18. Rhyland

Rhyland

18

" D amn these ancient scribbles to hell!"Meadowsnarls, hurling down the moldering parchment pages that nearly disintegrate under her touch. Her jerky movements stir up choking plumes of dust, swirling through the stale cave air. "Is it really so hard for dead crackpot wizards to write clearly?" she bitches loudly, viciously kicking a loose stone. It clatters against the rough walls, the racket hitting my throbbing skull like a hammer.

Nearly two weeks since we broke free feels like an eternity in this godforsaken cave. My nails dig into my palms, trying to hold onto the last threads of patience. Squashing this scrawny faerie's neck might offer fleeting release but won't break the curse choking the life out of me.

I keep my tone level with immense effort, addressingMeadow's hunched spine. "Bitching doesn't decode ancient spells faster,Mouse. Either cram those moldy pages for answers or stuff it."

She reddens slightly under my pointed stare, gathering the scattered parchment remnants carefully.

"He's got a point there, pint-size!"Lucian, our resident food pilferer, pipes up in his usual blithe manner, completely unfazed by the palpable tension. "Brain-work's bust on an empty tank, pixie! Chow down, power up the noggin!" He flings a chunk of bread and some jerky atMeadow, who catches it like it's the holy grail.

I savagely tear into another hunk of stale bread, jamming it past the rising bile threatening to gag me. I must shove something down my throat to stave off the beast, itching to rip something apart. Locked up like a damn sewer rat—it's shredding my patience to bits.

And this piss-poor excuse for shelter? It's more of a fucking crypt than a cave with each dragging minute.

We dove into this goddamn hole after tearing through this cursed realm, playing hide and seek with death after bolting from the castle. WithoutDani's essence throwing me a lifeline from that hellfire above,Lucianand I are toast the minute we brush against those damned rays.

We've had a couple of near-misses with Amara's guards on our trail. But we managed to stick to the shadows, staying out of sight and off their radars. So here we squat, collared like dogs, whileMeadow—the twiggy little servant girl—plays at being a locksmith with the silver noose sucking me dry. My mind's a broken record, screaming for my mate in silence. Uncertainty's a heavy bastard, and the shadows are creeping closer.

Hunger's tearing at me, a monster chomping at the bit for a slaughter. After centuries of holding back, numbing feelings, that beast is sliding out of its cage. Finding our mate ups the ante—our bond makes this tug-of-war in my head hellish. It's a fight not to lose myself to that void, that craving for blood.Dani's light kept the shadows in check, but now? I'm wound so tight, I'm one thread away from snapping...

Meadow's frustration mounts as precious moments slip by without any headway in unraveling the collar's arcane bindings. She turns to me, her voice strained yet resolute. "My Lord, I implore you; mere brooding in the shadows will not aid our cause! I understand the intensity of your gaze alone cannot shatter these malevolent enchantments, but—"

She shuts her mouth quickly under my death stare, promising violent ends. The wench is lucky; my last scrap of patience stops me from strangling her scrawny neck.

Meadowducks her head again, pretending to be fascinated with moldy pages. But her trembling hands and white-knuckled grip betray her hope, bleeding as fast as mine. Tensions are high, and this mountain's too tall for themouse.

A sharp crack splits the tense air—the age-worn grimoire abruptly rockets over to crunch against the far wall.Lucianand I jolt to our feet, blindsided by the unassuming girl's rare backbone.Meadowseethes in the ringing silence, anger and despair brewing in her face.

Lucianwhistles low and appreciative. "Hot damn! Who knew our mousey little friend was secretly a ferocious wildcat?" He flashes a mischievous grin. "Talk about your unassuming exteriors hiding beastly interiors. The claws have come out well and truly on this one!"

Meadow growls in frustration and glares at Lucian.

He holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Easy there, killer. I'm just the comedic relief around here. No need to shred me to ribbons...unless you're into that sort of thing?" He waggles his eyebrows suggestively. "In which case, your vicious side is actually kinda doing it for me."

