Through Your Teeth

Chapter 7

I jerk out of my thoughts to the sound of my cell door creaking open. I sit up and grab my glasses in time to see Lochlan outlined in the doorway. Before I can say anything I see he has something dangling in my left hand. It takes me a moment to realize it's Bo. I let out a strangled sob as I can hear his blood dripping on the floor like a faucet that is leaking. "Why would you hurt him?! He was just a defenseless animal!" He drops Bo at my feet and just shrugs as he says, "I only let you bring him in the first place as a kindness to you that you no longer deserve." I try to avoid looking at what remains of my once lovely kitten and instead turn my gaze to Lochaln to try and pose my deal before I shatter completely. "If you let Iz go I'll marry you with no fight. I can't begin to understand why you need me and can't just take someone willingly, but I'll do whatever you want, just let her go." He sits at the end of the cot much like Finn had earlier. "I don't have to make any deal with you. I can just force you to marry me. I can even make you fall in love with me. You see I have a witch who will do anything to help me make sure this marriage happens." Before he can continue I chime in with, "But then why not just let Iz go? You have me and I can't escape. What purpose does she serve in all of this?" He raises an eyebrow at me. "The witch needs someone close to you to complete the spell that will bind you to me and well you don't have a single other person in your life that anyone would consider close." "What exactly does the witch need from her?" I ask this question terrified that I already know it won't be something simple like hair. "She needs her heart of course. It's the only reason I let her live this long. Fresh hearts are much better and well we only have one shot at this so I wanted to make sure it'll be perfect." I choke back the bile crawling up my throat and sink even further into my cot. "There has to be another way, I will do anything. You don't need a spell, just please let her go." I practically beg. He abruptly stands up picks up what's left of Bo and goes to leave the room. "The spell will be done in 2 days. I realize you have no idea how time works here so I guess you'll just have to wait." he bites over his shoulder with dark amusement as he leaves and locks the door on his way out.

A time later I hear a sound coming from what I guess has to be Izzies cell. It sounds like sobs. "Izzie!" I call out. I get no response. I listen closely and I hear a low man's voice that sounds like Lochlan. "You are a pretty thing. The blue hair is a nice touch. I see why Murphy has been so taken by you." I wonder momentarily why I can hear this conversation when it would be easy to evade my ears. As goosebumps crawl up my arms I realize he must want me to hear this for some reason and I'm guessing it can't be good. I strain my ear pressed against the door. "She thinks that she can save me or bargain with me for your life. She must know that I am deadly serious and will do whatever I have to to take the throne." "Fuck you! She will NEVER give in to you!" I hear Iz bite out. "Oh, but you are very wrong. I just need to break her spirit first." "You have tortured me already. I'm not scared of you." Iz says with confidence. I cringe knowing he doesn't take well to being talked back to. I hear her yelp and then his growl as the sound of clothes tearing fills the space. I hear her cry out with fear before it all goes quiet like I've been blocked from hearing her again. It's deadly silent, but I know what he's doing to her. I turn around and vomit bile all over the cell floor beneath my feet. The thought that I let him anywhere near me is repulsive. Why would he do this to her? Why does he need me broken so badly? He already has the spell that will fix everything. I guess he's just doing all this at this point just to torture me. As I'm trying to calm myself down my cell door slowly creaked open and in walks Lochlan. I stare up at him with a vacant expression. I have nothing to say. He's shirtless and barefoot in only jeans. "I have to say she put up quite a good fight, your friend, but in the end, her pussy was mine as they always are." He leans down close to my face. "Be a good girl for me and behave and I won't do that again. She'll still be dying of course, but I'll be sure to make it quick for you my love." He winks and stalks out of the room. Once he is gone I slouch against the wall. I can't help but fall into the hole of self-deprecation. I did this to her. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't even be here. She wouldn't be locked up in a cell, she wouldn't have been tortured or raped by a mad man. I openly sob feeling any lingering hope I may have had left me all at once. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up my cell door opened. I expect to see either someone bringing food or Lochlan come to mock me again. Instead, it's a woman. She appears to be around 5' with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. If I wasn't in this situation I would probably notice how beautiful she is. Before I can utter a word she puts a finger to my lips to shush me. "My name is Nerissa. I am the witch that Lochlan hired to perform the spell to bind you to him. I only have a minute before he notices that something is off. I just needed to see you and tell you that I love you and I won't let anything happen to you. You have no reason to trust me, but I hope you can try." with a flourish of her hand she's gone I'm left in my cell alone and the door is once again closed. I'm starting to get tired of everyone loving me, to be honest. I lay down and contemplate her words. This could just be another mind game that Lochlan is playing, but I have a gut feeling she was being genuine. I won't trust her just yet, but maybe she can save Iz. I hope this witch has a plan to save us.

