“Gabriel. I want to see Gabriel.”
Silence. Never-ending, oppressive silence.
The voice callsto me constantly. It tells me to submit. To obey. To listen.
It’s getting harder and harder to resist. When Hannah finally releases me from this endless nightmare, will I have any strength left to fight her?
Whispers push at the tatters of my mind. More of Hannah’s tricks? It doesn’t matter. The last shred of my sanity is fraying fast.
“Listen.”
“Use her.”
“We made the wrong choice.”
“You hold the true power.”
Each voice is stronger than the last. Familiar, yet not. I’ve been here so long, I can’t tell what’s real and what’s an illusion. What’s Hannah and what’s…me.
They’re all talking at once now. If my consciousness weren’t being pummeled into dust, I’d clap my hands over my ears.
“Stop!”I scream with all the focus I can muster. “The grimoire warned me, but I didn’t listen. All I can do now is die!”
The whispers get louder. Harsher. Now they’re not talking to me, I don’t think, but each other.
“Make her understand…”
“How?”
“Show her!”
Sensation returns in a tidal wave of pain. The voices are gone, replaced by the sounds of suffering all around me. Screams, whimpers, moans… All too real after the unendingnothingnessof the void.
Everything’s too loud. Too big. Too bright.
Cold. I’m so cold. I can’t open my eyes. Can’t move. Can’t speak.
I think…I’m kneeling. Sitting back on my heels. Someone grabs my shoulder and shakes me.
The chain wrapped around my throat burns, but I can’t tell if it’s fire or ice. Or both. My hands are numb. They’re the only part of me that doesn’t hurt.
Cool fingers trail over my cheek. “Open your eyes, Willow. Now.”
No. I don’t want to.
The chain vibrates, setting my nerve endings on fire. A thin whimper escapes my chapped lips.
“I will not ask you again. Calista? Send her to the very edge of the void, but keep her inthisworld.”
My scream echoes through the frigid air. I topple over, my head slamming against rough concrete. Muscles seizing, I’m helpless to do more than cry until Calista releases the spell.
“Are you ready to cooperate?” Hannah asks. Dressed in a long, flowing white dress, she looms over me. “I do not have all night. The full moon will augment the power of the creatures I have lined up for slaughter.”
I blink at her, begging silently for any shred of compassion. If I had the strength, I’d tell her… What would I tell her? I’d help. Of course, I’d help. She needs me. She’ll take care of me. If I do what she wants, everything will be okay.
Calista flicks her fingers, and I’m lifted onto my knees once more. Blinking away my tears, I stare down at my hands. In the next moment, the red ropes unwind, disappearing into thin air.
I rub my wrists—or try to, as my fingers are only now starting to tingle.
