5. Prisoned Gift

As Jared was dragged away, I let my anger ignite in the form of green flames that engulfed my body like pure Demonic energy licking at my skin. It didn't burn or hurt in any way, but felt more like a protective barrier around me, almost like armor for my mortal body.

But one look at the horror on Niniane's face, and I knew I wouldn't need it. If there was only one emotion to pinpoint on her face other than pure shock, it was the fear that I enjoyed the most. Especially when she looked to her creatures now turning as one toward me, as if at the ready to do mybidding… not hers.

Wide eyes of panic scanned the arena as she turned slowly, now taking it all in. Eyes that grew hard by the time they came back to me, as if she still had the power to do something to stop this. But soon she would know that it was useless to even try, because she suddenly thrust her arms out toward the book and tried with all her might to call it back. However, the second it didn't budge from hovering in front of me, I allowed myself to look up from its cover and grin.

"I warned you, Niniane… I told you that I would be seeing you soon and that when I did, I would have no fucking mercy!"I told her, proving this when I made the book flip open and ran a single finger down its page. Then when I looked up to see which of the Demons was glowing in response, I only had to nod toward Niniane, thus silently giving him the order to fight her. Her body reacted to this, turning to face him and trying to draw up the last of her power to stop the attack. But it sparked and diminished a few times before she realized that it was a fight that she couldn't ever hope to win. All she could do was try to dodge it before it was about to rain down a killing blow, making her scream out,

"STOP!" I held my hand up and made him take a step back. She struggled to her feet then and said,

"Okay, okay, so now you have my powers… but… but you will still need me." I grinned at that and walked closer, the book floating next to me. Meanwhile, Orthrus, Marcus, and their unknown friend were watching the scene play out with only two of them looking shocked. As for Marcus, he had a big evil grin on his face as if he knew that this was how it was all going to play out in the end. Orth looked as if he couldn't believe what was now happening, whereas the other guy looked at me with something that was almost akin to worship.

"Now this I have to hear, because what could possible make you think I would need an evil bitch like you?" I asked, now feeling like the superhero I had wished to become while speaking with the groveling bad guy.

"I know where Garmr is, what he has planned for you. I have value to him." Orth scoff at this and muttered,

"Not fucking likely."

She shot Orth a deadly look that we both knew was seriously lacking in the threat department. I scoffed at this, telling her without words what I thought.

"I know where to find him, I can lure him to you and with your powers, you would be unbeatable," she told me, but it was the book that I suddenly heard speaking in my head, whispering the truth and communicating with me for the first time now we were fully connected.

‘Lies… she knows he can beat us… they wish to use us.'I don't know why, but I rewarded the advice by running my hand along the book's pages that ruffled at my touch. It was almost like I was stroking some loyal pet of mine. Something she watched with utter astonishment.

"You speak the truth?" I asked her, and just when Orth was about to saying something in return, I held up my hand, telling him silently that I had this under control.

"Yes… yes, I do, I swear it!" she replied hastily. Then without looking at her and without taking my eyes from the book, I told her,

"Funny then, why my new book would tell me that you're lying." I finally looked up from the pages, and just in time to see her eyes widen further, as if this was the most shocking thing of all.

"It… it speaks to you?"Now this question wasn't what surprised me the most, but that of the way she said it. As if such a thing was utterly unheard of and that it had never happened before.

"It does," I confirmed, because I wanted to know what her reaction would be. Which surprised me because she suddenly dropped to her knees and whispered at the floor, before raising her head at the end.

"Then it is true… the Summoner Queen has returned." I frowned at this, but it was an expression that turned to total amazement when the book spoke once more in my mind,

‘She speaks the truth… Summoner Queen.'

"You know it's true, you feel it, don't you? It's why the book accepted you and it's why I will gladly follow you and aid you in any way I can, my Queen." I narrowed my untrustworthy gaze at her before saying,

"We shall soon see." Then I started to walk toward Orth and the others, issuing an order behind her,

"Guard her!" Then all the souls moved as one, closer to her, and making her shout out,

"I can help you! What… what are you going to do to me?!" Then without looking back at her, I told her,

"Your death isn't up to me, it's up to my HellBeast King… One I am about to set free." Then as I walked past Orth and Marcus, I said,

"So, you guys coming, or what?" I couldn't help but grin when I heard Orth chuckle and Marcus say,

"Fuck yeah, I wouldn't miss J's face when he sees you like this for an all you can suck titty buffet."

"I think I would follow you off a cliff," the other one said, making me think, ‘alrighty then'. He then grinned at me, showing me a row of sharp pointy teeth framed by black lips and making me glad he was clearly on our side. Because, let's just say that the huge Demon was definitely intimidating, to say the least. Even his gaze was menacing; the whites of his eyes were actually black and his irises were white, making them reversed. However, his pupils remained the same as ours, being black, if not slightly smaller in size.

He was also incredibly tall, with thick tattooed muscles that were decorated with lines of white dots that ranged in size, and were easy to see thanks to the fact he was bare chested. He was wearing only dark trousers that looked to be made from some unknown animal skin and, from the looks of him, I wouldn't have been surprised if it was some beast he had killed and skinned himself.

As for the rest of his features, he had two sets of horns, the smaller pair starting just above his pointed ears, that gave him the appearance of being some dark elf. His ears were pierced in several places, just like his horns were, with the larger set easily thicker than my calf. These were decorated like the rest of him, with multiple gold hoops and engraved gold bands circling the thick horns. Straight dark hair flowed down the center of his head, making me wonder how he kept it brushed so neatly in between his horns, and in a place like this no less. I doubted they provided prisoners with mirrors and brushes.