I silence him with a quelling glance. There's no time for joking—not with our only potential key to freedom currently lying in crumbled pieces. "Fetch the goddamn thing,Mouse—your pissy tantrum fixes nothing," I snap harshly, temper fraying to its last tether. "Assuming those old pages even survive another hard landing."

I keep my eyes on her, every muscle taut with impatience as she moves across the terrain. And that's when it happens—Meadowchokes out a shock of a cry just as she blinks out of sight behind an outcrop of cruel-edged rocks. A gasp of pain cuts the silence, and a spike of iron hits my senses— blood, fresh and telling.

With a ferocious burst of speed, I'm atMeadow's side in an instant, every last thread of reason devoured by the primal hunger overtaking me. Her shriek is piercing, a signal of sheer terror, but it dims against the deafening roar of blood pulsing in my ears, my fangs unsheathed by brute instinct.

"Rhyland, no!"Lucian's panicked bellow barely penetrates the scarlet haze fogging my vision—the urge to rend and feed drives all else away.

Lucian's steely grip clamps around me, his wiry strength resembling iron shackles, wrenching me back inch by hard-fought inch against the monstrous pull. I let out a feral snarl; every muscle in me fights, stretching toward the quivering victim within an arm's reach.

Luciansqueezes brutally, shouting in my ear. "Are you kidding me? She's our one-way ticket out of this hellhole, dumbass! Get a grip,Rhyland! I know you're still in there, so push through it!"

Lucian's frantic voice slices through the haze, bit by agonizing bit. With a guttural howl, I wrestle the rampaging beast within me under control. My breaths come in ragged torrents, my sight still smeared with the crimson urge for carnage that I'm fighting to chain down.

"I know being apart from Dani is tearing you apart inside, brother,"Lucianrasps, his usual snark nowhere to be found. "But you've got to hold it together, goddammit. Keep your shit wired tight, and don't let this place break you." His words hit hard, like a sledgehammer to the chest, as I lock ontoMeadow's terror-stricken face.

Shit, I'm more beast than man at this point... How much time before evenDanican't haul my ass back from the black hole that's consuming me?

I jerk my fangs back and giveLuciana forceful shove, a low growl chiseling its way out of me. Without looking at those two, I storm across the cavern to its darkest corner, slamming my fists into the rock until my legs buckle.

Elbows digging into my knees, I drag clawed fingers through my hair, the beast inside snarling like a goddamn enraged mutt, fighting for dominance. It's like I'm crawling through hell's darkest pit with no light—Dani's warm glow is missing, and everything's gone to shit.

The sounds ofLucian's hushed urgency andMeadow's muffled sobs are white noise against the roar in my skull. Jaw set, spine like a steel rod, I'm hanging onto sanity by a thread, each moment a battle of pure willpower.

Without knowing where we are in this godforsaken realm and not being able to sense her, I'm flying blind. I can't comb through this entire place, hoping to stumble upon her; she could be anywhere. And with this collar, I'm shackled—no vampire abilities. It's like my hands are tied.

"Angel..." I whimperDani's name into the void, clawing for even a spark of her, but I'm met with nothing. Silent, cold, empty.

"We made a vow—nothing would tear us apart. Yet here I am, suffocating in the dark, with no flame of yours to guide me, baby. The madness is breeding fast, and I'm getting lost."

How long 'til there's nothing human left in me?

Footsteps grind against the cavern floor as Lucian approaches, his voice cutting through my skull's red storm with an edge sharp enough to slice steel."Well congratu-fuckin-lations, brother dear! We ain't before or afterlife's pearly ass gates quite yet, thanks to your psychotic shit show!"

I raise my head slowly.Lucian's tight jaw and flinty eyes scream banked fury, but worse lurks beneath. Naked fear at what I'm becoming haunts his stare. I can't blame him.

"You can't go full beast mode on the one pixie brainiac who can get these magical choke collars off us,"Lucian's tone softens slightly. "I know being separated from your mate is driving you insane, bro. But you've gotta hold on."

"Sorry for nearly killing our petmouse," I grit out. "But we're goddamn sunk here without..." I falter, my body screaming to hunt my heart through endless peril.

