PROLOGUE
CELESTE
They say the darkness hides the creatures of the night, but what they don’t tell you, the darkness chooses their sacrifice and turns them into the reaper. The blood under your skin turns cold and the craving for revenge erases the good parts of who you used to be. Your humanity slips until there’s nothing left and you're lost in the web of chaos and doom.
I'm the predator that slithers through the dark, that causes the hair on the back of your neck to stand up. The nightmares that keep you awake at night for the fear that you'll be swallowed whole. In this moment, they created the monster they fear the most.
The last thing I remember was walking the dimmed streets to the restaurant not too far away to meet my cousin for dinner in Rome. Antonio had insisted on accompanying me, however, I wanted to walk in silence to take in the beautiful city around me before we left to come back home. We had a victory tonight. I just wanted a few moments to soak it in before we celebrated. My father would be so proud that we secured this account and expanded into another country. I’dcalled him earlier but he was unavailable to hear the news. Looking up at the beautiful night sky, I smiled at the stars as if they were watching me, guiding me to the bright future.
They were silent when they came up from behind me, not even a pin drop could be heard. Before I could react, a cloth was pressed up against my mouth and nose, suffocating me with some sort of chemical causing my vision to blur and my body to collapse. A sheet of darkness washed over me, taking all my senses away, paralyzed into nothing. The end.
Liquid splashes over me, jolting me awake. My heart thuds against my chest as my breathing becomes erratic. My arms are bound behind me with tight rope, leaving little to no room to maneuver. Rookies, they made the simple mistake to leave even a sliver of space as that’s all it takes for me to get out of it.
My eyes wander up between the wet strands of hair that hang like a curtain in front of my face. Two sets of legs stand before me as if they’re waiting for me to beg them to let me go. As I look up, they have their arms crossed and balaclavas covering their face. Cowards; can't even face me like men but hide behind a mask as if I won’t discover who they are once I have a chance to break free.
“Aren’t you just a cute little thing? I wonder what you did for the boss to have you down here with us. Must have been something good. We’re going to enjoy you. Remind me to thank him.” His dirty hands grab my jaw roughly, moving my face side to side to get a good look at my features as his face comes eye level with mine.
“The only thing you’re going to enjoy is how quick I’ll makeyour death once I get free.” I rear back my head, slamming my forehead into his nose. He tumbles back, holding his face as blood gushes quickly from it.
“The bitch broke my fucking nose. You’re going to pay for that.” He stomps towards me with a raised hand.
His hand flies, landing against my face hard, causing it to snap to the side. He isn’t done; he’s pissed that a woman had bigger balls than him to fight back. He throws his weight into his punch as it connects with my stomach causing me to grunt, not once but three times. I take it without showing any sign of weakness, focusing on my breathing. His last hit causes the chair to tilt over and my head connects with the concrete. Still bound, I can’t move upright so I take a moment and allow the cool cement to ease the ache that’s forming from my head. Blood droplets fall against it creating a small pool.
“That’s enough, Romeo. He wants her alive, not dead. You took your temper too far.” The other male speaks up, pulling him away to prevent any more strikes he was planning to give me.
They leave me on the floor as they disappear from the basement-like place they’re holding me in. I look around as much as I can from this position to see what I’m dealing with. The walls are of stone with moisture that clings to the rough surface. Mold and mildew fill the room from all the moisture that lingers down here. From what I see, the room is pretty bare, leaving me with nothing to help with my escape. The only other thing I know is there are the stairs that their feet stomped up against when they left me down here. I need to see more before I get out to be better prepared.
Staring forward, I keep my mind focused to prevent panic from rising and slowly it starts to rise up, despite my efforts. You show any ounce of weakness, they will use it against you. Pushing it down, I try to remember all the lessons I learned incase I land in this situation. There’s no doubt my capture has something to do with whom I’m related to and associated with. This is an attack on my father, using me as a pawn in their little puppet game.
What seems like a full day, they return down the stairs pulling me upright in my chair. The one who hit me pets my face following a little tap on the cheek. The other is behind him holding a tray with a cup and what looks like a sandwich.
“Open wide, sweetheart. We can’t have you starving down here.” He picks up the sandwich, bringing it to my mouth. I move my face away from him, rejecting his offer.
“You still want it to be difficult, I see.” He grabs my face, prying my mouth open, shoving the food into my mouth. The sudden intrusion causes me to choke and I spit the food back out into his face. “You ungrateful twat. We came here to be nice and make sure you’re fed and this is how you repay me?”
As he wipes his face free of the food, he paces back and forth trying to decide how to strike me now. He settles with a punch to the face. I can’t help but let a laugh escape me as I let my head hang backwards.
“Did that feel good? Hitting a woman must make you feel so damn powerful,” I taunt him. “If you’re waiting for me to break, it’s not going to happen. Are you going to tell me why you have me here yet or going to keep stalling?”
He begins to circle me like a predator ready to attack its prey. Why did they even think these pricks are the slightest bit intimidating? Puppies would’ve been better suited than these ragged morons.
“Do you think you’re in the position to question us, sweetheart? Last time I checked, you’re the one tied up. I would be a good little bitch if I were you.” His hands tangle into my knotted hair, yanking my head back to look at the ceiling.
Has anyone ever told him that his breath stinks? He could really use a mint right about now.
This is utterly boring and they truly need to come up with something more exciting than giving me a couple hits to the face here and there and a hair tug.
“Let me guess, when’s the next drop? What business do you have in Rome? Where’s Hansley located? Must I go on? You’re predictable but I give it to you for the little tantrum you just had. It’ll take a bit of make-up to cover up.” I smile up at him, rolling my eyes.
He lets go of my hair with a huff, giving distance between the two of us. Clearly annoyed, he stomps up the stairs leaving me with the other little trooper who’s been quietly observing.
“You shouldn’t anger him. Your days here would be a lot easier if you would just comply.” He pulls up a chair, keeping a good distance between us and sits back, pulling out a knife from his pocket and picks his nails.
About an hour later, I’m guessing, his chair is tipped back with his head against the wall with his eyes shut and snores filling the space. I fidget with the rope that has my hands bound, trying to loosen the grip it has on me. Squeezing my thumb towards my palm, I can feel it dislocate and I clamp my mouth shut to muffle a gasp. It does the trick, giving me more space to pull my hand through. Once my hands are free, I quickly untie my legs as quietly as I can.
Once I’m completely free, I maneuver towards the sleeping guard, very carefully retrieving his knife from his lap. His eyes flutter open, meeting my gaze. He jolts upward, slamming the chair legs on the floor but before he can do anything, I have the knife pressed up against his neck making him pause.
“What the fuck? How did you…” His eyes bulge out of his eye sockets. He stops mid-sentence as he realizes one wrong move can be the end of him.
