Page 69 of Dark Captivation

I stalled, my chest colliding with what felt like concrete.

“Malek?” I rubbed the pain from my forehead.

The demon in shades and a blue shirt peered down at me, cracking his knuckles. “You know, I didn’t appreciate having my dinner interrupted. Someone ought to teach ‘Your Highness’ some manners.” His tone as he said ‘Your Highness’ overflowed with spiteful contempt.

“I thought this dimension was reserved for only Malek and me today.” I drew back from the man.

“That’s the problem with you royals. You think the world is your personal playground and the rest of us are just toys for you to play with.” He spoke with a thick Eastern European accent. With a flick of his wrist, a ball of hot white energy formed in his palm.

“You’re a mage, just like the assassin who attacked us in the castle,” I accused.

“He was only the appetizer. I’m the main course. Now where’s that fucking monster you call a king?” He spat on the ground as the energy ball tripled in size.

“Like hell I would tell you.”

Rage planted his legs wide, and he aimed the massive energy ball at me.

My shoulders cracked as I summoned the shift. Mellow stirred and I felt the transformation commence when I heard something.

Like a dark shadow, Malek materialized from the forest tackling the mage.

“Damn you! First my home and now here? Will your wretched kind ever give me peace?” Malek howled.

“You started this fight. I’m just here to end it.” The mage tossed the energy ball and it missed Malek’s head by inches.

A gaping black hole formed beneath the mage and Malek as they wrestled.

“The orb was only a distraction. He’s opened a portal, Malek!” I screamed.

Malek’s eyes switched to me, and fear simmered beneath them.

The portal sucked them both in like a black hole. The portal’s pull grew, pulling me toward it with incredible strength.

I fought the pull, but it was too strong. I plunged into the darkness, a strange otherworldly hum that only could be heard in the vast dark void.

Dark emptiness enveloped me as I reached out in vain to grab a hold of something.

A few flashing lights and male sounding yells echoed through the empty space. The bright lights grew, and I fell closer to Malek and the mage. They were below me, going at it blow for blow. Malek used his claws and fangs while the mage’s powerful blasts created a light show of epic proportions.

The three of us continued falling through empty space. That was what the mage wanted, he had us both trapped in this portal, right where he wanted us.

The real question was did this mage really think he could defeat a demon of Malek’s caliber? Even he had to know this was unlikely. So exactly what was his end game here?

The possible truth reared its ugly head. The mage had dragged us into his portal for a bigger reason than to trap us. Exactly where was he taking us? Would we end up in mage territory, surrounded by hostile enemies? Would they imprison Malek and I?

Malek called out to me, telling me this would all soon be over and not to be afraid. He and the mage persisted in their brawl as the air thinned and reality cracked around us. It was a signal that wherever we were going, I needed to brace myself because we were about to make a crash landing.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

LIVY

Araucous bang accompanied a crescendo of vivid colors. Light bent and broke around me as the dark dimension I fell through seemed to come undone.

My yells competed with the rushing wind. A portal opened up beneath Malek and the mage, appearing like a circle of white light in a sea of darkness. The men continued their battle as the hole sucked them in like breath through lips.

I waded downwards for a little more than a minute and electricity nipped at my skin. Soon, I was sucked through the threshold as well.

Strong arms caught me the second I fell through the portal. I thrashed about, my heart calming the instant I saw that I was safe in Malek’s warm embrace.

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