Of course, after he said this, it wasn't surprising that he followed behind me with the other two as I walked toward what I could now see was a large door the fighters must be brought in through. It was covered in a green glow, telling me she had sealed it shut after having Jared dragged through the door and back to his cell.

Well, not for long it wouldn't be, because I held my hands out in front of me and grabbed the air as if I was holding on to a bunch of invisible green ropes I could see in my mind's eye. I had no idea how I did most of this stuff, I just knew that I could. It was as though connecting with that book had unlocked some hidden part of myself that just knew I had been born for this shit. Like opening a door in my brain that had only just appeared from the darkness. And now it was a part of my mind that I could access, as if it was all just muscle memory. It just came naturally, like the power had always been mine to command.

And command it, I did.

So, I pulled back, and brought with it the power keeping the door locked, making it not only open, but the whole thing actually splintered before crumbling away and flying behind us.

"Whoa!" Orth said, making me look to see all three of them get into line behind me so as not to get hit by the flying debris. Then once the obstacle was no longer in my way, I walked with purpose, now impatient to get my man out of that fucking jail cell.

It was as if the green flames that surrounded me wouldn't leave me until my anger would allow it to diminish. Nothing would until I was back in Jared's arms. Which was why I didn't speak. I just walked down the hallway without even needing to know which one would be his. Because the power humming from the bars of his cell were calling to me.

Orth, Marcus, and the other guy walked either side of me as we made our way down what looked like the furthest point of the prison. Because there, at the very end and facing us, was Jared who was still trying to fight his way free of his cell. Standing there, hitting out as half man, half beast, and fighting against an unbeatable force that would never faulter. Not until it was commanded to do such.

However, the second he caught sight of us, he stopped, and I had to say, under different circumstances the look of dumbfounded shock on his face would have been comical. He looked as if he was dreaming. Especially when I saw that this part of the prison block wasn't as empty, despite there being some distance between his cell and the rest.

Which was why I raised my hands up as I walked, then after making a fist, I twisted my wrists and snapped the power on the bars either side of where I walked. This not only broke the spell over the bars, but actually snapped the metal enough that those locked up could now easily escape. And if my eyes hadn't been rooted to the sight of my man as they were, then I might have seen their appreciation in more depth.

But I only had eyes for one prisoner.

And he was mine.

So, I continued to free the inmates until none remained but one. Meanwhile, Jared was still taking all this in and the closer I got, he spoke my name like he was trying to ensure I wasn't a mirage or something. A trick of the mind, like he was now dreaming and desperate not to wake up and discover the cruel truth. That it was all a lie.

"Ella?" His unsure voice tugged at my soul, and I was more than happy to prove that my being here now was no lie. Just like the power I was controlling, because I was finally able to shatter the hold over his prison cell. Only this time I held out my hands and forced the metal bars back with it, so all he needed to do was simply walk through them.

He held all his weight against what remained of the bars, as if afraid to run through them and discover this was just another cruel trick of Niniane, as a way to torture him. But then I couldn't hold back any longer. I shouted his name and started running,

"Jared!"

"Ella!" he shouted back, now ducking through the hole I had made before he too went running. Which meant that the second I reached him, I threw myself into his arms and, this time, he was there to catch me.

"Oh, thank the gods!"Jared said, cupping the back of my head and held me to him as he buried his face in my hair. His other arm wrapped firmly around me, and I felt every relieved emotion burst from me as I started crying.

"I tried so hard… I went so far… did everything I could… gave everything… and now…" I sobbed, unable to say anything more, allowing Jared to finish off our reality,

"Oh, baby, I'm here… I'm here, my love… And I will prove it," he added, pulling me back by the tops of my arms so that the second I looked up at him, he could frame my face with his big hands. Then he wiped away my tears with his thumbs and finally…

He kissed me.

It was a kiss that made me cry out in his mouth as the emotions overwhelmed me, making the flames suddenly engulf us both. As if the power of my soul accepted him as my mate and therefore wanted to protect us both from the outside world. Hell, I would have let it cocoon us for the rest of an eternity just so we would never be separated ever again!

Because as much as past Jared had been there for me, in the end, it was this Jared who I had fallen in love with. And that love had stood the test of time, despite all past him had put me through. I had never stopped loving him. I had never stopped trying to save him.

And most of all…

I had never stopped trying to get back to him.

"Gods how I missed you,"he whispered down at me, after he had kissed the breath out of me and placed his forehead to mine. I nodded, unable to form words as only my tears spoke for me.

"Er, guys, I hate to break up this touching reunion and all, but you're kinda still both on fire," Orthrus stated, making us both give each other enough space to see for ourselves that he was right. The green fire hadn't died down but was still ablaze.

"I don't understand… how is this possible?" Jared asked in astonishment, making me admit,

"There is a lot to explain but first, I have a gift for you," I told him, raising my hand up and, after rotating my wrist the once, the flames released us both. His eyes widened at the sight as if he was still trying to understand what he was seeing.

"A gift?" he asked, making me take his hand and say,

"Come on, I will show you." Then I started walking back toward the arena, leading him back that way. And silently he followed me, until we stepped through what remained of the doorway, so he could now see for himself. The army he had not long ago been fighting surrounded their prisoner.

But then what was I saying? She wasn't their prisoner…

She was now mine.