Page 69 of The Hellbeast's Betrayal

“No… No… he left me! He left me to die!” she shouted, making me jerk my head back in shock.

“No! Baby, that’s not what happened, the battle, you wanted to leave…”

“Enough!”she screamed before suddenly she was in front of me again, this time pinning me to the wall, before snarling,

“My HellBeast is dead!”

I started choking, having no choice but to try and pry her wrist back to free me, something that prompted her to toss me across the room once more. This time I crashed into a wardrobe, making clothes come spilling out. The outfit I had created for her was torn on the floor, just like her memory of me. Because Garmr had done something other than just giving her back her powers.

He had changed her.

I held my stomach as I coughed through the pain, broken pieces of wood around me from the destroyed furniture. I staggered back to my feet, knowing now that it was no use. She was too strong, and I couldn’t fight her.

I wouldn’t fight her.

Although I could stop her… She flew at me, her fist heading towards my face, and I grabbed her hand, catching this time as part of my HellBeast. Then I told her,

“Your HellBeast isn’t dead, sweetheart!”

At this her eyes widened as she looked to my hand in shock. A flickering of recognition made her glowing eyes simmer down, before she spoke a single word, enough to give me hope.

“Cerberus?”

I closed my eyes as relief flooded through me. But then, the moment was quickly stolen from us, as Garmr entered the room.

“I see we have found ourselves an intruder,” he said, snapping Ella back into her controlled state, the Summoner in her blazing forward as she grabbed my neck and actually lifted me from the ground. This was before slamming me back against a broken mirror. Then she stepped away, her powers taking her place and effectively keeping me pinned there, as she was now free to walk up to Garmr.

“You’d get Ella to fight me, you fucking coward!” I growled, making him sneer at me.

“But this is so much more fun, for I did offer your head on a platter as a gift for my Queen. But I must say, I didn’t expect you to deliver it yourself,” he replied, making me snarl.

“Fight me!”

“I think not, no, this is far more fitting but before your end, I wish you to see who she truly belongs to… show him, my dear,” he said, and I was forced to watch as my Ella wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, pouring everything into it. Her fingers fisted in his white hair as she pulled him closer. The sight was one of the most painful I’ve had to endure, and one that had me trying to fight like a madman against the power of her souls.

“Mmm, delicious, my love,” Garmr cooed.

“You controlling bastard! What have you done to her!?” I snarled, making him grin.

“I did nothing but show her who she was always meant to be, her true self, with no HellBeast mongrel holding her back!” he snapped, making her suddenly jerk back a little.

“HellBeast?” she questioned, making Garmr grit his teeth.

“It is an expression, my dear,” he told her, making me narrow my gaze at them both. As it was true, she believed I was dead. Whatever version of Ella this was, it was like time had reversed. As if this was the Ella Garmr had first taken.

He must have made her believe I had left her to die, that I myself had died because Cerberus wasn’t at the gates. I knew this when my own beast wined inside of me, begging to be let out. But I couldn’t, not here, because if she attacked us, then I didn’t know what he would do. She could accidently get hurt. Which was why I had to try and reason with her.

“He lied to you! Ella… Anástasi!” I said her name, making her gasp. But Garmr gripped her chin and pulled her face back to his.

“He lies, he is not who you think he is, he is an intruder trying to kidnap you, to steal you from me again!” he told her, making her growl demonically.

“No! Anástasi, you need to listen to me, he has manipulated you!” I tried but it was no use. I could see Garmr’s red eyes glow as he held her gaze, then what he said next fired ice into my veins.

“You love me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she said, and it was like being shot in the fucking heart, but no more so than when she replied to his next question.

“Then kill him for me.”To which she looked back at me, her eyes lost once more to the darkness inside her.

---