Page 83 of Live Like Legends

Lilith had gotten one of her loyal Enchanters to come stitch up my wound, only for Dimitri to come and tear it open again. There was never a moment to breathe. There was less time for my thoughts. Lilith would laugh along with him, at the way my resolve was crumbling.

Was it crumbling, though?

No,noit was sturdy and it could withstand all the torment.

Icouldwithstand it.

I would nearly choke on the copious amounts of blood he would show me inside my mind. My shadows would shift and caress my body as I was put through his torture over and over again. The light peaked out this last time, more than normal. It didn’t like this, it hated my pain. As much as the shadows were my shield, the light wanted to offer me some sort of barrier as well.

Dimitri’s green eyes sparkled with delight at the way the light threaded through my fingers. He leaned down and went to touch my hand. The light at my fingertips sparked against him and hereared back, shaking his hand as if it stung. He didn’t have an upset expression when he stood back up. His face looked almost as if he was delighted. “Marvelous.”

I brought my hands to my chest as I turned away from them. My reopened wound stung, my face hurt and my neck felt raw and mistreated.

I wanted a way to get Garrett’s family away from here so I could just eliminate this Dimitri problem all together. At this point, I didn’t really care much about myself, but they didn’t deserve this. My head hurt too much to be able to think straight. My body ached with every move I made and I missed when I didn’t have so much to lose.

I wasn’t weak, but I wasfuckingtired.

“Are you ready to surrender, pretty girl?” He sounded so close to me, but I knew he wasn’t. He let his voice echo off the walls and right in my ear.

Lilith’s laugh echoed along with it. “You are being far too kind, Dimitri. She is stubborn, rightfully so. Waiting for that precious little angel to come and save her, it's sweet really.”

Dimitri huffed, but the sound of him conceding had my ears perking up. “Bring me one of the children.”

Lilith hummed. “Why not just bring both.”

Dimitri snickered and I looked over my shoulder. He spoke to one of his guards that stood outside the cell. “Excellent idea, bring me both.”

My heart thundered in my chest and though my limbs were sore, everything inside of me barreled on without glance at my pain. I winced as I quickly spun around, my palm heating at the amount of upset and agitation I felt. Lilith had her back turned to me, but I felt the throat clawing scream that released from my mouth as I held out my hand, the calculated explosion of light shrouded in darkness releasing itself.

The magic hit her back, spreading itself along her skin and I heard a sizzle that popped, like music to my ears. Lilith was hurled against the wall and I huffed out a breath. My arm shook as if I was feeling the after effects of my decision. Lilith whipped her head around, her face full of fury and pain. She narrowed her eyes at me as she stalked towards me, but I shoved her back with my shadows, pinning her against the wall. I pushed her back with so much force, that the destroyed skin on her back scraped against the stone.

Dimitri doubled over in laughter, reaching his only hand out and I felt a phantom hold on my neck, my blood starting to boil. My shadows ceased and Lilith was let go. Before she stormed over to me, Dimitri held her back the same way he did me. “Now, now, what do we have here?”

He’d given Lilith a pointed look as if to saystay putwhile he held me in place, seated on the floor with no more than his heated magic surrounding my throat. He gave me a full grin as he stared down at me. “Was that so hard?”

He still looked at me but was speaking to the remaining guard at the door. “Keep the children where they’re at.”

Lilith huffed, but didn’t make another move.

I felt like my blood was going to start leaking from my pores with how violently it raged inside of me. Dimitri didn’t let up. “A little behind schedule, but you always do what you’re told, don’t you?” He smirked at me, then released me from his hold. “Next time you can aim all that power at something that matters.” He turned around, placing his tattooed hand in his pocket, sauntering past Lilith as if he hadn’t just insinuated that she was nothing.

He nodded his head towards the open door, silently telling her to follow him. “We must set up a meeting with Lucifer and my father. Our little monster has decided to finally be oh so forthcoming.”

My blood settled and all the pain flooded back to my body. I held my hands out in front of me. They were almost blurry with how much they shook. I would kill Dimitri, Ifuckingwould. And if I had to go down with him to do it, then maybe it would be worth it.

I thought I heard panting outside my door as I laid my body down on the bloodied stones.

Panting and the rapid thud of a tail.

Axel led us around the side of the building, causing Reese and I to have to duck under some low hanging branches. No one had said anything about how we planned to get in there, find Dani and get out, but it seemed like Elise and her hellhound had this under control.

Reese had other ideas. “You do know that we can’t just pop in and out like Axel, right?”

“Yes, Blondie, I am well aware.”

“Okay, so then?—”

Elise turned around so fast that we both collided with her. “I am honestly really not in thefuckingmood for your questions. Would you like to get into this Hell prison or not?”

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