Page 88 of Visions & Shadows

“Don’t you dare, Alchera!”Raighne shouts, making me flinch.

“I have to.”I close my eyes and focus.“I’m sorry.”

When I feel his warmth fade away, my pain increases drastically, and I suppress the sob building in my chest.

Suddenly, a blow comes out of nowhere, slamming into my stomach, and I double over as I gag.

Just as I manage to suck in a painful breath of air, I’m grabbed by the hair and thrown across the floor.

Scrambling to my feet, I assume a fighting stance again while screaming, “Show yourself, you fucking coward!”

Ares appears a few feet away from me, and I get my first good look at him.

He’s the same height as Raighne and has the same dark hair. He locks his dead blue eyes to mine, then hisses, “I will give the orders here.”

He disappears, and I feel the frosty bite of his aura right before his entire body slams into mine. He knocks me hard into the wall, causing unbearable pain to vibrate through every inch of me.

I clench my jaw to keep a cry from tearing free.

When he steps back, I slide down to the floor, and I barely have enough strength to lift my head, never mind climbing to my feet.

Ares grabs me by my hair again, and when he starts to drag me to the middle of the room, I grip hold of his wrists.

When he lets go of me, I look up, and seeing he’s tying a rope to a hook hanging from the ceiling, I try to scramble away from him.

I’m grabbed by the back of my neck and hauled into the air.

“Stop! Please,” I sob.

I don’t want to, but I can’t help looking at him, meeting his eyes. I can’t find any sign of emotion, and it scares me more than anything has scared me before. They’re completely empty and devoid of life.

“Why?” I whimper as he forces my arms up.

I try to fight, kicking and yanking against his hold, but he’s so much stronger than me, and I only manage to knee him in his side.

Ares throws me back down to the floor and wraps his hand around my neck. He squeezes hard, cutting off my air supply. I try to take a breath, but nothing gets past his grip on me.

I hit his arm, then try to rip his hand away, but I’m not strong enough.

“Alchera!”Raighne’s voice slips through because I’m too busy fighting for my life to block him. I feel his familiar warmth flood me.

Ares narrows his eyes on me and shakes his head.“Get out of her!”he hisses inside my mind.

A chill sweeps through me, and I force myself to stop fighting so I can focus on blocking Raighne.

Ares yanks me up, and when he ties the rope tightly around my wrists, I can’t stop the whimper from escaping my lips.

“No. Questions. No. Nothing!” Ares spits the words through clenched teeth.

He gives the rope around my wrists one last look before he vanishes right before my eyes.

I’m hanging inches above the floor, my body shaking violently, when I feel Raighne’s warmth again.

“I wish I could trade places with you.”Raighne’s voice is raw with emotion.

I glance around me, taking in my surroundings.

Jesus, I’m royally screwed.

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