Chapter 5Sasha

Chapter

Five

SASHA

A fter eating and sharing my water with Max, we continued our journey until it was well into the next night. We’d only come across a few small creatures along the way, and Max was proving to be the little badass he had shown from the start. I was grateful for his alertness as well. Though I was keeping careful watch, his hearing was much more astute than mine, and he was excellent at letting me know that there was something to be wary of nearby.

It was several hours into the deep purple night when the forest thinned out and I realized I had come to my destination. I stood at the tree line with my heart pounding rapidly as I stared out at the pale outline of the stone dwelling in the distance.

It had been my only home until the day I had decided to take my sister and run. It also held the one being in any realm that scared me down to my very soul. There was a monster in that dwelling who wouldn’t hesitate to take my head or throw me in his dungeon for the rest of my existence. I honestly didn’t know which would be worse. All I could do was try to keep my presence hidden from him while I was in the Underworld.

I scanned the surrounding area, knowing I would need to bypass the dwelling to get to the High Dungeon. It wasn’t a far walk, but there would be guards I would have to avoid. I only hoped that at the late hour, they would be less than vigil, allowing me to sneak past.

“Max,” I said softly, “I need you to stay quiet. You should probably stay here.” I looked down at the creature that was twining his body around my legs giving off low trilling sounds. “Will you stay here so I know you’re safe? I promise to be back as soon as I can.”

He stared up at me with his intelligent eyes and sat down on his haunches, his front paws resting on his knees. I reached into the satchel and grabbed one of the remaining flowers. I would have to gather more soon, and not just because we were almost out. The flowers were dying from being cut. Soon, the petals would wither and crumble, just like they did when they were cut. Once that happened, the water would be wasted.

I crouched down in front of Max and held the dark pink flower out to him. “Stay here for me, okay?” I hesitantly reached out to stroke one of his large ears, having not dared to touch him before this. He was a wild creature, after all. I didn’t forget that for a second. He may be following me like a puppy, an aggressive, deadly puppy, but he was still wild.

He leaned into my touch, his trills sounding happy, and I held back a giggle at how adorable he was. I ran my finger down the curve of his ear and scratched the thick black fur on top of his head, marvelling at how soft it was. “Be safe,” I whispered and stood up, adjusting the satchel across my shoulder.

With a deep breath, I stepped from the protective cover of the forest and quickly headed in the direction of the dungeon, making sure to keep a very wide berth between me and the large stone dwelling. I knew I was light on my feet and wasn’t making a sound as I jogged toward my destination. However, I was still ever vigilant for any signs of guards who might be out keeping watch against intruders.

Once the stone walls of the High Dungeon appeared, I slowed down, taking each step carefully. I couldn’t risk rushing in. It was surprisingly silent, with no guards to be seen patrolling the perimeter. I couldn’t help but wonder if the owner of my secret message had somehow been responsible for the absence.

I made it to the side of the fortress-like structure and eased my way around the corner. It wasn’t until I was nearly to the entrance that I saw the first guard. I froze in place and held my breath, waiting to see if he had somehow heard my approach. He was sitting against a large rock with his back to me. I couldn’t help but cringe at the sight. My father would have punished him severely for his negligence had he caught him slacking in his duties. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that he’d been executed as punishment and warning to others.

It wasn’t until I heard the soft snore that I realized he was asleep. I shook my head. There was no way the High General had slacked off on his training and expectations for his men. It had to be someone else's work, someone who knew I would be here and would need some assistance to break in and steal a highly valued prisoner. When I found out who was behind this, I would have to give them a big kiss in gratitude. I could have snuck in or even fought my way in, but having the guards incapacitated for me made my job a fuck of a lot easier.

After peering inside, I slipped through the open doorway to see the entrance to the dungeon empty. I ignored the hallway leading off toward the offices. The main level was not where I needed to go. The true horror of the High Dungeon was far underground.

I relied on my memory of the building to guide me to the stairwell. I had only been downstairs a handful of times, but each time was unforgettable. I had needed to find my father. Searching for him underground in the dank, dark tunnels full of prisoners that moaned, cried, and screamed would haunt me for the rest of my existence.

