Page 80 of Ruthless Royals
“Fuck!” I screamed, letting out a war cry as I pulled harder. The darkness enveloped the room, an eerie chuckle coming from outside of the cell door echoed, as an aniccipere mocked my suffering.
I spotted a shadow in the corner, then noticed it was a cloak. As I focused, I spotted the red velvet crusted with dried blood.
This was where Salenia must have kept Sargon before killing him.
Salenia promised Olivia she would let me go, unharmed, but I knew her. She would not let me go. She knew I would never stop coming to save my wife. She handed Erianna to Salvor, and I growled, my imagination running wild with whatever twisted shit that creep was doing with her.
My yells echoed through the small chamber, reverberating off of the walls. I thrashed against my restraints, rattling the thick steel chains.
I had to break free, or die trying. Olivia needed me, as did Erianna, and I would never surrender and accept this fate.
I yanked at the chains again, sweat streaming down my arms and face. A howl bellowed from my lips as I pulled harder, the metal cutting into my wrist. My feet dug into the ground, and I roared. With a grating screech, the chains snapped from the wall, filling the air with sparks. I stumbled forward, my breaths shallow as I stared at my bloodied hands.
I'd done it. I'd broken free!
I ran for the door, Olivia's emotions radiating through, my rage fueling every step. When I reached the metal door, I slammed into it with the last of my strength, until the metal dented, and I ripped it from its frame. It clattered to the ground, and I stepped out. Before I could take another breath, two pairs of rough hands grasped my arms and wrestled me to the floor.
An aniccipere snarled, its jagged claws digging into my shoulder as I lunged forward, clamping my fangs around its wrist and tearing off a chunk of flesh. Its shrill screech echoed through the room, and it stumbled back. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and I didn't hesitate before pouncing on the creature, hitting it in the face over and over, until it staggered backward.
I'd never felt so animalistic. Adrenaline guided my next moves as I lunged for another attack, when Zach's voice cut through the air.
“Watch your back.”
Cold pricks of its teeth stung as the aniccipere sunk its teeth into my neck. Zach lifted his sword above his head, and I sped out of the way as he swung it down towards us. The blade sliced through the creature's neck. It crumpled on the ground, its razor-sharp teeth still twitching with its last breath.
“Anna's alive,” he said, letting out heavy breaths as we stared at the headless creature. “Well, sort of.”
“What?”
“I had to turn her.” His jaw clenched, and a heaviness settled in my chest. “I heard what happened to you.”
“From who?”
“Niall and Adrian, they sent a message through one of the Blood Brothers' clubs in the city.”
I'd never been so grateful for the bastards. I placed my hand over the bite mark, clamping my eyes shut. “Olivia did a blood tie with Salenia.”
He moved his head slowly back and forth, his eyes briefly shutting. They were rare, and dangerous. I'd never met anyone with one before, but I knew it eventually eroded them into madness after a few years—if they survived that long. Malum Dominor was notorious for using them against their enemies. That way their rivals couldn't kill them. They found their weaknesses, then using them against those who wished them harm, to force their consent to the ritual. It could only be done out of a person's free will, but it never really was, considering most were blackmailed into it.
“She’s at the castle and Salvor has Erianna.”
“There’s more than that.” He glanced over his shoulder. “More aniccipere will be coming. We can’t take them all on. Let’s get to the mountains. We can talk there.”
The crisp night air surrounded us as we tore the iron bars from the window, then jumped out. My wings exploded outward, the wind catching me before I could hit the ground.
Zach swerved behind me, and we raced through the sky, swerving past trees. Zach’s wings billowed out behind him, the silver mirroring the moonlight.
A sharp, icy gust of wind whipped past us as we soared higher, the castle fading into the distance. My heart raced, the rush of adrenaline propelling me further away from the suffocating darkness and toward my wife.
I lifted my gaze as the snow-capped peaks in the distance came into view. I urged my wings to push harder, feeling every muscle strain as I soared faster. Below me, the world blurred into a white oblivion, the frosty chill numbing the cuts and bruises on my arms.
We flew over a part of the forest on the other side of the mountains, the trees illuminated by powdery light from the moon, reflecting off the blanket of snow covering the branches.
The jagged outline of the mountains grew closer, and I looked at Zach, his long silver hair streaming out behind him.
Snowflakes tumbled around us as a blizzard picked up. My wings beat against frigid gusts of wind, and we reached the mountain range. Specks of orange light appeared on the horizon, as the castle came into view.
We touched down in a landscape of untouched snow. Zach unsheathed his sword and carefully wiped off each drop of blood with his shirt before sliding it back into its scabbard. “Asland’s ships have been circling the island. Many think they’re planning to attack soon. There are whispers of war in the city, brother, that Salenia has doomed us all. We can use that against her.”