Page 54 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
What if I never got out of this place?
Drip.
My skin crawled even more. Once upon a time, the sound of rain had calmed me, but not anymore. Between my wolf’s desperation to break free and this noise, I felt damn close to insanity.
I paced around the cave, desperate to find a hint of something that promised escape. All I accomplished wasreinjuring my feet and hands and remaining in agony. The only bright spot was that I received two loaves of non-moldy black bread and two waterskins a day.
I would kill for a steak, a hamburger, or some chicken. Any meat.
My toes hit a pile of loose rocks, and I stumbled, almost dropping the half loaf of bread under my arm. I didn’t want to risk leaving it for the guards to spot, because I was sharing with Elias. The bread blended in with my gray wool dress, so if a guard checked in, he wouldn’t see what I was doing with it unless he looked just as I was slipping it to Elias.
I bumped against the cave wall, hitting a spot where a sharp piece of rock jutted out a few inches. I grunted but held myself steady so I wouldn’t fall on the scattered pebbles below.
My wolf tried to surge forward, desperate to get out of her captivity. If the dripping didn’t send me over the edge, my wolf would. I’d heard the stories of what happened when we shifters caged our wolf too long, and they all ended with insanity.
The sound of feet and arms scrabbling at the stone caught my attention.
Elias was back. My heart lunged into my throat. How bad off would he be? Each time he returned from being drained, he was quieter and more shaky.
Breaths rasped against the stone.
Knowing the guards, they’d do anything to find a reason to beat me, so I needed to make sure it was Elias and not one of them pretending.
I crouched in front of the crack in the wall, steadying myself against the cold, damp stone. The hem of my wool dress dipped into the pool of water. As the damp fibers clung to my skin, I tried to ignore the itching and be grateful for the warmth the wool provided.
I tilted my head to peer through the thickest part of the crack. “Who’s there?”
“Me,” Elias rasped, and the scraping noises became louder and more disjointed.
A huge lump lodged in my throat when I saw him. Elias lay face down in the tunnel with one hand outstretched and digging into the stone floor, as if he were mustering the strength to drag himself forward. His back trembled with each breath, a shiver running beneath the skin. His fingernails scraped on the stone as his fingers twitched. His skin had a grayish pallor that couldn’t be blamed on the bad lighting. My heart twinged, and I clutched the bread closer to my chest.
I couldn’t rely on Many-Greats or Vad to get me out. Elias was running out of time. "If you can make it to me, I saved a half loaf of bread for you again.” I tried to sound a little upbeat, but my effort fell short. “We should probably file a complaint with this restaurant.”
He laughed weakly, his face still turned down, and his voice muffled. “Restaurant. Such a strange word. What does it mean?”
“A place that has a long list of different meals you can choose from. When we get out of here, I’ll take you to one.” I tore off a chunk of the thickly crusted bread and pinched the edges to make it easier to slide through the crack.
He craned his head, then shook it weakly. “Keep it,” he whispered. “Don’t waste it on me.”
I scoffed and pressed closer to the wall. "Don't be ridiculous. We’re in this together. Besides, you need it more than I do."
He grunted as he struggled to push himself into a seated position. Blood trickled down his arms, and his loose skin jiggled under the ragged gray garments hanging loosely on his bony frame. As he settled himself, his arm centered into the peephole, and I could see that his flesh was a mass of twisted bruises and collapsed veins.
The bread I’d eaten earlier lurched into my throat, the bitter yeast drying my mouth. The tubes they’d pierced his body with to draw his lifeblood from him had left behind bloody tracks on his chest and shoulders. The four-claw tattoo on his neck had disappeared into a large bruise where someone must have grabbed him and held him in place.
“No.” His throat bobbed. "Can't take much more of this. One, maybe two more sessions of draining, and I'll be..." He stopped himself.
Words failed me. I struggled to swallow as despair crushed me, choking me, though I pushed it down. “Don’t talk like that. We’re both getting out of here. You’ll see.”
Part of my promise was selfish, because I couldn’t bear the thought of being trapped down here alone. My wolf was about to go insane. I needed at least one other person down here.
He tilted his head back so that it rested against the wall. “After you get out, please…find my brother, Holn. He works for the Ignis King in the Fire Palace as a hexwright. We’re estranged, but he’s all the family I have left. Tell him what happened. But only if it won’t put you at risk.”
The request sent a chill through me. I wanted to comfort him, but the words died on my lips.
Ember’s face flashed into my mind. Many-Greats had told her I was all right. But what if I died here and I never got to tell her I loved her, or got to make brownies with her again? My lower lip trembled, and my wolf whined in response.
She was right. I wasn’t going to give in. They wanted to break me? Fuck them. I wasn’t going to let them. I’d see Ember again, and I’d hug her and Ryker so tight. I’d see Vad. too, and I’d kiss him and tell him I loved him. And Elias would see Holn again.
