sitting next to me.

Before that, I had taken to plaguing Anástasi’s dreams as my hatred for her had burned within me.

I had blamed her for all of this but now… now I understood her better.

Understood his control.

So, I had stopped, because inflicting nightmares on her only ever backfired anyway.

It pushed her more toward him as she gained comfort in his arms when she woke up screaming his name.

But now, so much had changed between us, that I could only hope that all my hard work wasn’t for nothing.

That she would wake and remember all she had witnessed.

That I was right, she was nothing more than a weapon to him.

In the end, I didn’t know how much time had passed but the moment I heard the door opening, I inwardly braced myself for Garmr’s return. And return he did, this time taking control over her enough that it made Anástasi wake when he commanded it.

“Open your eyes, my beauty.”

The sight of him would have made me sick to my stomach had I had control of it.

A pair of deep-set red eyes narrowed as if they too were waiting to see what version of us he would find.

Those marred red lines down his face branched out like lightning, angry and glowing.

His stark white hair now pulled back into a leather tie at the base of his neck, giving his features a more profound harshness to them.

But nothing was worse than when she took in the sight of him and spoke his name like he was her entire world.

“Garmr? Is everything alright?” she asked sweetly, and my hope once again shattered. I wanted to scream, but in the end, I just cried,

“Anástasi, no!”

Something that forced her to hold a hand to her head and moan.

“She still speaks to you?” he asked with simulated concern, because of course he knew that I did.

“She is getting louder, yes. Will we ever be rid of her, my love?” Anástasi asked, making me want to lash out and give her the migraine from hell! I felt so betrayed, so hurt, and so lost.

But deep down I knew it wasn’t her fault.

Not like before, when I blamed her for all of this.

As for now, well I knew the truth. He had controlled her emotions, her feelings, manipulated far more than just her power.

He had made her believe she cared about him.

Which meant that she hadn’t just fallen for her captor after all.

He had forced her to love him.

Because he had fallen in love with her first.

It was so obvious now. She was his consolation prize, the queen he got to keep, despite it not being real.

Which made me wonder, just how many times had she discovered something about him she didn’t like.

How many times had she tried to run away once his control wore off?

How many times had he reclaimed her and forced her to love him once again?

It was a heinous crime against her, and one I wouldn’t rest until I saw him punished for it.

“We will find a way, I promise. Once this war is won, we will do whatever is needed to rid you of your mortal life.”

She hugged him and snuggled into his neck, kissing him and making him groan.

But when he put his hands on her shoulders to stop her, she pulled back and I felt her pout at the rejection.

Whereas I was thankful for it. And of course, I now knew the reason why he did this.

He would have to control her mind once more and I had no doubt it would be too soon for her to cope with.

“As tempting as it would be to ravish you, my sweet, right now you need rest, for Fenrir’s return to this life took too much out of you,” he told her, making her eyes widen.

“Is that what happened? I don’t remember… did it work? Did I make you proud, my love?” she asked, making him grin back at her. Then he smoothed her hair back from her face with his strange ink-stained fingers, before cupping her cheeks.

“Yes, my sweetest one, you made me so very proud, you always do.”

I inwardly scoffed at that, but strangely she didn’t react to it. But as Garmr looked at her, he stroked her cheek affectionately.

“Gods, Anástasi, you are so beautiful, you make my heart ache for you,” he told her and right then, had I had control of my body, I would have stuck my tongue out and gagged. But instead, my head tipped into his hand, before she told him,

“As I ache for you.”

He kissed her and she melted into him, making me recoil internally, thankful at least that she closed her eyes so I didn’t have to witness it. Because feeling it was bad enough!

“I will let you rest, my dear,” he said once they had finished, bestowing a kiss at her forehead before he rose and told her,

“I will have some food brought to you.”

“I am not hungry,” she protested.

“You need to keep up your strength, sweetness.”

“Perhaps in a little while, right now I still feel tired,” she told him, covering herself up and snuggling down into the bed.

“Very well, I will leave you to your sleep.”

He left the room, this time not locking it like before. And the second it was closed, suddenly the covers whipped back and she was up and out of bed.

“Thank the gods, I was worried he would find our letter and ruin our plan!” she said, shocking me enough that I couldn’t actually form words. But then she went and said my name, something she rarely ever did. “Ella? Are you still there?”

I was flabbergasted. Too afraid to speak to find it was all a cruel dream. Too afraid that it was a trap, although I was not sure what could be accomplished by it.

“I am sorry I had to kiss him, but I needed it to be believable,” she told me, and it was at this point that I finally started trusting it was real.

“Anástasi? Is that… that really you?” I asked, making her laugh.

“Heavens, was I really that good an actress, that I fooled even you?” she asked, making me laugh too, but it came out as a sob, one that was strong enough to break through, no doubt making us look like a crazy person.

“Yes… oh god, Anástasi, I was so scared that I had lost you again. That he had tried to control you, that he had made you forget it all.”