“Finally. I thought that piece of trash would never leave.” She slides up to me and uncuffs my hands and feet from their chains. “We need to hurry. She should be making her way down here now. If we wait any longer, we’ll miss her.”
“Who?” I ask, vision dizzy from the blood loss. My body crumples as soon as I’m free.
Hecate’s eyes fill with pity. “That damn fool would have bled you dry. Here.” She presses her cold hands into my broken flesh. I wince with the pressure, but then feel a warmth spread throughout my body. My back stitches itself back together as she pumps her healing magic into me. I feel myself become energized and healed enough to stand.
“Thank you.” I say, tears brimming in my eyes. Fuck, I really had been stripped of all my pride. I don’t hesitate to wonder why she’s helping me. If it gets me out of here, I’d sell my left kidney for the freedom.
“No time for that, here take this.” She reaches beneath her skirts and pulls out plain clothes for me to wear. “Hurry.” She implores, checking past the door for any passersby. Thankfully, the halls are quiet for now. I peel the clothes on as quickly as I can, thankful for feeling like I can move for the first time in who knows how long. “Here, take this and go wait outside your cell. Salem should be getting there at any moment.” She shoves the keys into my hands along with two flower petals. “You and Salem need to eat these petals as soon as you find each other. They’ll make sure you leave here undetected. Now go!”
I take off running, clutching the flower petals in one hand while I keep the keys pressed to my palm on the other. I don’t need the clanging of metal as I run to alert anyone and foil my escape. I’ve been trapped down here for far too long. The hope of reuniting with Salem fuels my steps as I careen through the torch lit tunnels. Remembering the way to my cell is easy since I’ve been dragged from it hundreds of times.
My little witch is clinging to the bars of my cell, head pressed against the metal. The sight stirs my cock, but there’s no time to take her now. “Salem.” Her name is a whisper against my lips, coming out like a prayer.
She jumps at my voice and throws her arms around my neck. I crush my lips to her plush mouth, pulling her body against mine as her hands roam my chest.
“How is this possible? I just saw you full of injuries.” She says breaking our kiss as she marvels at my healed form.
“There’s no time to explain, we need to take these and get the fuck out of here.” I present her with the flower, a little creased from being crushed in my fists.
“Where did you get these?” a loud clanging from down the hall alerts us to the shift change. Guards will be arriving at any moment.
“From Hecate. She helped me escape and healed my wounds. We need to take these now, they’ll make us invisible to the guards.” She pauses, uncertainty clinging to her evergreen eyes. “I don’t think she would free me only to hurt me now.”
“Okay. Fine! On three.”
We hold the petals up to our mouths as the sounds of boots echoing off the tunnels gets closer. Metal armor clangs with the demon guards’ steps. “One. Two…Three!” We shove the bitter flowers in. It disintegrates on impact sealing my tongue in a sticky mess, as I see a shimmer appear around Salem. We interlock our hands just as the guards arrive. My breath gets stuck in my chest, sure that they’ll see through the glamour, but they look right through us.
“Must still be in the torture room.” The taller one says. They turn their backs and take up their stations on either end of the door waiting for me to return. Jokes on them, because I’m not coming back.
I tug on Salem’s hand, and we take off down the tunnel the guards have just come from. As we flee, I glance back over my shoulder and see Salem’s wide smile as we pumped our legs up the winding path. It fuels my already frantic heart to get us the fuck out of this place. I won’t let myself think about failing. It isn’t an option. I wouldn’t be dragged back to that place of torture that held me for far too long. Hecate’s healing had only done so much for my body, and I can feel its limits starting to creep in. My wasted muscles burn from disuse. A small part of me grieves for the physical shape I’d once been in, earned through the hours of training. All of that and more, taken from me. I’m determined to get us out of this maze of horrors, worried about how long the magic of these petals will last.
CHAPTER21
Chapter Twenty-One
WALKER
SONG: DEVIL MAY CARE BY FAE
Ipace the small room, feeling a sense of unease. Salem has been gone far too long.
“Dude, would you sit down? You’re making me anxious.” Emmet grumbles from the plush emerald chair tucked into the corner.
“I agree. You’re at an eleven and I need you down to at least a seven.” Garrison says rubbing his temples as he lays sprawled on top of my bed, ankles crossed.
“A six, please.” Emmet adds, pulling at his sleeves.
“I just want to get the hell out of… well, Hell.” I crumple against the wall, feeling helpless. I don’t have my usual haunts to help me expel this pent-up energy. There’s no guitar to strum, no punching bag to pummel, no tv to mindlessly consume to distract me from the anxiety writhing in my stomach. I stare out the window at the bleak landscape that surrounds us. My eyes glide over the blackened soil that stretches on into the horizon. How they grow anything here is a mystery, but I guess anything is possible with magic. Off in the distance I can see what resembles a farm.
Garrison slides up next to me, starring out the window. “Well, fuck me. I guess there are chickens down here.”
I frown and follow his line of sight. Sure enough, there seems to be a pen full of chicken like creatures tucked against the gardens, chasing the farmhand around the enclosure. I let out a chuckle as the man is overtaken by the feathered beasts. They peck at his legs, causing him to stumble into the dirt as he fights them off. Dirt and feathers fly into the air as they surround him. He’s able to shake off the chickens and slip through the fence opening before slamming it into their beaks.
“Demon chickens.” I say laughing, only to be interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.
“Walker, it’s me! Open up.” Salem whisper shouts into the crack of the door.
I rush over and yank open the door, only to find it empty. “The fuck?”
