Page 63 of Eldritch
Gods, please don’t stop.
I wanted him to feast on me until I was raw and aching.
His fingers dug into my thighs as he held me apart and I turned my head, noticing the rabbit still lay twitching on the floor.
An unsettling dread swept through me, as the poor creature stared back with those black, bottomless eyes.
Then it stilled.
A gut-wrenching scream ripped through the cabin, and I snapped my gaze toward Aleysia’s room. With only a glance at Zevander, I scrambled off the table, yanked up my trousers, and raced toward the door. Before I could reach the key hidden atop the frame, Zevander grabbed my arm.
“I should go first. She might not be the same sister you remember.”
I shook my arm free of his grasp. “I understand your concern, but she’s never seen you in her life. And you don’t exactly look all that friendly. If she’s awake, I want her to see me first.”
Lips pressed to a hard line, he let out a sharp exhale through his nose. “Fine. I’m going to stay right here just in case.”
Another scream bled through the door and I twisted around on tiptoes, frantically patting the top of the frame for the key.
Zevander snatched it first, handing it off to me, his brows tight with concern.
Scream after horrific scream rattled my muscles, as I slipped the key into the lock with shaky hands and threw the door open.
Inside, my sister was sitting up in bed. She didn’t appear distressed, as she slowly trailed her gaze over the room, her wrists still secured at each side of her.
When her attention finally landed on me, her lips drew into an uncertain smile. “Maevyth?”
Tears filled my eyes, blurring her form. “Aleysia.”
The smile faded as she seemed to study me. “Your eyes…they’re silver.” Her gaze lifted and focused on a spot just behind me—Zevander, I presumed—and she jerked against her binds as if startled.
“He’s a friend,” I assured, glancing back at him. Thankfully he’d washed the blood off his face earlier, or I suspected her heart would’ve likely faltered at the sight of him.
Aleysia’s eyes widened, and she kicked herself back toward the headboard, leaning as if searching past me. “Isshehere, too? The Crone Witch?”
Her reaction stirred my suspicions that Elowen may have been ill-intended when she’d thrown her into that pantry. “No. She’s not here.” Heart pounding, I crossed the room with slow and careful steps, despite every muscle urging me to run to her. To wrap my arms around her and squeeze until her bones popped. To cut loose the squeal of delight caught in my throat, because I’d never been so happy in my life to see those bright blue eyes again. But the surge of elation bubbling inside of me, yearning to be set free, remained tempered by my caution.
Though, at a glance, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her. In fact, she seemed quite calm, given the circumstances.
She tugged at her binds, her brows pinched to a frown as she stared down on them. “What is this?”
“A precaution.” I immediately went to work on the knot in her bind, while Zevander worked on the other.
Wariness shadowed her eyes as she watched him the whole time. Once the binds were loose, I settled on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay? Are you feeling well?”
Her brows knitted together. “You’re asking if I’m one of those things?” A quiver of fear clung to her voice.
If she was, I doubted she’d have had the mental wherewithal to tell me. “I’m asking if you’re okay, and if you need anything.”
“Food. I’m starving.”
I nodded, more tears welling in my eyes as the initial shock withered and reality sank into me. “You’re okay, then.” Urgency took over me, and I threw my arms around her, trembling as my emotions swallowed me. At first, she didn’t hug me, but then I felt her arms wrap around me.
“Where did you go?” she whispered.
The question made me smile. “You wouldn’t believe me, if I told you.” I pulled away and held her hand in mine. “We’ll catch up, but first, let me get you something to eat.”
“Do we happen to have any meat?”
