Page 86 of Alchemised
All this time, Helena had thought her imprisonment terrible. Now she was left guilt-stricken by how little she’d had to endure.
The house was quiet, the conversation a buzz several rooms away. She slowly headed back to the west wing, still in the stupor of horror.
She was almost around the corner when she heard footsteps pounding behind her.
She turned just in time to see a blur. Something struck her.
The breath left her lungs as she was slammed to the ground, head striking the wood floor. The world swung out of view, the arched ceiling a cavernous maw hanging above her.
She lay half dazed, trying to breathe as the thing on top of her righted itself, revealing the face of Lancaster.
“Got you,” he said, panting, his weight pinning her in place. He laughed quietly. “Who knew slipping off to take a piss would make me so lucky? Ferron always has your wing crawling with his thralls. I didn’t know if I’d ever reach you. Had to get a party big enough to keep ’em all busy.”
His thumb dragged across her chin and cheek, his breath hot and thick with wine. “Fuck. Look at you. You’ve filled out since last time.”
Helena’s head was swimming. Do something.
“If I was Ferron, I’d keep you chained to my bed.” A hand slithered down to her breasts, squeezing hard, and then harder. “You were supposed to be mine. I’m the one who caught you while you were busy gutting Atreus. When I saw you in the ruins of the lab, everything in flames, the sky blazing, and all those thralls around you. You looked like Lumithia born from fire.”
Helena tried to shift and twist free but couldn’t make her arms move properly. She wanted to scream, but knew he’d smother the sound too fast. She had to wait for the right moment.
He leaned close, whispering, “I should have been made Undying then; they wouldn’t have caught you without me. But you disappeared. I won’t lose you this time. We’re finally going to have our fun.”
Helena’s heart was slamming against her ribs. She bit her tongue, biding her time.
One chance.
“You’ve heard me scream plenty now,” he said huskily. “I wonder what it sounds like when you do.” He laughed softly. “I guess we’ll have to stay quiet for now. Don’t want Ferron interrupting us again.”
He reached into a pocket, fumbling as he searched for something.
Helena rammed her hips up, knocking him off balance, slamming her elbow into his jaw. She scrambled up, pain searing through her wrists as the core of the manacles bit against muscle and bone. Agony lanced up her arms.
She ran. The door at the end of the hallway was closed. Her hands were on fire, and she could barely feel the knob, fingers fumbling, scrabbling for purchase.
Her head was wrenched back as she was dragged away by her hair. Stars flashed in her vision, and an arm crammed hard over her mouth when she tried to scream, a thick coat muffling her terror.
“Clever little bitch.” He dragged her backwards a little farther and jerked her head to one side. A needle sank into her neck.
CHAPTER 16
SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT ABOUT THIS.
Helena’s thoughts were dim, struggling to arrange themselves as she was dragged across the floor and shoved into a dark corner.
“Don’t make a sound,” someone said.
A shadow closed in. A mouth pressed against hers, thick and wet, the tongue pushing past her teeth until she choked on it. A sharp pain consumed her lip, hot, salty blood filling her mouth.
“I’ve got to get the gate open. Wait here,” said the shadow, but then it lingered, closing in and around her throat.
Her fingers twitched, spasming. Sharp pain like a fresh wound radiated up her arms as teeth sank into the side of her neck. Her body jerked. A hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her scream.
The shadow finally let go. “Wait here. Don’t make a sound.”
She sat. Pain clustered along her neck and shoulders. When she tried to brush it away, her hands grew sticky and wet.
A thought dangled just out of reach as she sat waiting in the dark. The shadow came back. She tried to speak, but the shadow clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her outside. Both moons were nearly full, hanging like two luminous discs in the black.
