Page 76 of Dark Captivation

The punishing water just kept rushing, blinding me and stinging my fragile skin. He moved through the gardens, towards the woods on the north side of the palace grounds.

“Chasten!” I bellowed and he stopped under the arc of two tilted trees that sat on the rim of the pitch-black woods.

He turned and faced me. “Don’t trust him, Livienne. Do not trust the Demon God.” Chasten’s ghostly form spoke eerily. “Get away from him and stay away!”

“Are you dead!?” I asked and he stared back at me blankly. The Chasten I knew had always been so warm, a smile permanently drawn on his face.

This being in front of me was a shadow of the man I knew.

A shriek rebounded from the palace’s direction distracting me. I looked back, quickly returning to Chasten but he’d vanished leaving no trace. The screaming continued from inside the palace making me wonder what the hell was going on in there.

The thunder rolled uncontrollably, lightning brightening up the night’s sky like fireworks.

A bolt struck a nearby tree, splitting the trunk in two and setting it ablaze. The broken off section, twisted in the wind, cutting a path for me as it fell.

The flaming wood shot for me. I stumbled over the slippery grass and stones, trying to get out of the way.

Strong hands lifted me, moving me so fast that all I saw was a blur. Next thing I knew, Malek held me princess style. We watched the smoldering trunk hit land, from a safe distance away.

“What in the world are you doing out here?” He demanded, his face heavy with confusion, his enormous figure rocking with fury.

“Someone is screaming inside the palace. Did you hear it?” I asked, not wanting to mention Chasten to Malek. I was half sure I’d hallucinated him anyway.

“It’s just the restless yells of palace soldiers, eager for battle.” He avoided eye contact.

Or soldiers battling PTSD, I thought but didn’t say.

“Are you-Are you crying?” he swiped his finger under my eye.

“No, it’s just the rain.” I lied. I was so shaken up by hallucinating Chasten, the tears pricked behind my eyes. Seeing him brought back memories and emotions I preferred stayed buried.

“Hold on tight.” He straightened himself, carrying me inside the palace.

My face touched something cold on his chest. I saw it was the large green pendant he had offered me from his treasure chest. His mother’s necklace, the one I refused before running away.

We still haven’t discussed that little incident and I wonder if Malek was upset with me over it.

Upstairs, Malek bypassed my room.

“You passed it. My room is back there.” I pointed out.

“We’re going to mine.” He said like he was telling me and not asking.

We entered his room. He wrapped me in the biggest, fluffiest towel I’d ever seen, and he rested me on his massive bed.

“Give me a minute. I’ll turn up the heat.” He looked for the remote and clicked it a few times while pointing it at the electric heater.

“What in the world possessed you to go outside in this weather?” he asked as the hot air began filling the room.

“I thought I saw someone out there and that they needed help, but I was wrong,” I lied.

“Well next time, please call me first and I’ll come with you.” We worked a towel through his hair and dried it.

I sneezed, rubbing my nose in the towel. I dried my hair and visually explored Malek’s room.

The room was large, three times the size of mine. It was well decorated and stately, bearing a mild smell of lilac. Dark wood was everywhere. The bed head, canopy, bedside table and dresser drawers were all made of it, giving the room a rustic feel.

The ceiling was higher than any other room in the palace with portraits of demons I assumed were either his family or historical figures adorning most of the walls.

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