I crept slowly down the carved stone staircase, grateful for the soft rubber soles of my boots. I wasn’t sure where I would find the missing brother, but I had a good idea that he would be on the bottom level. It was somewhere I had never been but had overheard my father mentioning that was where the most important prisoners were kept. I passed the first level, ignoring the smell of decay as I went, and quickly passed the second level. I couldn’t help but notice the pale light became even dimmer as I descended into the bowles of the High Dungeon, as if the light couldn’t penetrate the deep despair of those who had been relegated to the lower levels. Some may eventually find themselves released after decades or centuries of captivity, but those kept in the lowest levels knew they would never make it out alive.

I counted five levels when I made it to the bottom of the staircase. The room was much smaller than the others and there was no light down the single hallway. I reached for the torch burning low and pulled it free from the sconce. Holding it away from my head, I stepped forward. The past echoes of hopelessness and anguish filled every corner of the space. I felt the hair on my arms rise along with goosebumps as I thought of what the prisoners had experienced in this dungeon.

I moved the torch toward the first cell, hoping to see who I had come for and not someone else who might bring guards running if they began to yell. I was surprised to not only see that it was empty but that it appeared as if no one had been inside for a very, very long time.

Each cell was like the last, and I gritted my teeth, hoping that I hadn’t wasted my time in thinking that the lowest level was where the brother was being held. There was one final cell at the end of the row, though, so I would check it before I backtracked and went for the next level up.

Once I approached the cell, I realized that there was something different. There were bars on the cell and a closed door, but there was also a soft, almost invisible glow to them. An incantation had been placed there. My heart rate picked up knowing that it had to be the right place.

I quickened my pace until I stood in front of the door. I glanced back toward the staircase, ensuring that no one had followed me down, before finally focusing on the male inside.

He was large, as large as I would have expected of someone related to Varek and Valen. His shoulders were broad, and his arms stretched out beside him. Chains and manacles were strapped to his wrists and looped into large iron rings that were fixed into the stone flooring.

As I moved the torch closer, I let out a small gasp of horror when I realized the darkness surrounding the male was actually stains. Some were fresh, still wet, while others appeared to be old. Blood had soaked into the stone until the stone itself had become the color of spilled blood.

Glancing up from the blood stains, I took in more of the male’s appearance. He was wearing what looked to be black trousers, though it was difficult to tell with all the blood coating him. The male’s head was drooping down against his chest, his chin seeming to rest there, though it was hard to see due to all the tangled hair that fell around his head in a black mass, covering his face from view.

My heart broke as I took everything in. He had obviously been tortured many times. Likely more times than could be accounted for if he’d been trapped in his cell for thousands of years. One of his horns was broken and jagged close to his head, the other was intact, curved back like his brother's. The smokey tendrils of shadows that I had seen hundreds of times on Varek’s demon form were sitting still, not weaving around his body the way I was used to.

His wings hung limp behind him, appearing as if they were broken. I shook my head as tears sprang to my eyes. A demon could heal very quickly, for this male to still be broken meant that he was also starved. Without nourishment, a demon could still heal, but it would take a very long time. At this male’s appearance, he likely hadn’t been fed in days, weeks even.

Having seen enough, I reached for the door and gave it a pull, hoping in vain that it would be a simple thing to open considering the demon was no threat, manacled to the ground and starved the way he was. In frustration, I let out a small growl and turned, holding the torch out, looking for the key to the door.

I swallowed back a triumphant cry of relief when I spotted the key ring hanging against the wall. I quickly grabbed the heavy iron key from the hook and spun back around, racing to the door.

I was already slipping the key into the lock when I glanced up and froze.

I must have alerted the male to my presence. Either that or he had developed a sixth sense when it came to someone arriving at his cell because his head was no longer down, with his chin against his chest. Instead, his face was lifted just enough to trap me with his gaze.

His eyes were the pitch black of his demon, though I knew they would likely be a deep emerald green when he shifted into his more humanlike form. They could barely be seen through the tangles of his hair, but they were fixed solidly on me. I didn’t know what he was seeing as he took me in, but I felt as if icy fingers were trailing down my spine.

There was a menacing quality to the male, his stare adding to the aura of hatred. I swallowed thickly, knowing what he was seeing. I was the female version of the High General. If my father had been the one to do this to him, to have tortured him so severely, then my appearance wasn’t going to be the soothing balm I’d expected.

