Page 133 of Rescued By the Beast
"Now I'm going to make her suffer," he says grimly. "But not before forcing her to break her curse."
Chapter 37
Mark
"Expergiscere," Balthazar murmurs.
In the next instant, the witch groans, her head, which had been hanging to one side, now straightens, and her eyes slowly open, blinking in the dim light of the room. Her breathing is uneven, her chest rising and falling as if she has awakened from one nightmare only to fall into another.
Gradually, consciousness hits her like a cold blade. Her eyes widen as she realises her situation. Trapped. She pulls at her arms, but the thick ropes bite into her skin. She turns her palms, pressed against her sides, slightly in our direction. The ropes prevent her from aiming properly, but she quickly concentrates her magic on them nonetheless.
"Ictus pugni," she whispers as she casts her spell.
The magic ricochets off our protective seals, spreading through the air with a bang that reverberates through the windows of the house.
There is a sharp thud, one of her eyelids becomes swollen and bruised as she is thrown backwards along with the chair, falling heavily to the floor.
"Ah!" Her cry of pain echoes through the room, then she begins to writhe in a vain attempt to break free.
When she fails, her frustrated grunts turn into laughter, a maniacal and strange laugh that only grows louder.
"You're trapped, witch, there's no way to escape," I say, walking slowly towards her.
Her eyes widen when she sees me standing in front of her, she tries to free herself again, writhing, which only makes her more tired and tightens the ropes around her even more.
Her eyes dart in every direction she can see, and when she finds Sandra, she bares her teeth and bites the air in a threatening gesture.
"You," the witch shouts, her eyes fixed on my partner. "You shouldn't be here. You'll regret this."
Then, out of nowhere, she lets out a laugh. Cold. Insane. The sound reverberates through the room like the crack of breaking glass, and something about the way her mouth opens too wide, her lips stretching into a broad, sickening smile, makes my beast growl inside me.
In one swift movement, I grab her hair and pull hard, lifting her body along with the chair.
She screams in pain.
Adrenaline boils in my veins. I lower myself until our faces are close, so she can see the promise of destruction in my eyes.
"I know it was you who cast the curse on my partner," I murmur, my voice deep and threatening, laden with restrained fury.
The witch continues with that twisted, insane smile of hers. But for a moment, something flashes across her eyes.
Something like fear.
Good.
She really should be afraid of me. She will suffer greatly before I finish her off.
"Yes, it was me," she says in a defiant voice, her smile still intact, even though tears are now streaming down her face.
I reach out my hand towards her, my primitive strength taking over every movement. My beast breaks free, my claws lengthening as I grab her neck with fury, squeezing hard.
The witch begins to laugh even more strangely, her nails clicking against the chair where she sits, tapping her long nails like a nervous tic.
The irritating sound echoes through the room along with her insane laughter, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Break the curse, now!" I order in a roar so fierce that the windows in the room shake.
"I don't want to," the witch laughs, but now her laughter is strangled.
