Madeleine“Do not speak to me as if you know better than I do. I will show Selene that the world is no good, that she is wrong, and that I was right all along.”That was what the lich had said to me before turning around and sending his pet serpent somewhere. And, I knew where it was going.Dread had filled my heart and I had tried to distract the lich in talking to me but it had not worked.His last line had sent an iced knife straight through my heart and somehow, I knew he had been talking to Hayden.The way he had looked at me with contempt knew that he wanted to aim for where it would hurt me the most. But I was trapped in this cave and had no idea where to go in search of Hayden.For now, I could only trust my instincts that Hayden was strong and that he would overcome every adversity.He had to…there was no other choice.As I folded my hands across my chest and worried at my lip, the lich suddenly said something.“Are you feeling bored? I have an entertainment show for you to w
MadeleineI sat motionless on the ground, unable to process what I had seen. My eyes were telling me that I was not dreaming but my heart could not accept it.No…not could not…my heart did not want to accept it.It was as if everything good had been wiped out of the world…everything that ever made me want to smile, to live…it was as if the reason for me to exist had been snatched away from me.All I could feel was sorrow, pain, and immense hatred.As I watched the snake swallow Hayden whole I got up from the ground and turned to look at the lich.He was clearly enjoying this and my sorrow was morphing into something deadly...something that would tear me apart but I could not care less.Hayden had gone down fighting and I was fighting till my last breath as well.Meanwhile, the lich goaded on the snake’s victory and snapped his fingers as the transparent wall was once again replaced by the solid wall.“Didn’t you love him? Wasn’t he your mate? How did your ‘love’ help him?”My eyes wer
MadeleineI was not going to be a part of the lich’s evil plan. There was no purpose for me to continue living as the pain of losing Hayden was still fresh in my mind, clawing at my heart, making it bleed.My werewolf blood helped me lessen the physical pain but the hurt that I felt at losing Hayden right in front of my eyes was too much to bear.Thus, I ran towards the dagger and caught it before either the serpent, the girl or the lich could react.“I obviously can kill myself and be free of your underground prison”I held the dagger to my throat and I felt his cloak ruffle.“Yeah, I know you need me alive, and I am not going to give my blood to turn your wretched plan a reality. Both the serpent and the girl tried to move toward me and I held the knife close to my throat.“Ask them to back off, or I will plunge this knife into my throat”I warned as I tightened my grip around the dagger’s hilt, making my knuckles almost turn white due to the pressure.“Perhaps this will put some se
MadeleineAfter hearing my cries of begging and pleading, Leo was finally freed of the lich’s hold.He fell to the ground with a sickening thud and I meant to rush to him but the girl held me back.I was feeling so angry that I again used my elbow and drove a punch straight onto her nose.She stumbled backward and fell to the ground and this time, her hair fell to the side, revealing her face for the first time.I was just getting up from the ground but Leo’s face drained of all color as he stared at the girl.I turned to look at him and then the girl not knowing what was going on.He raised his hand in a disbelieving look and asked her, “W-what? How?”The lich once again cackled and asked in amusement, “Oh, I see that you still remember her.”Leo did not look at the lich but at the girl who was now getting up from the ground. She got up on her feet but with that same mechanical way as if she was a robot.“Who is she?” I blurted out without thinking.The way the color drained off his
MadeleineHis voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I awaited the next wave of horror, he was going to unleash upon us. The rest of my family was still dangling up in the air and I could feel their bodies pale as the snake’s coiled body was slowly cutting off the blood flow towards their legs.“Put them down”I didn’t plead or beg but simply stated. He did not even take a minute and simply ordered the serpent to do so.It hissed obediently before letting all of the others go. I rushed towards them and all of them collapsed on the ground.The serpent simply let them fall from such a great height instead of lowering them gently. But then I could not expect the lich or his pet to be nice to my people.Charlie and Ben were shocked but they still could get back on their feet. Raine on the other hand was pale as a white piece of paper. She had been silently crying all this time and made no effort to even move.“Raineeeee…” I cried as I could see her eyes grow heavy. She was the strongest o
Madeleine Both I and Leo looked at each other and had the same feeling of dread plastered on our faces. That one word said by Hayden was enough to tell us what the lich had done. He had given back the memories they both had of each other…of when Hayden had been in love with Cecelia. The old wounds that had scabbed were now being freshly scraped as our feelings and emotions went haywire. Hayden got on all fours as he scooted himself towards Cecelia. He threw Leo a confused look as if wondering why was a stranger holding the girl he loved in his lap. He looked into her eyes and asked, “Cecilia, what happened to you?” His voice was soft and filled with emotion and the gentleness with which he spoke ate at my heart. She looked at him, and her eyes mirrored his emotions. Hayden caressed her cheek and parted her hair as if he was her mate, not mine. Though I knew he was not my guy, it still felt odd to see him be so gentle and tender to someone who was not me. A hot wave of jealous
Madeleine My eyes flicked to Hayden who was still passionately kissing Cecelia. His hands had begun roaming through her body, into her hair, and would soon start…no, I did not want to imagine that. I looked away and the lich said just one word, “Enough” As if the two had been snapped out of something, both of them stopped kissing. Hayden had begun to draw back but Cecelia pulled him closer and captured another kiss, tugging at his lips before letting go. A devilish grin was on her face, lighting her eyes with desire and lust and the look on her face scared me. Hayden’s back was towards me so I did not know what his expressions looked like. And, I did not want to know either. I just felt relieved that they were not eating each other’s faces anymore. “Just send my family back home and I will stay here with you, willingly. Don’t hurt them and I will help you with your plan.” “Nooo” Almost everybody shouted the moment I uttered those words. But I could not bear the thought of the
MadeleineMy eyes adjusted to the dim light outside that was a bit brighter than the cave and the view of my home greeted me.My home.The property I and Hayden had selected to live forever…happily ever after.That also brought back the painful memory that it was going to be my wedding gift. In a week, from a recently married girl, I had become a mateless widow.Despite knowing that I would get no reaction, my eyes flicked to Hayden. If he could recall what this place had meant to us…of what it was going to be to us…our future.I blinked back tears and looked at the ground. This was the very place from which he had taken me inside, dragged me to the underground with him.And, this place was the starting point of his return. The very place where Amanda had realized his presence and the occultists did their rituals to raise him.Obviously, this place would mean a lot to him too. It was funny how one single place could have such polar opposite meanings for two different beings.To me, it