A palpable shift in the atmosphere sets my senses on edge, a harbinger of Abchanchu’s impending return. “He’s coming back. Go!” My voice rings out, urgent and frantic as I push Kai away from me, adrenaline fueling my efforts to sit up.
Kai springs to his feet, his movements abrupt and tense as he pivots to face the entrance. Panic courses through me like a raging torrent, a suffocating wave of helplessness crashing over me. I can’t allow Abchanchu to see him. If I brought him here in a dream, he could become ensnared in this realm.
“Kai, wake up!” I scream, desperation clawing at the edges of my sanity. Every fiber of my being strains against the inevitability of our predicament, the looming threat of Abchanchu’s return casting a shadow of dread over our fleeting moments of respite.
Abchanchu streaks across the cavern, his movements swift and agile. He reaches us just as Kai’s form fades away, his eyes meeting mine in alarm. I sink down in relief, my heart pounding furiously in my chest. Abchanchu lets out a thunderous roar, his eyes ablaze with fury, revealing his growing frustration.
“Who was that, pet?” he snarls out.
I laugh, feeling my fight returning.
Abchanchu’s icy hand tightens in my hair, effortlessly lifting me from the ground. “Will he come for you?”
I’m consumed by a tempest of emotions—rage, despair, and a bone-deep weariness that threatens to swallow me whole.
“Go to hell,” I spit.
Chapter nineteen
Ashwiyaa
“Only you can decide what breaks you.” -A Court of Wings and Ruin
Penn’s voice seems to float through the hazy thickness of my mind, barely audible but still distinct.
“Get up, kid. Spit your blood and bare your teeth. If you’re going to go down, go down savage and go down fighting. But don’t you ever give up.”
My senses come alive as I’m abruptly jolted awake by the sharp tug of my chains and the echoing click of the lock being turned. Despite my efforts to maintain composure, my heart leaps into a frantic rhythm, fueled by a rush of adrenaline. Damn it, he’s aware now—I’ve lost the element of surprise.
As soon as the chains binding me to the wall clatter to the ground, I seize the opportunity. With a burst of raw determination, I lunge forward, my hands finding their target around Abchanchu’s neck. My grip tightens, driven by a surge of desperation.
My gaze hardens as I stare him down, wishing for the millionth time to be rid of these iron chains so I could shift and tear his throat out with my teeth.
The thick links binding my wrists together become my downfall. Abchanchu’s hands clamp down on each end of the chains, his grip unyielding and relentless. With a forceful jerk, he pulls my hands away from his neck, breaking my hold. His formidable strength overpowers me in an instant, and before I can react, I’m hurled onto the cold, unforgiving stone floor. I lie there panting, the harsh surface pressed against my cheek.
Abchanchu’s imposing frame looms over my prone form, his weight pressing down on me, making it nearly impossible to move. With a menacing aura, he places his hand on the back of my head, forcing my face further into the unforgiving stone. His breath is hot against my ear as he leans in. “There is little use in fighting, pet.”
My lips curl into a snarl, a visceral reaction to the name that has the power to unravel my composure. I despise that name with every fiber of my being. It evokes thoughts of smarmy Noah, and a wave of frustration causes me to clench my teeth as I snarl in response. “I’m no one’s pet!”
“Then tell me your name.”
Disgust rolls through me at having him this close, and bile quickly rises in my throat. My cheekbone feels as if it’s about to shatter under his weight, but I stubbornly keep my lips pressed shut.
With a deep sigh, he rises off me and grabs the chain connecting my cuffs. In a sudden jolt, my body is yanked upright, and my head swims as I fight to steady myself.
Heforcefully pulls me toward the middle of the cavern. Between my still-shackled feet and the rough, uneven surface, I struggle to stay upright.
I notice a large hook hanging from a chain attached to the ceiling that wasn’t there earlier, and dread coils deep in my stomach. This fucker is going to string me up like a piece of meat.
Lifting me off my feet, Abchanchu hooks me to the chain, my arms stretched painfully above my head as I hang suspended in the air. My arrow wound is almost healed, as is the chunk missing from my arm, but the strain of hanging isn’t doing either of them any favors.
Abchanchu’s dark eyes expand as his craving takes over, the customary black veins spreading over his exposed skin. Stepping close, he drags a nail across my bare stomach, drawing a thin line of blood.
“Your blood and magic are very addictive. I usually only feed once a month, but you . . . hmm . . . It’s been nearly two weeks, and I’ve fed from you multiple times.”
He crouches down, his eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger as he locks onto the fresh wound on my torso. His firm grip on my hips keeps me immobilized, trapping me in place as he leans in, his breath hot against my skin. I can’t move, can’t escape, and the realization sends a shiver of dread down my spine.
“I just can’t seem to stop myself.”
