Page 50 of Unbinding the Demon
Ashton held my back against his front with his arms wrapped around me, as we stood among the many people. I sipped my wine while watching the first performance, feeling quite comfortable since he was with me. Three queens were on stage acting out a scandalous but rather funny Three Fates act. As the show went on, Ashton and I both laughed at the absurd performances.
He suddenly stiffened behind me, his grip growing tighter before he let go. “I’ll be right back. Stay exactly where you are and don’t move a muscle,” he spoke against my ear in an unreadable tone.
“Wait? Where—” Before I could finish asking him where he was going, he slipped into the crowd with a laser-beam focus on something and then disappeared.
Where the actual fuck does he think he’s going!? Is he seriously leaving me all alone like this!?
My breathing became rapid and uneven as a wave of anxiety crashed over me. I was all alone in themiddleof a very crowded crowd of strangers.“Oops, sorry.”A random man bumped into me from behind, causing my drink to slosh. I felt extremely vulnerable without Ashton acting as a human wall behind me, and in an attempt to not panic, I guzzled down my entire drink.
Come on, Ashton! Where the fuck are you!?
I knew he had asked me not to move, but I was practically hyperventilating and needed to get the fuck out of the crowd. As I began trying to weave my way through the sea of bodies, I started to feel disoriented. My head began to pound, and the room started to spin. I felt a man pushing me in a different direction than where I wanted to go, but I couldn’t stop him because everything was becoming a dizzying blur. The lights flashed in my sensitive eyes as a large hand wrapped around my wrist and started pulling me toward the back exit.
Am I having a severe panic attack? Or was my drink really that strong? Who the fuck is this guy? Where is Ashton?
My witch hat fell off as I was dragged out through the heavy metal doors and into the dimly lit back parking lot. It was pouring again, and lightning struck in the distance. My feet splashed through a rather deep puddle as I was hastily pulled along. I shivered from the cold and coughed up a warm liquid. My eyes widened in horror when I looked down at my hands, where I saw the rain gently washing away blood.
I’m coughing up blood? But how?
The man grabbed my shoulders and began pushing me toward a large navy-blue SUV. “Did you get the right girl?” I heard another man ask over by the car.
“Yeah, the demon was behaving affectionately and protectively toward her, making it easy to figure out which girl to grab,” the one holding me replied as I coughed up more blood—a lot of it.
“You idiot! She’s coughing up blood? How much of that stuff did you put in her drink? She’s no use to us if she’s already dead!” the other man shouted, his voice laced with anger. I looked up and saw his blurry silhouette standing next to the SUV.
“I put in extra because I didn’t think we’d have enough time before the demon returned! But then she chugged her whole fucking drink!” the man behind me exclaimed in a defensive tone.
Oh god, I’ve been drugged... and these guys are kidnappers.
“You’re a fucking fool! If she dies, then everything the clergy has done will have all been for nothing!” The other man sounded downright furious. “Where’s Roger? We need to go before that damned thing comes after her!”
I was internally freaking out. I wanted to run, but my intoxicated body was betraying me. Blood trickled down my chin as I continued to cough uncontrollably.
“I don’t think he’ll make it out alive. He was distracting the dem-aurghhle!“
The man’s words cut off with a gurgled scream. There was a loud crunching, squelchy noise, followed by a sickening pop. Warm, thick liquid splattered across my back, mingling with the cold rain. The hands that were gripping my shoulders limply slipped away, and something thumped onto the ground beside me. The man in front of me distorted his face in complete horror.
Something flew toward him, as if someone had thrown it with an underhand motion. The object thudded on the pavement and rolled to the trembling man’s feet. Once it stopped, I realized it was a severed head that looked as if it had literally been ripped right off the body. Part of the gruesome, broken spinal cord stuck out from the bloody, tattered neck. What looked like claw marks marred the face, stretching all the way from the cheek to the short, wet hair that clung to his forehead. Their dead, tormented eyes remained open with a look of terror frozen in them.
“Huh?” Feeling quite dizzy, I looked down next to me and saw the headless body lying lifelessly on the wet pavement. Blood oozed out from the mangled neck hole and trickled into the puddles.“No, no! No, no, no, no, no!”I wanted to scream, but all I did was scramble away and then fall over against a car in a weak fit of panic. My eyes fluttered shut as the sounds of deep, vicious growling and harrowing screams echoed in my head.
I managed to open my eyes once more and saw Ashton pinning the other man against the side of the hood. He was growling threateningly like a beast in the man’s face, revealing large, razor-sharp fangs. His eyes were burning like embers and filled with venomous rage. The man was screaming, with tears rolling down his cheeks, as he desperately tried to squirm away.
Complete horror filled my soul as Ashton lifted a clawed hand and then tore upward through the man’s stomach. Blood and raindrops flowed down his tattooed forearm as the man screamed out in agony. He snarled as he ripped his arm back out, disemboweling the man and spilling his steaming, bloody guts all over the cold, wet pavement.
It felt like I was in a hazy dream, trapped in a drugged stupor. My eyes were growing heavier by the second, and my legs gave out. As I slid down against the car to the puddle-ridden ground, my blurry gaze shifted over to where the bartender was watching from his car with a paled face and terrified expression. I was fighting desperately to keep consciousness as everything faded to black.
My hand shot up to shield my squinting eyes as I fluttered them open. Rays of bright golden sun shone down upon my face, glimmering through the vibrant green leaves above. A warm breeze gently caressed my body and danced through my wispy bangs. I blinked a few times as I sat up and adjusted to the light, looking around at my surroundings in confusion.
I was under an enormous ancient oak tree. It had giant twisted boughs that majestically branched out, spreading cooling shade with its big leafy fans. Elegant ribbons of Nordic runes and Celtic symbols were carved into the aged bark, wrapping around the trunk and branches. Various lucent crystals and colorful flowers adorned the base of the tree. English ivy lovingly stretched its spiraling tendrils up along the trunk, the pointed leaves fluttering in the breeze.
Upon further observation, I noticed I was wearing a white flowy dress. I sat on a lush patch of clovers in the center of a ring of red toadstools and forget-me-not flowers. I appeared to be in a small summertime glade with a narrow shimmering stream peacefully winding by. Springtime birds sang their enchanting songs in the distance. Vibrant butterflies flitted around me, leaving behind sparkling trails of magic dust. I held out my hand and dreamily smiled as one landed on my finger for a moment. Then it peacefully fluttered away... And then, I snapped out of my beguiled daze.
Where the actual fuck am I!?
Slight movement caught my eye, drawing my gaze a little further up the stream. Sitting next to a mossy stone well was a beautiful woman adorned in a long, flowing violet dress. The sunshine illuminated her auburn hair like a flaming halo as it cascaded down over her shoulders to her waist. Her emerald eyes were transfixed on the pool of still water that rested within the well.
“Aunt Elowynn?” My voice was a whisper in the wind as I stared in utter disbelief.
