AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I peel my eyes open, and it feels like it takes every ounce of my energy to do it. Even with my throbbing cheek, whatever they gave to us is making me feel lethargic and worn down. My mouth feels like it’s full of cotton balls, like I’ve just been to the dentist and had a tooth pulled or something.
When I try to move my hand to my cheek to soothe the sting there, it doesn’t heed my command. I look down at the appendage in betrayal, but then realize it’s tied down and so it can’t move.
I’m in a metal chair, with thick leather cuffs on my wrists and ankles. The cuffs have runes etched into them, and I know without even trying that they’ve cut me off from my power and the ability to cast. There’s a void where my power usually is. I hadn’t even realized how much I can usually feel my magic until it’s no longer there.
Fear momentarily clenches in my gut. If they cut me off from my power, does that mean that Kohaku disappeared? I don’t know enough about shadows and umbra demons to know if he can remain physical if I’m not feeding magic into him.
I take a moment to imagine the surprise on all their faces if he just disappeared when they put these cuffs on me. My lips curl into a smile, but then another bloom of pain on my other cheek has all thoughts fleeing from my head. I taste blood.
“You think this is funny?”
I glare up at the asshole standing above me. “Not really.” My voice is hoarse, like I’ve spent six hours screaming at the top of my lungs or something, but I know that’s not the case. Unless I was screaming in my sleep and they just let me?
Stranger things have happened.
Especially recently.
The leader, the main guy who’d been the first to speak with us in the woods, crouches down in front of me and I can see his face for the first time, no longer shrouded in shadow from his stupid trucker hat.
Gray at his temples and peppered throughout his dark hair. Crazy hairy eyebrows, crows feet near his brown eyes and deep divots on either side of his mouth. Even if he’s frowning at me right now, he’s had reason to smile a lot in his life.
There is a nasty-looking scar running from his forehead all the way down his neck, bisecting his features. Almost like someone tried to cleave him in… well, nothalf, but thirds. One third and two-thirds.
He glares at me with cold, almost emotionless brown eyes. “There you are, witch. Are you ready to answer my questions now? Truthfully?”
I shake my head. “I already told you everything. I was lost in the woods with my boyfriend. We were just trying to make it back to town. To our campsite!”
He tsks and shakes his head. “See, I wish I could believe you. You look like such a sweet, young thing. So innocent.” He trails a finger down my throbbing cheek, making me wince. “But I’ve been fooled before. I will not be fooled again. You are nothing but evil.”
Tears fill my eyes, spill down my cheek. “I’m not.”
“What were you doing out there? What kind of spell?” he demands.
I shake my head. “Nothing. I was doing nothing out there. We were lost.”
All the air is forced out of my lungs as his fist slams into my stomach. I curl over, tears dropping onto my knees and as I gasp for breath. But my lungs had seized, unable to pull any amount of oxygen in.
A low snarl comes from outside the ring of light, a growl in a big chest that I know far too well.
“Do you really expect us to believe that you got lost? That you aren’t a fucking witch?”
I shake my head. “We really did get lost! We had no idea where we were!” Pain explodes in my face. Stars explode behind my eyes, followed by a rush of dark.
I blink awake, shivering from the water that was just splashed over me. Apparently, I passed out. My head throbs, even as the icy liquid did wonders to clear the fog from my brain. My eye feels weird, droopy. I realize this must be what it’s like to have swelling from being punched.
“What were you doing in the woods, witch?” The same gruff voice from before. “Tell us and we’ll go easy on you.”
I shake my head. There’s no way I’m falling for that. “Where’s Jack? What did you do to him?”
Rough fingers twist into my hair, pulling painfully, yanking my head back until I whimper. “Answer my question, and maybe I’ll tell you where he is.”
“There’s nothing to tell! Really, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I went for a walk with my boyfriend and got lost. The last thing we expected was to be abducted by someHills Have Eyestype mother fuckers. Please. I just want to go home.”
The hand in my hair doesn’t let up as another slaps across my face, not hard enough to make me pass out again, but enough to hurt like a bitch. The man leans over me, brings his face close to mine, as he grips my jaw with his other hand. “I know you’re lying. Do you want to know how I know?”
I don’t answer, because I think he’s going to tell me, anyway. There’s a spark in his eye, like he can taste victory in the air. “The cuffs on your ankles and wrists, witch. They glowed blue when we put them on you. Do you know what that means?”
I don’t know, but I can guess. Still, I say nothing. He leans over until his mouth is just over my ear and whispers like it’s a fucking secret. “It means that the one they’re holding has magic to be contained.”