A short while later I hear a crash outside the door of my cell and then my door opens and in stumbles, Iz. She is thrown to the floor at my feet by Finn. He chains her ankle to the floor next to mine. "Considering she'll be dead within the next day I figured I'd give you guys some time to say goodbye." He practically sneers. With that, he waltzes out of the room. Once he is gone I turn to Iz and assess her condition. She seems mostly out of it at the moment and is dressed in a torn nightgown with blood coating the lower edge of it. Her signature blue hair is all knotted and dirty. "Iz! Please respond. It's me, Murphy." She turns a bit and looks up at me. All I see in her eyes is emptiness. It's like she isn't even in there anymore. I worry that they have broken her. I hold her to my chest while she quietly sobs and I try to comfort her. A few moments later the woman who delivered food before comes in. "I will escort you both to the bathroom down here to clean up before the ceremony tonight," she says with almost a hint of excitement in her voice. "She can't even walk. How is she supposed to get to the bathroom?" Surprising me Iz stands to her feet shakily. "I can walk if it isn't too far," she says with a voice that isn't my Izzie at all. It's like she has been overtaken by someone else or almost as if she is already dead. The woman nods and goes about unchaining our ankles. I am considering making a run for it but know that I could never leave Iz, and even if I could I have nowhere to run. I don't know where I am. I help Iz walk and we make our way down a short hallway to a large room with a large bathtub in it already filled with steaming water and something that smells like lavender and vanilla. I decide not to fight and help Iz undress and get her into the water first. The woman sits by the door while I bathe Iz. I notice there is a large amount of blood streaking down her thighs. I choke back a sob as I have her lean back so I can wash her hair and brush it out. Once she is clean I help her get out and get dressed in the black silk robe that is all we are given to dress in. As I'm helping her sit down so I can go about washing myself she tugs on my arm and whispers, "Kill me, please. Just make it all end." I kiss her on the forehead and whisper back, "I'm so sorry this happened to you, because of me. I love you and I'll do whatever I have to save you." She slumps down against the wall almost in defeat. I go about bathing myself and then also dress in my black silk robe.

I assume we will be taken back to our cells, but instead, we are taken up the stairs to an identical bedroom to the one I was in when I first arrived here. The woman says nothing as she exits the room locking us both inside. I help Iz to the bed and lay her down and cover her in blankets hoping maybe she can get some rest. She seems to drift off almost instantly. I walk over to the window seat and stare out into the darkness that constantly permeates the air here. It's like I can't even breathe. I wonder if this will be the last view I ever have.

I don't get any sleep. I spend the next few hours, at least that's my best guess on how long it's been, staring out into the forest watching the rain fall. It would be peaceful if this wasn't where I was going to die. Life has a real way of showing us the things we most want when it's already too late. Fate is a bitch. My mind wanders back to the witch Nerissa. I hope she wasn't just fucking with me and is going to try and save us. I lean my forehead against the glass of the window and momentarily consider just shattering it and jumping to my death. I would rather go out on my terms than be his prisoner. As I mull this over the door snaps open and Lochlan walks in accompanied by Nerissa. She doesn't even spare me a passing glance and Lochlan stalks over to her sleeping form and sinks his fangs deep into her neck. I jump into action terrified he is killing her. Before I can even cross the room entirely, he has let her go and she slumps back down. "What the fuck did you do to her?!" I screech at him. "Oh relax love, I just knocked her out. She isn't dead. Well, not yet anyway." he says with a wink at me. As I stare down at her I see her chest is still moving up and down in a rhythmic pattern indicating her breathing. Finn is the next one in the room as he grabs Iz out of arms to pick her up. "Wait, where are you taking her?" "It's almost time for the ceremony. I'm taking her to the temple and unless you also want some fang then I suggest you come willingly. If I remember correctly, you do that pretty freely." Swallowing back down the bile that threatens to escape my throat, I stand up and follow him out of the room with Lochlan and Nerissa trailing right behind me.