Page 53 of Midnight Deception

I brush down my rumpled, day-old dress and walk around her. “Luna, I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Something tingles in my gut when I say the words, but I ignore it, determined to make my own way to the training room and give her a break. “Atlas is there, so you don’t need to stay. It’s pointless for you to walk me all the way there and then come back.” My argument seems to be working, as her shoulders droop and she smiles tiredly.

“Go rest. I’ll catch up with you later,” I tell her with a smile, and then I walk down the hallway without her, feeling her heavy stare on my retreating back. I don’t check to see if she’s coming or not, since I’m pretty sure she’d cave and insist on taking me if I did. Embodying the dark presence within me, I walk confidently until I feel her gaze shift off me before her quiet footsteps move in the other direction.

Smiling to myself, I walk down the long corridor, following the pull in my chest. I’m not sure at what point I started considering Luna a friend, but that seems to be what she is to me now. She was one of my abductors, though I’ve learned now just how much choice she had in that matter. While she follows the queen’s orders, she tried to protect me the other day and got hurt as a consequence. I worried about her while she was away, and seeing her today filled me with relief, not to mention the fact that I get comfort from her presence. That’s what friends do, right? Surprisingly, I feel less conflicted about it than I thought I would.

I don’t pass anyone as I move through the hallways. That in itself is strange. While the corridors never seem to be busy, I usually see at least one or two witches.You’ll see them the closer you get to the training hall,then you’ll be wishing you were alone again, I tell myself, unsure why I’m feeling uneasy. I’m sure it’s probably just because I’m not used to walking around by myself and the spat between Nicolai and Atlas this morning set me on edge.

However, the farther I go, the worse the feeling becomes, and even the presence within me becomes restless. Slowing to a stop, I turn around, seeing only an empty corridor. No one’s following me, and there’s no one ahead. I shake my head at myself for being so jumpy. Even so, I call Star to me, watching her manifest at my side. Sensing my distress, she falls into a defensive position before she’s even fully formed, her ears back as she searches for whatever has caused me to feel like this.

I bury my hand in her fur, feeling better just by having her with me. It will probably cause a disturbance when I come across other witches and they see me wandering around with my wolf at my side, but I honestly don’t care. Feeling stronger and more confident, I continue to walk, taking the left corridor when I reach a junction.

I’m about halfway down the corridor when my instincts flare to life, warning me that I’m in imminent danger. Star is already snarling, her fur standing on end as she shifts into position behind me.

I wipe my clammy hands on my dress, moving into a defensive stance as I turn to see whatever has Star so worked up. Every touch and sound feels amplified, my dress scratchy and the air around me cooling my sweaty skin. My breath is loud in my ears, and every little noise makes me jump despite the fact that I can’t see or hear anyone.

Even so, my instincts are screaming at me now, telling me to run, obviously sensing something that I can’t. However, I hold firm. I won’t go running through the halls with my tail between my legs because I got spooked.

“Star, come,” I call, turning back to face the way I was walking.

I see a shadow in the corner of my eye, stopping me in my tracks, and I look back at the hall behind me. Star is snarling again, her lips pulled back over her sharp fangs as she attempts to protect me.

The air suddenly becomes icy, my breath misting in front of my face as the metallic tang of magic fills the air. I’m not alone, that’s becoming clear now. I curse myself for forgetting I’m surrounded by witches. It’s very possible that one of them has been following me this whole time, cloaked by magic. I swallow against my dry throat and try to keep myself calm. If I panic, then I won’t have a chance to control my magic and all hell will break loose.

Picking up my speed, I hurry forward, attempting to look more like I’m striding with purpose rather than running away from an invisible threat. I’ve still got a fair walk before I reach the training hall and there’s no one around to help if I need it, so I’ll just have to look after myself. Gritting my jaw, I embody all the strong females in my life and refuse to let my fear show on my face. Nicolai’s concern hits me then, slamming into me as he senses the change in me. I attempt to reassure him so he doesn’t cause a scene by trying to get to me. Nicolai gave up everything for me, so I know he’d find a way past his guards to get to me. The block that’s over me doesn’t help much with that, though, making communication difficult.

Magic suddenly flares around me, and an almost invisible shield appears, blocking my path forward. Thankfully I sense it before I walk straight into it. The presence within me wakes and warns me of the shield, making it clear that touching it is not a good idea. Heart pounding, I look around for any clues as to who’s causing this and spot another barrier behind me. I’m trapped.