“I’m here to help you,” I spoke softly, hoping to calm him before he did something we would both regret. “I am going to free you, then take you to your brothers. I don’t know if you remember Varek or Valen,” I began to ramble as I tore my gaze from his and concentrated on the lock. “But they are in the Earth realm. A lot has happened in the last few years. Their memories have started to return since they found their mates. I guess with their memories returning, others who were around at the time you four disappeared are remembering as well. I was sent here by someone who knew where you were.”

My hands were shaking from nerves I’d never displayed before. I wasn’t the kind of female who got spooked, nor was I someone who became nervous. But there was something about this brother that unnerved me. Finally, the key turned and I was able to swing the door open.

The male kneeling on the stone floor growled with the opening of the door. “I swear, I’m not here to harm you. I realize I look like the High General.” I swallowed thickly. “He’s my father, but I ran away from home a long time ago. I’m nothing like him, I swear it. I’m only here to help you.”

I waited to see if he would lunge at me. I knew he was restrained, but I also sensed that he was more capable of harm than most demons who were fully healthy. When I didn’t receive a response to my unspoken request for permission to approach, I stepped forward, past the gently glowing bars.

As soon as I crossed the doorway, I hissed out as a burning pain engulfed my wrist. It dissipated as quickly as it began and I lifted my hand still holding the keyring and brought the torch closer. There, where there had been nothing but pale, smooth skin for the last three hundred years now bore the dark, blood red intricate lines of a mating mark.

“What?” I began to ask and then jerked my gaze back to the male in front of me. “You!”

My heart seemed to swell with the realization that I had found my mate. After all the time had passed, my mate was finally in front of me. He’d been so close as I’d grown up, and it made me want to weep at the thought. If I’d known he was here all along, I would never have left him. The incantation in the glowing of the bars must have kept his existence hidden. I wanted to cross to him and drop to my knees. I wanted to show him how happy I was. But the fury in his eyes stopped me from even breathing.

He never spoke a word as we stared at one another. He merely bared his teeth in a silent promise of death. I bit back a sob that threatened to burst from my chest at the injustice and had to stop myself from spinning on my heel and storming straight to my father so I could slit his throat for taking one more thing from me. This male, who was glorious even in his shattered state, hated me. I knew, in that instance, that he would never mate me. I represented the very person who took his life away from him.

I refused to cry or release the tears that built behind my eyes and made my nose sting. It wasn’t my fault, but it wasn’t his either. I could hardly blame him for not wanting me. In his position, I would feel the same way.

With a shaky breath, I set the torch down, ignoring the way it spluttered, nearly extinguishing itself against the cold stone floor. I moved forward slowly and crouched down next to him. With trembling hands, I reached for the lock on the manacles and tried the different keys attached to the ring. I closed my eyes with relief as the third key turned and the lock sprang open.

My eyes opened instantly at the feel of sharp black talons piercing my skin as his large hand wrapped around my neck. I saw his gaze not on mine but looking down at my wrist where the mating mark was.

I cursed myself at my weakness when a single tear escaped and slid down my cheek. “Please, let me take you to your brothers,” I whispered raggedly against the pressure on my throat.

He still didn’t say a word as he released his tight grip, practically shoving me away from him. I scurried over to the other manacle as tingles moved over my flesh where his hand had been. I could feel the sting of where his claws had pierced me, and the tickle of blood from the slight cuts. But through it all, I couldn’t stop the shiver from the sensation, nor the shame of wanting him to do it again. I shouldn’t want him to hurt me, and I didn’t. It wasn’t the pain or the anger I craved with my whole body. It was simply his touch that I needed.

I unlocked the second manacle and scooted back to give him some space. I rose on unsteady legs and moved closer to the door, knowing he wouldn’t want me to touch him. But as he attempted to stand, his knees buckled, causing him to fall to his hip, catching himself with his forearm against the bloody stone.

I automatically reached out a hand but stopped myself from moving forward. “Please,” I begged softly. “Please, let me help you.”

With another menacing growl, he struggled back onto his knees, nearly in the same position he’d been in when I found him and swayed. He placed a fist on the stone floor and breathed heavily, his chest heaving with each deep inhale and exhale. He finally peered at me through his long, stringy hair. With those burning black eyes glaring at me, he spoke without saying a single word.

I nodded. With tentative steps, I moved forward until I was by his side. Then, I placed my arm around his back and my shoulder under his arm until I had a solid hold, and, with great effort, lifted.