Page 16 of Silent Oaths
“Weshould stay here a little longer,”Valeriamutters. “Thenwe’ll head back to the main hall.Ineed to start looking for clues.”
Iswallow hard.Mychest feels tight, my pulse still racing.Myearlier bravado feels like a distant memory.TheconfidenceIclung to now feels like a cruel joke, slipping further away with every passing second.
Then, a group of masked men strides past us, and my stomach twists violently whenIcatch the glint of metal in their hands—knives, long and wickedly sharp.
Whatthe hell?
Theyaren’t just playing a game.They’rehunting.
Agasp slips out of me beforeIcan stop it, andIclamp a hand over my mouth, but it’s too late.Oneof the men halts mid-step, his head turning slowly toward us.
Myblood runs cold.
It’sTheodore.
Evenbehind the mask,Ican see the faint sneer curling his lips.Hiseyes sweep the area, lingering just long enough to make my skin crawl.Ipress myself against the wall, willing myself to disappear.
Theodoreshrugs after a moment, turning back to the others.Theycontinue down the corridor, their footsteps fading unnaturally fast.Theyshouldn’t have disappeared so quickly.Thecorridor ahead is long and straight—there’s nowhere for them to go.
“Val…”Something’swrong.
“Whatthe hell?” she whispers.
BeforeIcan process it, one of the brothers reappears, stepping from the shadows like a phantom.Hishand clamps down on my arm, andIscream, the sound tearing out of me beforeIcan stop it.
“Isabel!”Valeria’svoice is sharp with panic, butIcan barely register it.
Theodore’sgrip is like iron, unyielding as he drags me forward.Ikick and thrash, trying to break free, but it’s no use.Hisstrength is inhuman, as though no amount of struggling could make him falter.
“Lether go!”Valeriashouts, her voice cracking as she lunges for me.Herfingers brush mine, but the other two brothers emerge, each grabbing one of my legs.
“No!Isabel!”Valeriacries, but her voice is drowned out by the pounding of my heart.
Ifight harder, my movements frantic, but it only seems to amuse them.Theirgrip doesn’t falter.
“Whyaren’t you taking me too?”Valeria’svoice echoes behind us.
Butthey don’t answer.Theydon’t even look back.
Myscreams fade into silence as they drag me deeper into the darkness.
8
ISABEL
Therehas to be a way out of this.
Threemen, all stronger than me, withGod-knows-what kind of intentions.Ican’t overpower them, and they clearly have a thirst for blood.Myblood.
MaybeIcan outsmart them.
Mybrain is working overtime, ideas colliding and shattering beforeIcan even grasp them.Thepanic clawing at my throat doesn’t help.
Ithrash in their grip, wild and desperate, but it’s pointless.Theirhands are made of steel.
Oneof them chuckles darkly. “There’sno point in fighting,Isabel.”Ican’t tell who it is—Maxwell?Theodore?Julian?Thebuzzing in my head drowns out almost everything.
Eachattempt to free myself only seems to amuse them, as ifI’mnothing more than a mild inconvenience. “You’rewasting your energy.”
