Page 8 of Dark Captivation

Oh, he was good. If this was a trick, he was an excellent liar. His eyes even glossed over as he spoke.

“When I left the underworld and came to Earth, I expected paradise, but all I saw was more cruelty. Here the rich take advantage of the poor while the poor die from starvation. The powerful enjoyed life from their high towers while the weak struggled just to survive. After seeing this world, I felt like I’d walked right into another hell… But then I met you.” He no longer looked through me, his eyes twinkled, appraising my face like I was made of solid gold.

I swallowed the wine in my mouth.

“Me?” I pressed a hand to my breast plate, and he nodded, taking my hand.

“I met you on a day when you were playing in the forest near your village alone. You were an innocent ball of energy, a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world. You befriended me. You showed me that there was beauty on earth. You taught me to love this world.”

He sounded so earnest and something in me wanted to trust his words.

“I don’t remember any of this. Why do you have all these memories while I’m here drawing blanks?” I asked.

“Something must have happened to you when the demi-gods attacked your village all those years ago. Maybe you sustained an injury to your head or something.”

“What do you know about the demi-god’s?” I asked as memories of my last interaction with Chasten, Blake and Payton ran through my mind. They all but admitted to killing my parents, deciding to keep me in the dark so I’d continue getting closer to them. They wanted me to think they were my friends instead of the evil monsters they were.

“The only thing I know is that after we met, we spent every afternoon in the forest together for almost a year.” He shrank inwardly as if the memory made him uncomfortable. “Then one day when I went to our usual meeting place, you weren’t there. I went into the village to find you. Your parents were dead, along with almost all your pack. You were gone and I’ve searched for you ever since.”

His story filled in some blanks I’d been trying to fill for years. When Alpha Prometheus found me, and brought me to his pack, I’d already lost most of my memories. The only thing I knew was that my parents had been killed by demi-god monsters. All of my other childhood memories were a faint whisper.

“Well at least you’ve told me more than Prometheus had. I always wondered why my old pack never came looking for me. I thought I was just an orphaned pup to them, unwanted and easily forgotten.”

“No. You were loved by your pack and by your parents. I want to make that absolutely clear.” He smoothed a hand along my forearm to comfort me. “Your community was a loving one. They took care of their own.”

His kind words were encouraging, the deep hum of his voice was lyrical and reassuring. It was like even if my mind didn’t remember him, my soul did.

“I can see that life hasn’t been kind to you, Sunny. The day your wolf awakened, it strengthened your ties to the magic realm.” He looked at me with pity in his eyes, like I was a frail treasure, easily broken. “Only then, could I find you in your dreams. I had hoped to find you happy somewhere, living your best life. But instead, I watched your nightmares, heard your cries night after night.”

“I never cried.” My shoulders raised as did my chin. “I fought, no matter what Prometheus and the elders put me through.”

“That was before. You don’t have to do it all by yourself anymore, Sunny. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m here now.” He cupped my cheek, wiping away a bit of sauce from my lip with his thumb. “I won’t let those vicious demi-gods lay a finger on you. You asked for my help in getting revenge on them for killing your parents. I haven’t forgotten. One day soon, they will be sorry they ever looked in your direction. I promise you.”

“You do know they’re my fated mates, right?”

His expression darkened. Shadows danced along the walls, dimming the once bright room. Cheer and joy fled as the temperature dropped several degrees as if magically compelled to do so.

He took a long breath, slowly shaking his head.

“I saw the red string of fate tying you to them when we first met in the dream world. Fate makes mistakes every day.” He said coldly. “Fate’s first mistake was taking you from me. The second was mating my bride to anyone other than me.”

Jealousy dripped from his lips like hot acid. Hatred burned in his eyes as an animalistic hissing sound snaked it down his tongue. His fists balled tight at his side.

If this was all some type of ruse to trick me, it was a damn good one.

I leaned back into my seat and took another sip of wine. “And just how do you plan to help me get my revenge?”

“All in due time, Dearest One. Phase one comes first.” He wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

“Phase one?” I downed the rest of the wine, knowing I’d prefer to be a little tipsy before he dropped another bombshell.

Looking me dead in the eyes he casually explained. “Now that I have you with me, it’s time to stop stalling. By this time Friday, I will officially wage war on the shifters, mages, humans and the demi-gods.”

I was shocked, wine spilling down my chin as I gasped.

“Are you okay?” Alarmed, he slapped me on the back.

I stared at him blankly. “Are you fucking crazy? My beef is with the demi-gods. Three of them in particular.” I held three fingers up, inches from his face. “What are you going to do that for? Millions would die.”

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