Page 1 of Her Gargoyle Captor

1

SERENA

Chapter 1

Serena

Branches whip across my face as I tear through the forest. My lungs burn, desperate for air. The voices of my pursuers echo behind me, their cruel laughter sending chills down my spine.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," a silky voice calls.

"We promise to make it quick," another taunts. "Well, maybe not too quick."

Their laughter rings out again, closer this time. My heart pounds in my chest, threatening to burst. I can't outrun them forever.

"Found you, pretty thing," a voice whispers right next to my ear.

I scream, whirling around. A dark elf materializes from the shadows, his eyes glowing with malice. Without thinking, I grab a fallen branch and swing it with all my might. It connects with a satisfying crack.

"You little bitch!" he snarls.

I don't wait to see if I've done any real damage. I bolt in the opposite direction, crashing through the underbrush. The full moon hangs overhead, but its light barely penetrates the thick canopy. Shadows dance at the edge of my vision, playing tricks on my mind.

My foot catches on an exposed root, and I stumble. Pain shoots up my leg as I crash to the ground. I scramble to my feet, but my ankle throbs in protest.

"I can smell your fear," a voice purrs from the darkness. "It's intoxicating."

Panic claws at my throat. I limp forward, each step sending spikes of agony through my body. Branches scrape my arms, drawing blood. I collide with a tree trunk, the impact knocking the wind from my lungs.

"Please," I whimper, though I know it's futile. These monsters have no mercy.

The forest seems to close in around me. Every shadow holds a potential threat. My chest heaves as I struggle to draw breath. How long can I keep this up? The dark elves are toying with me, prolonging the chase for their own sick amusement.

Hope slips away with each labored step. I'm lost, injured, and alone. The inevitability of my fate settles over me like a shroud.

The trees part, and I stumble into a moonlit clearing. My legs give out, and I collapse at the base of a massive statue. Obsidian wings glitter in the pale light, a strange beast frozen in time.

Pain lances through my arm. Blood seeps between my fingers as I clutch the wound. Those bastards. They stabbed me to make me easier to track. Like I'm nothing more than prey for their sick game.

Rage and betrayal burn hotter than the pain. How could he do this to me? That lying, spineless weasel I called a boyfriend.Sold me out to dark elves to cover his gambling debts. I hope he rots.

My vision blurs. No way out now. Not like this, bleeding out at the feet of some forgotten god. It's over. I'm done.

A memory surfaces, unbidden. Mom's face, radiant and kind. Her smile could chase away any darkness. One of the few memories I have left of her.

Will I see her again, wherever I'm going? The thought brings a strange comfort as my eyes grow heavy. Maybe there's peace waiting in the Abyss after all.

A bone-chilling screech of stone jolts me from my daze. My heart leaps into my throat as I scramble back, eyes wide with terror. The statue - it's moving.

Glowing blue eyes flicker to life, piercing through the darkness. The beast's limbs twitch and flex, stone grinding against stone as it awakens. Those otherworldly eyes lock onto mine, and I can't breathe. Can't think. Can't move.

Before I can process what's happening, voices cut through the night.

"There she is!"

"Nowhere to run now, little mouse."

The dark elves burst into the clearing, wicked grins stretched across their faces. My blood runs cold. I press myself against the base of the statue, desperate for any shred of protection.

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