What the Hell was happening here?
“I can’t,” she repeated, this time nearly sobbing, her arms growing weaker as she leaned on top of my friend. I palmed my dagger, ready to throw it at her if she hurt him, Marcus’ request be damned.
But she only fell limply on top of him, crying. Whimpering.Wailing.
“I can’t,” she said again. “He’sgone. Dead. Hekilled himselfafter only a few days. I can’t live without Caleb, I can’t…”
Marcus’ face blanched and my throat tightened. He had lost one of them…And he couldn’t do anything.
“Alina, look at me…Please, look at me…” He grabbed her face between his hands, forcing their eyes to meet. “I’m here. I’m here for you, you’ll get better. He would want for you to befree. Out of this Hell hole. You just need to—”
“I can’t!” she screamed, the sound sending chills in my bones. “I can’t live without my mate, I can’t!”
“Alina…We—Alina!
She brought Marcus’ own dagger through her heart with one last scream. I gasped in shock, bringing my hands to my mouth to muffle the sound threatening to escape my throat. My friend’s eyes widened as she fell lifelessly on top of his helpless body.
Marcus panted when she slowly slid to his side, the dagger plunged too deep for her to have survived.
He stayed like this for minutes that felt like hours, the other prisoners back to being silent, barely present souls. After a while, he delicately pushed her off him and sat up, cradling her frail body, turning to look at her ashen skin. At the now visible dark veins that spread from her heart to the rest of her body, showing that her blood had already turned to ash.A blood Witch. He kneeled next to her and hugged her lifeless form, sobs echoing in the room all around us.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “Please, forgive me.”
I turned to look away, feeling tears threatening to fall free from my eyes. Waiting for him to get up. To be ready to move forward.
It took another couple of minutes before he stood by my side.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. Sorry he had to witness this after dealing with her absence for so long. It was worse than thinking she was dead for all this time. He had gone on this mission hopeful, and now the light behind his eyes had vanished.
“Let’s go,” he whispered, taking the first step toward the next door. “Let’s find whoever is responsible for this and give them Hell.”
Chapter 37
Lola
The dark, deep rumble that echoed around us made the hair rise along my arms in fear. Marcus limped beside me, looking around the room, just lit enough for us to spot the old blood stains and splatters on the dirty tiled walls and floor.
I somehow knew what I’d find before I could even spot him, no matter how impossible it seemed.
Marcus didn’t. “What the f—”
The half man, half-scaled beast lunged at the bars of his cell with a deep growl. The ground shook beneath our feet as two narrowed eyes, slitted and opal-like, followed us from across the room.
“What isthat?” Marcus asked, lifting a dagger in a defensive stance as the caged Dragon threw himself against the rattling door again.
“Thatcan rip your head off andkillyou,” I hissed. “Stand back. Don’t let it catch you.”
Marcus’ throat bobbed but he gave me a shaky nod. We stopped, keeping a few feet of safety between us andhim. His eyes gleamed as he took me in, his head tilting to the side in wonder as his eyes drifted to my friend.
“Look who the storm brought here,” Amyntas drawled, hands gripping at the bars to pull himself closer, studying us in between. “MyMaiden. Here to finally uphold your part of the vow? I’m afraid I’d have no use for your nowbarren womb.”
I stumbled backward, my back colliding with Marcus’ shoulder. I would have recognized him anywhere. But the state he was in? Skin deadly pale like he hadn’t seen the light of day in centuries. Dark circles under his eyes, some of his scales missing and slowly growing back…
“Why are you here, Anastasia?” he asked, too calmly. “If it’s not to offer youruselessbody for my heir.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have stuck to physical traits so close to my original one. Or maybe he recognized me before he even saw me, like I did him. Something about the Maiden mark carved into his skin, making us somehow aware of each other.
My breath hitched in my throat at the dark intent in his eyes.
