Page 50 of Wings of Lies (Daughter of the Seven Circles #1)

Chapter

Thirty

I stood at the edge of an endless, shadowed space, and at its center, a purple-white ball of light twisted and turned, flickering with images. Intrigued, I stepped closer. Dread, pain, and betrayal enveloped me in a vile caress. Swallowing, I took a giant step back.

“Touch it.”

I jerked to my right. A cloaked figure stood there.

“Touch the ball,” she said again, her voice familiar.

“I know you,” I said. “You’re the voice who told me about Oliver and Magda.”

She circled behind me, no longer just a voice. Her red and black cloak flowed around her combat boots, illuminated by the flashing ball. “And did you find them?”

“Oliver, but not Magda, yet. Did you know what would happen to me when I came to Elora?” I demanded.

She snorted. “You don’t want to know what I know. But it’s time you learned the truth. ”

“Truth of what?”

“Your mom.”

I perked up. “What about my mom?”

“You’ll know soon.” She prowled around me and gestured to the ball. “Touch the core of your dream-walking abilities, think of the memory of your mom when she was surrounded, and face the truth,” she said, then vanished.

Eager, I faced the colorful ball of light, understanding the emotions and flashes of images were memories. I gripped the image of my mom surrounded in my mind’s eye and stepped into my power.

I luscelered to our safe spot in the forest, forced out by my mom’s powers, trying to fight through the calm to no avail.

I sat against the weird, gnarled tree we discovered and designated as our meet-up spot if anything were to happen and waited.

Worry nudged at the calm, but the flickering emotion did little to overcome the relentless intrusion of her damned powers.

I wished Aspen were here. He would know what to do.

But after our huge fight, when he found me following him, he didn’t come the last few weeks.

A snap made my head jerk to the side, where my mom stood in her black and red rooster pajamas. I stood, scrambling to her, happy to find her safe and unscathed, but stopped as I noticed her arm raised and palm open, cupping something black.

Nerium powder.

It was only one dose, strong enough to put an angel to sleep for about a week. We kept it in case my father found us, so I didn’t understand why it was in her hand. Or why, when I glanced at it, she started to sob .

“Mom?”

That only made her cry harder.

“What’s happening?” Uncertainty pounded in time with my heart, disrupting the forced calm.

She stepped forward as I took a step back. Something wasn’t right. My mom loved me. She’d never do anything to harm me. That particular skill was left to my father. So what was going on?

Her shoulders shook with each step, and her hand wobbled, spilling dark powder onto the forest floor.

“Why are you doing this?”

“You know why.”

I took another step back, feeling an ache work its way up my chest at the reality of this situation. The one person I loved and trusted was about to knock me out with poison.

“This is about our fight? About Elora?” How did that deserve this?

“Partly. I can’t have you following me. I need you safe.”

“How is poisoning me keeping me safe?” I screamed at her. Hasn’t she taken enough from me?

“I’m sorry, Lucy. I’m so sorry,” she said over and over.

Her words were like a hammer, shattering everything I trusted and believed in.

When she blew into her hand before I could move, and a male with a cowboy hat appeared beside her as I breathed in the poison, I decided the poison could take me and keep me forever. I never wanted to wake up.

Opening my eyes, head-throbbing from the slam, I lay there staring up into a blue sky, wishing the physical pain would drone out the crushing pain beneath my sternum.

My mom poisoned me. And by the slow smile peeking beneath the cowboy-hatted male behind her, she was working with Marcus, which explained why I woke up to him guarding one of the doors.

It made sense now. My mom’s betrayal made me give up my miserable life.

It was the last straw. As the poison infiltrated my system, my powers fought for me and battled against the Void until I didn’t want to fight.

What was the point when I no longer had anyone?

When I was alone? I gave memories of myself to The Void to forget.

But with each dream-walk I remembered more and now wish I didn’t.

“Lucy! Help!” Oliver yelled. “Fuck-a-duck, how are you so strong you look like a damned twig!” I heard more cussing and smacking flesh.

Disoriented, I shifted my throbbing head right as the redhead slammed a fist into Oliver’s face, knocking him out. Footsteps approached, and I tried to move but gasped from the pain in my ribs.

The redhead blocked out the dreadful blue sky with a satisfied smile.

“Gabriel’s spawn was a lot easier to take care of than I thought, which only leaves you,” he chuckled and crouched down, fingering my chains as he smiled.

“Cuffs, broken ribs, no access to your powers—today’s an easy day for me.

” His gaze roved over my body, starting at my calves, lingering on the zipper of my pants and breasts until he reached my face.

“You’re a lot prettier than I thought you’d be.

The poster doesn’t do you justice. My cock’s been lonely of late, and it needs a nice ride. ”

“If you come near me with your cock, I’ll?— ”

“You’ll what?” He nodded down to my wrist. “Even if you had your powers, you’re no match for me.”

I glanced down. Blood smeared my entire forearm, partially covering the black Binding Rune.

No, no, no.

“I’ll scream,” I said, glancing at the village. “They’ll hear me from here.”

The redhead smirked. “No, they won’t.” He leaned in and unzipped my jacket, desire overcoming him as he stared at my exposed nipples peeking through my holey shirt. I reared back and slammed my forehead into his nose.

“Damn it!” he seethed, spraying the blood that dripped into his bared teeth. “You know what’s worse than being fucked when you don’t want it?” He yanked on the laces of his pants and pulled them down. His cock sprung out, surrounded by red curling hair. “Being fucked when your ribs are broken.”

My breathing turned uneven. This couldn’t happen. I gazed over at Oliver, desperately seeking help. Though his chest still rose, he wasn’t conscious.

“Help me!” I screamed, whimpering as I scooted away from his naked thighs, hoping the villagers would hear me.

“Michael won’t mind if you’re a little used.” He grabbed onto my chains and yanked me back. Pain tore into my ribs as I tried to kick out of his hold.

“Help! Someone please help me!”

He slid his sweat-slick thighs along my leathers until he straddled my lower legs, pinning me. I swung at his bloody nose, connecting. His head whipped to the side, and he spit a big glob of blood out of his mouth .

“I guess you don’t have to be conscious,” he said, slamming his fist into my jaw.

My head snapped to the side. The force of it stole my gaze for a moment.

I came to when he finished unfastening my pants.

He pulled them down, exposing me. I sobbed, screamed, and squirmed fighting against the agonizing pain in my sides. But it was useless.

He chuckled. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

A bright light flashed right before his cock pressed against me, and warmth splashed across my skin.

The bounty hunter’s head flopped to the ground, detached. Blood spurted onto my chest from his tipping, lifeless body, and a black boot kicked it before it fell on top of me.

And I saw him. My savior and damnation, standing there, seething with unrestrained fury.