KAEL
If you had asked me a few weeks ago what I thought of this basement, I would have said it's one of my favorite places in the world since it's the exact spot I got to enjoy torturing Warren Blackwood. It was fun having a readily available target to channel all of my anger into.
Alas, that monster is now gone, and in his place sits another.
Me.
I’ve always loved the label of being a monster. My parents made me feel special because of it. But what good did it do them? None. And so far, it’s not serving me the best either.
Not when I find myself locked away for the sake of others because there’s definitely something more special about me than the rest of them.
But I don’t want the label.
It makes me my brother’s weapon.
The branding sticks to me like a tattoo and I loathe it.
Now, the only torture happening down here is in my mind, but it's the right place for me to be.
Nothing can happen to Elodie; not because of me, not again. I refuse.
Nathaniel caused chaos so easily. In the blink of an eye, my vision blurred, my intentions locked in, and I was no longer in control. The more distance between us, the better.
That doesn't mean I have to like it, though. I hate it to my very core, especially since I didn't even consider asking for a mattress, let alone a damn pillow or blanket.
Thankfully, I’m too lost in my head to acknowledge the cold. All I have is a hard floor and a wooden chair, along with plenty of tools to torture myself if I see fit. I haven't done it yet because I have my mind focused on one thing and one thing only: having the power and strength to overcome whatever this is with Jude so that Elodie can be safely in my presence again.
She might not want that, but it's all that's keeping me going. She wanted me the other night, and I decided to lead with the tiny bit of honor I have, but now I’m regretting it. That was… she was right there, in my damn lap. But that was before I went for her again like a feral-yet-controlled puppet, dangling on the strings controlled by someone I wish I didn’t know existed.
Jude.
I try to remember a time when it wasn’t like this, but there isn’t one. I’m surprised I’m still alive, honestly. I probably should have been dead at his hands a hundred times over by now.
My cell phone vibrates from the desk across the room, cutting through my thoughts, and my fingers instantly twitch to check it. It’s not the first time it’s gone off since I’ve been down here, but I haven’t looked at it yet.
I continued to carry it around with me because I was under the illusion that maybe everything would be okay once Thorne helped me the first time. If I don’t look at my cell phone, then Jude can’t make me do something against my will. But what if it’s Elodie and I’m ignoring her?
Frustrated, I huff, turning away from my device on the table across the room as I internally berate myself for the damage I’ve already caused. Fear grips me as I consider the extent of my situation, where it could go or has been without me fully understanding.
He's messed with my mind in more ways than I can comprehend. It’s a violation on another level.
The sound of my cell phone vibrates again from across the room, and this time, I'm unable to stop myself as I launch to my feet and storm toward the device in question. Panic ripples down my spine as I wrap my fingers around it, worry curdling in my stomach. Casting a glance over the brightened screen, the notifications display before me.
Elodie’s name flashes across the screen, but it doesn’t stand alone. Thorne, Rion, and apparently Ocean have messaged me too, but none of that competes with the sixteen notifications that have my brother’s name scrawled beside each of them.
My thumb hovers over the text message notification from Elodie, the desire to read them overwhelming, but the fear of clicking one and inadvertently perusing them all makes my chest tighten with panic. So I do what any good vampire would do: I destroy it.
The device sails through the air, smashing as it hits the concrete in the far corner, but it does nothing to eliminate the strain in my chest as I heave with every breath, anger violently whipping through my veins.
Defeated, I put my hands on my hips and take a few deep breaths. A sound in the distance resonates, as if the door at the top of the stairs has been opened, making me pause.
My suspicions are confirmed when footsteps echo off the stone stairwell, the sound growing louder as they draw closer, before a key turns in the lock of the door in front of me.
A half smile curls the corner of my mouth as I’m reminded of the fact that Elodie knocked the entire thing to the floor with her brute force, breaking it off its hinges in her bid to bring her father to his demise.
Impressive.
Thankfully, it didn't take too long to put back into place, but knowing it's so easy to tear open has my vampire urges itching to give it a try myself. Only my ego stops me in fear that I might not be as good at it as she was.
