Fire & Ice

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I screamed as their elongated teeth sank into me, both from pain and from anger at being powerless to stop them. Ferocious rage coursed through me and fire shot out from my hands, even though they had placed themselves strategically out of my reach.

Two male demons fed from my arms, biting me over and over again in different places as they drank with relish. Pulling my hair and cranking my neck to the side, my mom was gulping the blood that sprayed from my neck into her mouth. Shelly moved around me as well, carefully cutting into my skin with an athame and letting my blood run into a jar. Struggling against them was immediately pointless. They were draining me so quickly that I could already feel heaviness seeping into my limbs.

Silently, I gritted my teeth, refusing to give them the pleasure of another outburst as they tortured me. Every muscle was taught with strain as I attempted to mentally steel myself against the excruciating onslaught. I didn't beg them to stop, though. I hoped they'd become so incredibly enraptured that they'd kill me. Death needed to happen. It was the only way I could protect Portia.

Dark circles began to crowd in at the edge of my vision and I could feel my life force slipping away. Soundlessly, I begged death to take me, praying in the same breath that it would happen quickly.

"Enough!" my mom ordered, and immediately everyone broke away from me. "Stop the bleeding," she said, and one of the men began touching my wounds, causing them to knit together.

My chin slumped against my chest, as I was too weak to hold it up. I managed to stay awake long enough to see them leave the room, and then I succumbed to the waiting darkness.

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Oblivion became my friend. I had no way of knowing how much time had passed now, nor did I want to. The feeding frenzies had continued, and I was being force fed their demon blood along with it, vomiting severely each time they made me swallow. Poison seeped heavily through my veins—I could feel it changing me from the inside out—but I could still feel the resistance inside as my system fought the change. Occasionally regaining consciousness, my vision was blurry, but I could see the gray lines, twisting across my body where my blood was beginning to become tainted.

Weakly, I railed against the restraints that held me, a growl escaping me in frustration.

"Don't fight it, son," her voice came from behind me. "It'll be easier if you simply let it take hold."

"No," I whispered, unable to put up much of an argument. "I'll fight it to my last breath."

She sighed heavily. "I felt the same way when your father found me, but now I see that he was right. You'll be surprised how much stronger your powers will become. I think you'll enjoy it."

"Having your free will taken away didn't bother you?" I asked, trying to get under her skin. "If you're so powerful then why are you working for him? Why isn't he here instead?"

"You'll be reunited with him soon enough," she replied from her hidden spot. "As soon as you've completed the change, I'll take you to meet him. He's very excited to see you again."

"The feeling is not mutual." I groaned, another wave of nausea flooding over me. I wanted to die—anything to escape this. I thought of Portia, wishing I could slip into her mind to tell her I loved her, but I knew our connection was strong. If she were close enough to hear me, she'd feel the pain through the connection too. There was no way I could do that to her—especially if she was trying to recover from her own injuries.