Page 44 of Betrayed in the Dark
I press my fingers into the side of my temple. “It hurts so much.”
My head. My heart… Yeah, especially that one.
Eli turns, removes his shoes, and makes himself comfortable on my bed, leaning against the headboard. “Come here.” He pushes my blankets aside, making room for me to join him.
Not wanting to overthink things, I get into bed and wrap the covers around me. He places a pillow on his thigh, and I instantly lie down, resting my head on his lap. His fingers gently begin to massage my scalp.
It feels heavenly.
“How is this?” he asks softly.
“This… This feels great. Thank you.”
A few minutes pass, and I feel myself starting to doze off when Eli’s voice awakens me.
“Madeleine?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“Do you hate me?”
The vulnerability in his words squeezes my heart a little harder than I can handle, leaving me defenseless.
I could lie to him.
I could tell him yes and hope he never asks me again.
It would make things easier.
It would keep him away from me, guaranteeing nothing comes between Alastor and my wedding.
But instead, I tell him the truth. “No, Eli. I don’t hate you,” I breathe. “I wanted to. I tried to. But I never could.”
“And do you, Madeleine Alarie, take Alastor Manacorda as your lawfully wedded husband? To obey until death do you part?”
My heart pounds beneath my rib cage as I absorb the priest’s words. “Obey?” I shake my head. “These aren’t the vows I agreed to—”
Alastor’s fingers wrap forcefully around my neck, cutting off my air supply. I claw at his hands, trying and failing to pull them away from me as he sneers down at me, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he watches me suffer under his touch.
My eyes dart to the audience in panic as I struggle to break free from his grip. Every face watches me, appearing unaffected by what’s happening.
“H-help,” I try to scream, but my voice comes out hoarse and practically inaudible. I look at my brothers, who view the scene with boredom in their eyes.
Is no one going to save me?
Tears streak down my cheeks as I feel my last breaths on the cusp of vanishing. My eyes close as I wait for death to take me before suddenly, the doors at the back of the church crash against the wall. My eyelids flutter open as I turn to look and see Eli striding through the entrance.
“Get your hands off of her!” he roars, every person in the church turning their attention to him.
Alastor laughs cruelly, his grip tightening, his fingers digging agonizingly into my flesh. “No. In fact, I think I’ll kill her.” He squeezes harder, completely closing my airways when—
I jump up, clasping a hand to my heaving chest, my breaths coming out labored and heavy. My eyelids flutter frantically as I look around the space, immediately recognizing my bedroom.
I’m safe.
“It was just a nightmare,” I whisper, brushing my hair back from my damp forehead before I bend my knees and hug my legs against my chest, rocking back and forth.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had this recurring nightmare. One where I feel entirely helpless, immobilized under Alastor’s touch and power. But it was the first time that someone actually tried to save me.
