Page 54 of Daughter of Shadows and Ash

Their dark muttering grew closer as they approached, brandishing another needle that caught the torchlight.

"Touch me, and I'll ensure you all suffer," I snarled, thrashing against the chains while they loomed above me, lips twisted in a cruel smile.

"Oh little pet, you won't live long enough to try."

The needle pierced my skin like a shard of ice, and liquid fire spread through my veins.

"You're the key I've been waiting for." Their words blurred at the edges as darkness crept into my vision, the potion dragging me down into another imprisoning slumber.

My captors'words echoed through my mind, wearing away at my hope like water on stone. I began to question everything – my memories, my feelings, even my own worth. Each taunt, each cruel reminder of my isolation carved deeper wounds than their physical torments ever could.

In the rare moments of solitude, I'd stare at my hands, willing my shadows to appear. But the magic that had once been an integral part of me remained frustratingly out of reach, like trying to grasp smoke. The emptiness where that power used to reside felt like a hollow cavity in my chest, another reminder of everything I'd lost.

"What's the point?" I murmured to the cold cell, my voice cracking.

"Pardon?" Rasher's deep voice drifted through the silence.

My stomach churned with acid recalling the document my captor had shown me—the one detailing Ryn and Ingrid's involvement, my throat closing with each strangled breath. The memory of his citrus and sandalwood scent turned acrid in my mind, a mockery of everything we'd shared.

The thought of her triumph sent rage coursing through my veins like poison. My nails carved bloody half-moons into my palms as her mocking laughter haunted my thoughts, a phantom sound that refused to fade.

Weariness crushed me beneath its weight, turning my limbs to lead and each breath into a battle.

Freedom became a cruel mirage, shimmering just beyond reach, mocking me with promises it would never keep.

No doubt she was reveling in her victory, celebrating my imprisonment while she claimed what was mine. What should have been mine.

Drawing my knees to my chest, I pressed against the stone wall and gazed at my only ally in this wretched prison.

"What was the point of any of this? The marriage. The mate bond." My voice cracked with bitterness. "If they only wanted to use me, to claim my body, why bother with the charade?"

Nothing made sense anymore.

"They'll tear you apart and leave nothing but scraps," Rasher said, his shadow stark against the iron bars.

"Keep your wits sharp. While there's breath in your lungs, there's fight left in your soul."

I huddled against the frigid stone, a broken thing seeking comfort where none existed. Reality pressed against my closed eyelids, refusing to grant even the mercy of temporary escape.

In that moment, surrender whispered through my mind like a poisoned caress.

The shadows that once answered my call now pressed against me like a shroud, suffocating and cruel. They whispered of failure and loss, of hopes crumbling to dust on my tongue.

Chapter 39

Ilay there, broken and defeated, when a familiar voice echoed in my mind. Maël's voice, from so long ago.

Get up, little hunter. The fight's not over yet.

My eyes snapped open.

Memories crashed through me like a tidal wave - Maël, the village, Grandmother. Every face I'd lost kindled something fierce in my soul.

"No," I whispered, pushing myself up. Survival blazed through my veins like wildfire.

My legs shook as I rose. The cell tilted and spun, but I locked my jaw and forced the world to steady.

"I still have debts to collect."

---