Page 6 of Malcolm

Ashe lifted her pale, thin hand and placed it on her knee. “I won’t let that happen. You’ve been the reason I’ve held on, a friend, an anchor, and my soul sister. With my last breath, I would send your soul to find peace no matter what. Remember that we share the blood and legacy of those who have overcome evil before, and there is no end to us as long as we hold each other's hearts.” She smiled, but Eliza couldn’t reciprocate. Instead, she felt her anger grow. If only she were stronger. If only she were a true witch. She bit her lip, as she’d done a thousand times before, in frustration.

She closed her eyes, but the warm press of tears on the back of her lids made her know that crying was inevitable. Ashe's shuddering breaths told her more than anything that her friend would soon leave her.

They’d barely fed them after their torture and left them to rot without any care.

The sound of a metal rod banging against bars had her looking up wearily, and her eyes met a dull orange gaze. “You two.” The demon guards stared at her and Ashe. She trembled, wrapping her arms tighter around her friend. “Take them.”

“No.” Eliza pulled her friend closer. “Stop.”

She knew she was powerless, but she had to do something, anything, to keep Ashe by her side. “Don’t!”

They rushed in, filling the space; she shoved and pulled at them, gripping her friend’s hand. “No, let her go,” she screamed, punching and kicking, as her arm stretched out as they tried to pull Ashe from her. “Don’t, please. Don’t. Leave her alone, I’m begging, leave her! Please!”

They ignored her cries as they jerked them apart. She frantically reached out for her.

“Ashe. Ashe, don’t go. Please don’t leave me.” She wailed as they dragged her friend away. Ashe didn’t cry or scream; she only offered her a soft smile as she was taken.

Eliza was roughly thrown down, her head knocking against the stone floor. She gasped, her dazed gaze searching the cell, “No—stop.” She whispered; they grabbed her by the hands and dragged her along the rough floor; as she was pulled out, the head guard lifted his short metal rod and brought it down on her body. She jerked with every solid hit; her cries of pain echoed out as the other guard held her arms, not allowing her to curl up.

With a pleasured gasp, he stopped beating her and licked his lips, looking down at her, “Take her to the professor. She’s fierce; she’s strong enough to be tied to a spirit.”

Eliza stared blankly ahead as she was pulled along. She knew she was in pain, but she couldn’t register it—nothing beyond the numb realization that she had no real power over her fate. She’d thought she was in control all her life, but now she could see that she had nothing at all.

The stone floor scraped along the back of her legs, and she watched as the lights passed. The sound of rushing water grew stronger, mixing with the occasional growls between the demons as they led her deeper into the prison.

After a while, she was dropped to the floor, and the two guards continued on following their leader to a closed door. With two knocks, a voice came from the other side.

“Have you brought me the other specimen?”

The door cracked open, and her eyes widened as the bright light covered her, and her eyes tried to make sense of the scene inside. Her lips parted, and she screamed.

End of Flashback

Her entire body ached.

“What were you thinking?”

She couldn’t move; her body felt like it was still under a thousand pounds of blankets. Every time she thought of shifting, her body would give up. If it weren’t for the fact she could feel the cold brush of wind against her skin, she’d have started panicking.

“I wasn’t,” a low masculine voice snapped; he sounded frustrated. “I couldn’t think. I just saw her and took her.”

“You’re an idiot. Listen, I’ve done a lot of dumb shit, but I am telling you, you are an idiot,” the British voice argued. “Did anyone see you take her?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, thank Zeus for that. Malcolm, you have to take her back.”

“I won’t.” The voice that had held a contrite note had turned stubborn. Eliza wasn’t sure who they were arguing over, but she held a small worry that they were talking about her. She tried to move again, and once more, she couldn’t. Her limbs were stuck.

How had she come to be here?

Where was she?

As her brain began filtering these questions, she felt her panic growing. She couldn’t remember anything. She frowned. The last thing she could remember was passing out cards at the poker table the night of the masquerade at the Shade.

Nothing else. It was like someone had turned the lights off, and now there was nothing but an echoing dark abyss in her head where memories should be.

“You’re being ridiculous, mate or not. She needs to be accounted for at the lab.”

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