Page 41 of Blood Lord

He throws one arm forward, but another guard is there to pin him back, and as I struggle against my two captors, of which I am no match for, their hands start to crush my arms. I scream again, vaguely hearing Raziel shout for me over the blood pounding in my ears.

My body is full of adrenaline, and I am nearly vibrating with the need to fight or get away—neither of which is a viable option. I jerk up to see five guards now pinning Raziel on his knees, one even holding his wings as if they could wreak damage.

Knowing him, he'll damage every part of himself to get to me.

I'm dragged farther into the room, farther away from Raziel, and when he throws his head back with a roar, blue electricity vibrating along his skin, I feel a surge of confidence as I throw myself forward.

One of the guards grabs a fistful of my hair, jerking me back, and while the pain along my skull hurts, it's nothing compared to the pure agony as he sinks his teeth into my now exposed neck.

My body convulses as I let out a blood curdling scream. Lava, jagged and hot, speeds through my veins, burning me alive from the inside out. My eyes squeeze shut as sweat beads along my skin, trying to get rid of the heat within.

It's nothing like when Raziel bites me. His venom is a luxury, a beautiful ecstasy. This–this is my own personal punishment.

The guards drop me to the ground as Raziel screams, magic crackling in the air, and several warriors fly off of him, releasing their holds. He's on his feet, a blue flame with massive wings that search for a victim to encase so he can wrench them apart.

But then he stops, his eyes not on me, and I follow his gaze to where Brinda sits. She's not surprised or outraged or anything. There is a smug smile on her face.

And it grows wider as the warrior nods. "She is still human, Matriarch."

23

Raziel

The warrior's words send icy fear running through my veins. I had feared Brinda would sense the glamour, but I hadn't thought about it since we had been dismissed. I especially hadn't suspected that she would have another male bite Selene to confirm it.

Yet, there is my beautiful Selene writhing on the floor, tears streaking her face. The asshole didn't even give her a numbing agent, and while I hate the idea of her receiving ecstacy from another man, I'd do anything to help her escape this pain.

I continue to stare at Brinda, unable to reconcile this woman with the one whom I shared a bed with for centuries. Her lip is curled up in disgust, and I don't understand it. Is she upset by the lie, the display, or the fact that I brought a human down here?

"Take the girl away," she commands as a new set of hands clamp down on me. Something slams against my knees and I fall, broken as I watch them pick up Selene's limp body. "I need to deal with Raziel."

I almost miss the days when I was empty, apathetic. It was easier to manage than this absolute heartbreak pouring through me. My tongue is coated in fear, my limbs tremble with sorrow. I'm both devastated and desperate, wanting to just get Selene out of here.

Selene stirs in the male's arms as they cross the room. "Raziel?" she whimpers.

So low that I don't think Brinda even hears it, the warrior tells her, "You don't need him. Let's finish what we started."

Not just pain and fear floods my body anew this time, but so does anger and my instinctive need to protect her. My magic is waning, even here in the wildspont, from Selene's glamour, that has now fallen, and my desperate attempts to get to her. I have to rely on my wit to get out of the arms holding me back.

I slam my shoulder into the warriors on my left and jerk right, sending him toppling into the one behind him. I shoot a leg out, sweeping another one free, and then there are two more on top of me.

Out of instinct, I draw on my magic, only to find my well lacking as I knew it would be. I sigh, hanging my head as I'm shoved forward. I can't get free, and my body sags as Selene is carried from the room.

Footsteps sound as Brinda walks around her raised table and to the floor in front of me. The warriors drop me, and I don't even lift my head, feeling more broken than I ever have.

She grabs a fistful of my hair, jerking my head up so that I'm forced to stare into her eyes that dance with a fire of rage. Her lips curl into a snarl, and her fangs drop down, piercing her lip.

"How dare you, Raziel. I sent you to the surface above anyone else because I thought I could trust you, and yet, here you are, trying to deceive me in front of our coven? Do you think I'm a fool? Do you think the whole Council is just a mockery?" She leans in closer, and her scent is almost sour to me now as it washes over me. "Or are you just stupid?"

She stares at me for so long that I realize she really wants an answer. So, I take the bait. "I'm an idiot for bringing her here." Brinda grins, thinking she's won some kind of battle. "For coming back at all," I add, and her smile drops into a furious frown.

"You know there will be a punishment for this." I gulp. I'll take anything as long as they leave Selene alone. "For a crime like this, you must watch as your human is forced to prove herself to us."

"No," I whisper, dread filling my veins. That's exactly what I didn't want. I promised her that we would be out of here before it came to that.

"Yes. She will be kept alive in captivity only accessible by the Council for the rest of her human life. She will be used as she was meant to: as a blood bag whenever needed. We will wait until she reaches the end of her lifespan, and Change her, forcing her to live eternity in that decrepit body.

"Then, if she survives the Change." She pauses there dramatically, and I know it is because we both know she won't. She'll die alone and in agony as her body shuts down, consumed by venom. "You can have your precious human when she no longer serves a use."

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