Lucian's sharp laugh cuts without joy. "We're fucked, alright, if that's your idea of an apology!" He roughly forces my chin up, scrutinizing my blown pupils. "Earth to the Braindead Idiot—we need her to crack this curse shit off us! Then we find your suicidal Juliet together, got it?"

His words spark my temper again. With a snarl, I shove him back. "A few more minutes in this cave, and I'll lose my goddamn mind! I needDani—"

I'm clawing at my scalp, the dampness of the cave leeching into my hands like icy death, the tang of decay settling in my throat. The incessant drip of water somewhere close grinds at my nerves, a stark contrast to the fading scent ofLucianwarring against the musty stench of neglect.

This fucking cave —it's not just a hole, it's the gap tearing open inside me.

I catchLucian's leaden sigh. There's no swagger, no smart-ass grin—just his raw look cutting right through me. He sees the chasm that'll swallow us whole if we don't pull this off. Maybe he also feels the cold breath of the end whispering behind us.

I choke back a raw sound halfway between a snarl and a sob. "You think I haven't been fighting like hell?" I spit the words like poison before my damn lips seal again. Can't let him see all the cracks. But this isLucian. After centuries, some truths can't be buried.

My voice turns to gravel, the fear that swallows every other terror laid bare. "She's nothing but a dying light in a godforsaken expanse," I admit with a guttural hiss. "This fucked-up divide is ripping what's left of me to shreds, brother. If Dani's fire snuffs out before we're back together..." I trail off, the unspoken dread too menacing, too vast—a beast of its own, growing hungrier with each tick of the goddamn clock.

A heavy crunch suggestsLuciansplitting a hapless tree limb against his knee in frustration. "That's not an option,Rhy. You're going to make it back to her, goddammit."Lucian's words are firm. "I didn't put up with your broody ass just to watch you give up now. We're getting out of this shithole, one way or another."

His fingers dig, bruising my tense shoulders. "You're the most stubborn, bullheaded bastard I know,"Lucianstates plainly. "This magical mind-fuckery isn't enough to break you. You've got to keep fighting."

I nod, the burn in my lungs a reminder that I'm still here. Sill fighting. For Dani. For us.

"One way or another," I echo, the raw determination in my voice a vow.

E ndless hours drag by, a cruel joke, while we make zero headway on cracking these damn collars.

I'm teetering on the edge, bloodlust gnawing at the last threads of control, when this bizarre force slams into me like a freight train. I stagger, slapping my palms against the cave wall to keep my feet. Every sense is dialed to eleven.

Great, what fresh hell is this now?

The scent hits me like a sledgehammer—sickeningly sweet— cotton candy . My fangs spring out, and I'm tipping into savagery.

Control snaps. I can feel the shadows writhing in my skull, clawing for dominance. Nothing else exists but that intoxicating aroma, that irresistible scent I'm dying to bury my fangs in.

Finally!

I'm moving on instinct before I can think. There's this magnetic pull straight from my spine, dragging me toward that delicious smell.

A feral growl rips from my throat, shutting Lucian up mid-rant. His eyes lock on mine like he knows.

I can practically taste this divine creature; it's so close.

Lucian looks at me with shock and horror. "Fuck me...Meadow, get back!" He inches toward me, hands raised like he's caging a wild animal. Meadow scurries into the corner. "Bro, your eyes—Rhy—get a leash on it. You could hurt her. Self-control, remember that? Don't you dare—"

I let out a roar and bolted from the cave, with a single-minded hunger to drown in this creature, to bury my fangs and gulp its blood.

Thoughts clash like Titans struggling for control.

My bloodlust overpowers everything—fuck the risks, fuck the consequences. Switch flipped—sweet relief in no longer fighting my need.

Lucian yells something fierce behind me, Meadow's voice a high-pitched ribbon on the wind. The primal drumming of my starving heart drowns out their sounds.

Reason is dead—I'm a missile cutting through the night, uncaring about branches, darkness, anything.

I'm so fucking hungry.