Bound Book 2

Chapter 47 - Gael

Skylar

Everything is happening in slow motion.

Blaise, who has been standing behind Dmitri, is suddenly no longer there. In his place is the hooded figure from my dreams, his scarred right hand wielding a whip. One I have seen before, with a wooden handle. I don't know where I have seen this before but I know I have. Perhaps it is from the time I can't remember?

The whip is thin, glowing orange, with black smoke whipping off it. As it touches my skin, the pain is excruciating. I cannot move but am moved instead, finding myself directly in front of the hooded figure. Gael.

Time returns to normal, and through the pain, I see the shocked faces of those I love.

Dmitri growls, his hands turning to claws as his Lycan pushes forward. His eyes are blacker than I have ever seen, the anger radiating off him suffocating the room.

"Don't. I will hurt her," the hooded figure grinds out, the venom in his tone conveying that his words are not just an empty threat. He would hurt me if he had to.

That voice. I know it. The hand not holding the whip comes up, pushing the hood back, finally revealing the face of my tormentor.

"Blaise!" Raina gasps, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. This is Blaise, but not the one we know. This man has deep red scars along the right side of his face, his right eye white from the damage of whatever inflicted these injuries. The other side, the unblemished part, is Blaise however, all semblance of his personality is gone. In its stead, only rage and anger and hate reside in his eye, the smirk that I have sometimes seen on his face suiting this face better. Like it is at home.

I try teleporting but can't, this whip tightly around me locking me in place.

"Blaise was my twin brother. Don't insult me by speaking his name. I'm glad to finally be free of it. Pretending to give a shit. He is better off in the ground where I put him." Gael spits on the ground next to me, his hatred for his brother clear in the venom-laced tone of his words, causing me to flinch.

"Blaise didn't have a brother, we did a background check," Raina says, her guilt in bringing this man into our lives evident.

"Not one he even knew of. We were split up at birth, however, one of us cut a better deal than the other. Although, if it wasn't for that bastard I called father growing up, I probably would have turned out a wimp like my so called brother. You will know father's real son, Chris," Gael says, his voice mocking at the end.

"Blaise's only use was his standing in the coven else I would never have discovered the truth. I almost missed it until Raina pointed it out. The 'Key to Power Above All'. I have been looking for this key ever since hearing the Legend from Chris, though the watered-down version of The Legend I heard made me think it was a traditional key I was looking for. Until Raina pointed out it might in fact be a person, and not the person I thought," Gael says, his eyes drifting over to Dmitris.

"You are the key. Through completing the mating process not only did you destroy the curse but also unlocked the power within. Skylar is the lock to your key. She is the power above all," Gael says, his whip tightening around me and making me cry out in pain. I couldn't even contemplate his words, as the threat of losing consciousness blurs my vision.

"I'll fucking destroy you," Dmitri growls out, his temper barely constrained as his eyes dart between me and Gael.

I can feel how angry he is, not just with Gael, but also with himself. His instincts told him there was something going on, the animosity between the two evident, but we had convinced him otherwise.

Gael laughs, the sound so disturbing that a shiver runs down my spine. He is pure evil. As I think back on all the time we spent together, all the encouragement he gave whenever I unlocked or mastered another power. All in preparation for the day he could take it from me. Leave me in the same state as Chris, sucked dry of all life. Tears stream down my face as I look at Dmitri. We didn't have enough time. It was stolen then and was being stolen now.

"You'll do no such thing. Move a muscle and it's over for sweet Skylar." Gael runs a finger down my cheek, the feeling familiar and causing a flashback as I am transported to the dream I had. The one where I woke up in the field and opened Elsabeths book. The hand that had caressed my body and at that time had felt so good was this same hand that was making me feel repulsed, and not just at the touch but at the memory of how I felt then.

"Maybe I'll take what I need and keep her as a pet. Lock more of her memories away so that the only thing she remembers is me," Gael says, his hand moving up to touch the pendant hanging from the necklace around his neck. A pendant that stirs something in me like a memory that wants to push through.

My heart jumps at what he says. The curse. It mentioned 'can be recovered'. My memories, I could get them back. The thought washes over me, hope blooming.

I am vaguely aware, between the waves of pain the whip is causing, that Dmitri is talking to Ivan and Kira through their mind link. It sounds like they are close, along with about twenty other warriors. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Ivan. He is crouching low, his head just visible through a large open window to our left and slightly behind where Gael is standing. He silently hoists himself up, before dropping lightly to his feet just inside the room. It surprised me how stealthy such a big guy could be.

"Gael, stop, you've got it wrong," Raina says, her voice strained as she takes a step forward.

"Raina no," Mira says from beside her, her voice pleading. What the fuck was going on.

"What are you talking about?" Gael asks, the arrogant expression on his face faltering slightly.

"The Legend, we have it. The original version. It's not what you think," Raina says taking another step forward, shaking Ally's hand off her arm as Ally tries holding her back.

He wasn't there at Andrea's villa when I handed the Legend over. He doesn't know what it says. But clearly, I don't either, as I have no idea what it means or what Raina appears to know that I don't. Even Ally and Mia seem to be in on this secret. Was Dmitri?

My eyes dart between Raina and Gael. Gael takes a step closer to me, his attention now fully on Raina. This is my chance.

Glancing behind me, I make sure I am lined up before dropping my head forward and then throwing my head up and back, bracing for the impact. The break of a bone followed by a shooting pain at the back of my head tells me I have hit my mark. Slightly dizzy, I stumble forward, my eyes meeting with Dmitris as he lunges forward.

He grabs my shoulder with one hand while the other tries prying the whip off from around my body. A scuffle breaks out behind me, followed by a large bang. Looking behind me, Gael's hand is outstretched palm facing forward while Ivan lies limp against a cracked wall off to the side. His gaze flicks back to mine, the blood running from his broken nose dripping onto the cream carpet below. He looks even more terrifying now and there is an anger in his eye that makes me tremble. I follow his gaze to the whip handle by his foot, knowing full well what is coming.

I look back at Dmitri, his hand still fighting the power of the whip around me.

"Dmitri," I say quietly, the tone of my words pulling his gaze.

"The box," I say, confusion crinkling his brow, before a heavy force pulls me back into darkness. And just like that, I am gone. 

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