Page 46 of Monstrous Grave

On the morning of the sixth day, as the woman is led back into the basement by a Grimaldi made man, I notice she’s freshly clean, but new bruises mar her skin, coloring her cheek green and purple. Blood drips down her fingers, landing on the floor, revealing two of her nails have been ripped off from her fingers. Anger boils within me at the sight, simmering just beneath the surface.

“Bitch,” the made man snarls as he chains her to the wall again, making sure to step on her hand and making her whimper before quickly concealing that she even made a sound.

“Hey, asshole!” I shout at him, my head pounding, but it’s now or never—now’s my chance to get my hands on this forsaken family.

His eyes snap to mine. “What?” he snarls, coming over to me.

I meet his gaze with defiance, and he doesn’t like that because he reaches out to grab me in a bruising hold. I grit my teeth, feeling the woman’s eyes on me, and for a moment, I meet them while the made man is busy staring me down. She has a broken piece of a mirror in her hand, and giving me a silent nod, she scoots it over to me.

Summoning every ounce of strength within me, I drive my knee into his groin, causing him to double over with a cry of pain.

“Fucking bitch,” he groans.

I take my chance, clutching the glass shard the woman sent my way before I aim for his throat. It tears through his flesh with a sickening sound until blood gushes, and he splutters and gasps for air. He falls above me, hands clawing at my throat, and I fear he might kill me before he dies himself.

I’m choking as he restricts my flood of oxygen, but I hold out—feeling his grip loosening.

The Grimaldi made man collapses to the ground, life draining from his vacant eyes. He’s dead, and I’m one step closer to taking them all down.

“There’s a key in his pocket,” the woman says, her voice not the least bit affected by the horrors that have transpired.

I swiftly search his pockets until my fingers close around the key. It slides smoothly into the lock of my chains, and with a satisfying click, the restraints fall away. I scramble to my feet, turning to the woman as I unlock her chains as well.

Wordlessly, we share a nod of understanding before springing into action, creeping toward the basement door in a desperate attempt to free ourselves. Adrenaline surges through me, making me unaware of the pain trying to sink me under the surface of lava.

But then, the door suddenly creaks open with an ominous sound that sends a chill down my spine. I freeze in place, seeing Peter Grimaldi standing before me, his eyes blazing with unleashed fury.

Behind him, his associates hinder any chance of escape, and panic surges through me. He’s supposed to be with the Ivanovas now. I curse inwardly, feeling the first onslaught of pain searing through my battered body when they attack. Each blow is a cruel reminder of reality—how I got Viper back after years of believing he was dead, only to lose him again.

What I wouldn’t do to be in his arms again…

I’m pushed to the ground, a sensation of lightning lashing across my already torn-up back as my resolve crumbles under despair.

In this very moment, I come to terms with my grim reality.

It’s all fucking hopeless.

Chapter 20

Arcane

“Move it, bitch,” the voice behind me snarls, anger lacing his words as I turn to face the unknown woman.

Our eyes meet, and despite the impending doom approaching us, her gaze is comforting. We’re being punished—I sense it down to my core as we’re led out of the desolate basement room and into an unfamiliar blacksmith’s shop, still inside the manor. The woman visibly swallows, her face gradually paling as if she’s faced this ordeal before.

Tragedy hangs in the air, polluting it with its presence.

“Is it time to babysit us?” I snap at the associate leading us into the room, where two men await.

I try to struggle against his hold but, fuck, he’s much taller than I am, his strength overpowering my weakened body. With only one glass of water a day and enough food to keep me alive, I’ve been left starving for seven days.

The boundaries between reality and an illusion have started blurring together into a maddening haze, making me spiral into an abyss that seems endless. I guess that is what dehydration does to you—leaving you unable to think clearly, wallowing in your despair.

The walls I so carefully constructed around my soul over the past few years are gradually crumbling, revealing only the shell of who I am in the depths of this agony. I once believed everything would be okay again when the Valentis took me in and protected me like one of their own. I never thought they would be the ones to betray me, using me as leverage for power. Did my friendship with Alec mean nothing to him? I’m such a fool for ever trusting someone again.

I can do nothing when the man hooks the woman to the ceiling, her arms bound high, forcing her onto her tiptoes. Her eyes are vacant as if she tuned out reality and finds herself in a nonexistent world within her mind.

“I said, move it,” the voice commands, shoving me until I tumble to the floor inside the blacksmith’s chamber, knees thudding painfully against the surface.

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