Something shifts within me, my instincts wanting to take over. Usually, I’m wary of anything trying to remove my control, especially because that’s what I’ve been working so hard to achieve while I’m here. This time though, I follow my gut, and with a deep breath, I allow my power to rise. A strange rush fills me, and all the hair on my arms stands on end. Slowly, I step up to the barrier and raise my hand, calling my magic to me. I have no idea what I’m doing, especially since the darkness inside me just warned me about touching the barrier, but I let my instincts take the lead here, knowing that Star has my back and will protect me.

My power swells and almost seems to hesitate as I reach out to touch the barrier. My fingers are just inches from the invisible shield, and the magic reacts, pulling towards me and bending to me like a magical magnet.

However, before I can touch it, a flurry of motion occurs beside me, and I lose my concentration, my magic snapping back to the well of power within me. Hands land on me, and I’m dragged backward. I stumble, expecting to smash into the wall as the stone gets closer, except that never happens. At first, I can’t figure out what’s going on, as I appear to be in another hallway, but then it hits me—my ambusher cloaked the entrance to this corridor and laid in wait until I passed by, blocking off my exit and snatching me into the hidden passageway.

A hand covers my lips, and a gag is quickly shoved into my mouth and tied tightly around the back of my head, muting any ideas I might have of crying out for help. My hands are tied behind my back, and I struggle to move as an arm comes around my shoulders and over my throat, banding me against them.

Twisting and fighting against my assailant, I try to throw them off, using my werewolf strength. He doesn’t even shift, which shouldn’t be possible. Even as a female wolf, I should be strong enough to break his hold, but he doesn’t even grunt with extra effort.

Two more figures appear seemingly from thin air, clad in black. They don’t bother to hide their faces, which is seriously bad news for me as that tells me they don’t plan on me walking away from this, so they don’t have to bother keeping their identities secret.

It doesn’t even occur to me until I see the glowing magic in the hands of the two joining us to use my power. Cursing myself, I reach for it clumsily, willing it to come out and form a shield. A shield begins to expand around me, but my concentration snaps as the male’s grip tightens over my chest. Star viciously attacks him and bites his leg, but again, this doesn’t seem to have any effect on him.What is going on? Panic swells within me, and I force myself to concentrate. I’ve faced much worse odds than this before. I can survive this. Reaching for my power again, I force it to appear before me, but with a simple swipe of his hand, the male on the left manages to cut through it.

Somehow, the male holding me is immune to my werewolf strength, and Star’s attack seems to do nothing against him. Bound and unable to free myself, my only other hope is my magic—the thing that I’ve suppressed over the years. Now when I need it most, though, I can’t access it, leaving me at the mercy of my ambushers.

A scream of frustration and fear rips from me. I know it’s pointless, the gag muffling the sound, but I am unable to stop myself as I twist and tug against the male restraining me. Now certain that I’m unable to escape or hurt them, the two newcomers step forward and lift their glowing hands, lighting the whole hallway in a bluish hue. It casts a strange light on their faces, making their eyes look hollow and less human. The one on the left grins, his expression manic, and I brace myself. He looks like he enjoys hurting women. In fact, he reminds me of Grove, an alpha from a rival pack who mistreats his females. He had it out for me in the werewolf trials and tried to hurt me on many occasions.

The smirking witch makes a jerking motion with his hand, and the ball of light he’d been growing between his palms slams into me.

I thought I’d experienced pain before, but that was nothing compared to this. Even though I braced for it, knowing he was going to hurt me, I was in no way prepared for this. Every nerve ending is on fire, and a scream is ripped from me, my back bowing as I twitch and jerk in the male’s grip. The agony seems to last a lifetime, and when it finally begins to fade and I can take a full breath, another ball of light hits me.

It’s impossible for me to reach for my power, as the pain dominates every thought and desire I have. I’m struggling to control my breathing and not let my bladder loosen and humiliate me. Over and over, he hits me with the balls of light until my existence becomes pain. I have no idea where one hit ends and another begins, only that my body is quaking and my chest is burning as I desperately try to survive.

If they continue like this, I’m going to go mad. I can already feel my mind threatening to fracture as the agony eats away at my sanity.

Release me,the darkness inside me insists urgently, slamming against the barriers I’ve built around it.

The voice is quiet, like it’s been buried and is having to shout through the pain to be heard. I’ve never heard her so concerned before, and I’m sure that letting her take over is a terrible idea that will end in death. Even though these males are hurting me, I’m still reluctant to murder them, which I’m sure is what the darkness has planned for them.

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