Page 108 of To Crave Deeply
LORI
The dungeon was vile. It smelt like rot and human filth, and I gagged as soon as I stepped in it. With all the beauty surrounding Strigavallis, I’d expected this to be slightly more pleasant. Then again, Violette could be one Hell of a bitch when she wanted to be and, in all honesty, that she wanted to punish her victims in a vile place didn’t surprise me.
The deeper we went, the worse the smell got.
“How much further, Iveri? I’m starting to taste the smell.”
Alec laughed at my comment. I was glad he was here, but if he was going to enjoy my discomfort, he could fuck off.
“We have to go all the way down. The worst ones are in the darkest part of the dungeon,” Iveri replied.
Of course they were. Where else would they be?
Iveri walked out in front and Alec followed me. After speaking with him earlier, I was less worried about him. I’d thought he was going to wake up screaming and struggling with too many emotions, but he seemed to be navigating them all as if they were new. I suppose being without emotions for so long, you would forget the name of them all. He just had to relearn them, and I would help him with that. I’d just have to make sure he knew he wasn’t on his own through this, that I was there if he ever needed someone to talk to.
He seemed more pensive since he awoke with his heart, always in deep thought as if analysing everything he was thinking and feeling. I just hoped that he didn’t overthink things because that was when panic started to set in.
“Here we are,” Iveri called, interrupting my inner monologue.
There was barely any light down here. The wall sconces flickered with a weak glow and all I could see were the bars in front of me. The cage beyond them was pitch black.
I looked at Iveri. “Is there anyone in there?”
“According to the Witch Queen, this one is the worst. Murdered his whole coven in a fit of rage. Including his family. There is a lot of blood on his hands. He’s scheduled for execution in a few days.”
“Execution? Are we in the Dark Ages?”
Iveri fixed me with a cold stare. “He’s much too dangerous to keep alive. It’s supposed to be death by the Witch Guard, but Violette will let you steal his soul instead.”
“Great,” I murmured sarcastically. I didn’t want to do this. My stomach churned at the thought of devouring a soul. The demon was practically drooling, and I hated to admit it, but Selene had been right. There was a part of me that enjoyed the darkness the demon brought, and that little part of me was clawing my insides to get to the surface.
I turned away from the cage for a moment and tried to gather my thoughts and stop myself from emptying the contents of my stomach.
Alec stepped in front of me, the light catching his eyes and making them shine in the darkness. “Hey, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m here. You can do this.”
“I know, I’m just worried that if I do, I’ll enjoy it. That’s what scares me.”
“Look, the Sin Reaper is just a part of you. She’s not all of you. Doing this won’t change everything about you. You’ll still be Lori after this. You’ll still be you. And you’ll still be the girl that I want to be with.”
A sob cracks in my throat. “How can you be sure?”
“Because I know it in here.” He grabs my hand and places it upon his steadily beating heart and it takes everything in me not to crumble and weep. “You’ve got this, Lori.”
“I’ve got this,” I replied with a shaky breath.
“The cage is warded so he can’t do magic. He won’t harm you,” Iveri said helpfully.
I squared my shoulders and turned back to the cage. “Okay, demon. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I took a mental step back and released the reins on the Sin Reaper. She slithered into my skin, and I felt my senses sharpen immediately. Everything intensified and a sudden elated thrill zinged through my veins as I walked towards the door to the cage.
The door opened automatically, no doubt magically warded to let me in to execute the prisoner, and I stepped into the darkness as the door swung closed behind me. My eyes searched the cage for the witch, and at first, I didn’t see him. It wasn’t until I heard the slow, steady heartbeat coming from the corner that my eyes stumbled upon the figure sitting casually upon the floor.
He didn’t even seem aware of what he’d done. I couldn’t sense his remorse or guilt.
“He doesn’t feel anything,” I called to the others, my voice deeper with the demon in control.
“Then you have to make him feel it,” Iveri called back. “Make him relive it and force him to acknowledge what he’s done.”
