Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 689(@200wpm)___ 551(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
The crippling atrophy of her legs, hands, fingers, and arms left her gnarled. She lay on the cold floor, naked in a heap of torn flesh and broken bones, shivering as the bitter winds screamed through the rocky cliffs, while Cerberus ate meat off the bone of some kill.
She didn’t remember entering the cave or much that happened after her fall. She only knew she wanted to die. By this point, she gave up hoping that Juniper had heard her cry, and she was certain her future would only get worse.
Bite marks left dark patches all over her battered body. He drained her of blood, ensuring her cells would not heal. The tissue around her organs had withered and tightened to a brittle husk, so even the shallowest breaths strangled parts of her.
He tossed a bone into the pile by the entrance of the cave. Flames licked at the shadows of the stone ceiling, but she was too far from the fire to feel its warmth.
It hurt too much to cry or shiver, so she simply retreated to a numb part of her soul. Her body might still be whole, but her mind had fractured some time ago. Inside, she was screaming through the gaping void of time with no relief in sight. Her eternity belonged to him now, and she would live in agony, under the command of a monster.
Clouds rolled overhead marking time. Darkness flickered in the distance as a storm approached. At this altitude, one might think they could touch the heavens, but she was in hell. Only evil existed here.
Thunder rumbled over the sea and wind howled through the moors like a chorus of tormented souls. She wished it were the voices of angels coming to take her away.
The jagged walls sparkled where water dripped. The crystal sediment reminded her of Juniper, and the pain in her heart formed a steady throb that never dulled.
Starved, weak, and broken, her mind teetered on the edge of collapse. But her heart shattered days ago, when she accepted she would never see Juniper again.
I’m sorry… she wished she could tell her how much she wanted a life with her, a new beginning, and a chance at happiness. But those things were never meant for her.
“You think someone could love you?” Cerberus taunted, tossing away another bone. He easily penetrated her mind once she was injured and weak . Once he embedded himself there, he could see everything she saw and hear every private thought. “Perhaps I’ll find your little friend. We can have her for dinner one night—the two of us.”
Her eyes closed but the horrific image lingered. She tried her best not to think. Like a fire without oxygen, she tried to starve him out of her mind.
His low chuckle challenged the howling wind as he walked to the entrance. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, girl.”
Looking out over the black sea, his silhouette loomed like specter against the blustery night sky. Nothing was out there. Time was losing meaning. No one was coming to save her.
His crimson eyes gleamed with malevolent satisfaction as he glared at her, his foot sinking hard into her stomach. He enjoyed her suffering too much, and it would only get worse.
“I own you now, girl.” He stepped on her wrist, applying pressure until the bone snapped, and she whimpered. The cruel lines of his face twisted with sadistic gratification as he watched her struggle to breathe. “Your will, your mind, your very existence. All of it belongs to me.”
He laughed, and Adriel’s gaze flickered with a spark of defiance.
“You have something you want to say to me?” he bent closer, mocking her as if he cared about what she wanted to say. “Of course not, because you’re weak! You’ve always been a contemptible cunt.” He spit on the ground.
She closed her eyes and breathed, “You…”
He stilled and grinned. “What was that?”
She panted through the pain, forcing her mouth to form the words. “Will never… have all of me.” He would never have her heart.
Cerberus cackled darkly, the chilling sound echoing through the cavern. “Your heart? If I wanted your heart, I’d cut it out of you.” He sneered, wrenching her head back by her hair as he stabbed his claw into her flesh. “I could eat right from your chest while your arteries are still beating—but I’d never let you fully die.” He dropped her head, letting it smack on the stone floor. “What fun would that be?”
He faced the entrance again. “Keep your heart.” He dragged his razor-sharp claws down the cave wall. “I prefer you alive. Although…” He glanced back at her, his fangs gleaming. A small bite wouldn’t kill you.”
Her breath hitched as he was once again slicing into her chest. “I could cut you open here.” His claw scraped down her breast with scalpel-like precision. “Steal a hunk. Not enough to kill you, but enough to make you suffer.”