Ember of Hope

Titan came back the next day with the same sickening grin etched on his revolting face as always.

“Hello ladies” he drawled, “Did you miss me?”

Raegan bit back the scathing retort trying to break free from her tongue. Titan sat on his haunches in front of her and tugged on a wayward tendril of her hair, “How are you feeling darling?” he asked with false softness. She could see the wickedness dripping from his eyes; the deadness. Even though she hated his face; she made herself look in his eyes because she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of finding any vulnerability in her.

When she didn’t speak he tsked; shaking his head he slipped his hand under her shirt and grazed his palm over where he’d carved her the previous day. An involuntary shudder coursed through her body at his revolting touch. His fingers dug in her stomach deep as if in a silent warning. “When I ask a question; you answer it love. Now, I’ll ask again. How are you feeling?” his tone remained sickeningly soft.

In her periphery Sarah shifted slightly and reminder of her presence broke Raegan’s resolve. Only if her friend wasn’t in this hell because of her.

“I’m fine” she gritted out.

“Hmm. It wasn’t so hard, was it love?” he leaned closer and she barely managed to not shrink back in revulsion and become his prey.

“Now tell me once more – nicely. How are you feeling?”

Raegan choked back the bile his nearness was bringing up and schooled her features. She made herself speak without snapping, “I’m fine”. In her head a thousand knives pierced his skin and buried themselves deep.

“Good girl” he smiled sweetly, “Now tell me which one of you lovely ladies is going to be Valiance D’evreux’s mate?” he asked so calmly that for a moment she thought she’d heard him wrong and he hadn’t just uttered her mate’s name.

“What? What are you talking about? Who is he?” she asked; barely keeping a wavering grip on her thunderous heart.

Titan let out a bark of laughter. “I admit that you’re a very good actress love but see; your friend over there isn’t. And while your heart is trying its best to beat normally, hers is about to break free of her ribcage with panic. So I assume she is going to mate the mutt?” he raised a brow at her questioningly.

“Why do you want to know?” she was stalling, trying to think of something… anything… to get out of this sudden twist of events.

“You’re sharp as well as brave, aren’t you love? I admire bravery. I think I’m going to enjoy your company very much”. He said while tracing a finger back and forth over her arm that was draped around her knees. “No worries, I’ll tell you. You see, I have a score to settle with him. He and I go way back. It’s actually because of him that you’re here”.

Oh. This was bad.

“I’m going to be his mate” she spoke coldly, making him raise gleeful eyes at her.

“Well well well. I knew I liked you for a reason”. That disgusting grin was back in full force. Oh how she’d enjoy erasing that smile with a tip of a dagger. “Oh love, we’re going to have so much fun, you and I”.

Dread filled her but she wasn’t going to show him how afraid she really was. It was a relief that she was his prisoner instead of Valiance. God knew what this bastard would’ve been doing to him if he was here. Only if Sarah wasn’t here.

“So” he stood up and rubbed his hands together, “Shall we play?” her whole body tensed. Sarah’s head whipped in her direction; her eyes fearful and full of rage on her behalf. Raegan just looked at him in defiance.

Titan chuckled, “I am going to have so much fun breaking this little attitude of yours… making you beg”.

…………………………

That day he didn’t use a nice, sharp, clean blade to carve her up but a long, rusty nail. He re-carved the scars of his name. But even though the agony was screaming through her body; asking her to beg him to stop – she just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bring herself to fall at his feet. And she was afraid that if she let him win this round – she wouldn’t be able to survive the next one; atleast not emotionally.

That day Cara arrived later than before. Her eyes downcast as she told her that she wasn’t allowed to come sooner. She tended to her wounds in silence and Raegan didn’t have it in her to make small talk so that Cara and Sarah wouldn’t feel so bad about her.

That day Tristan told them about Titan and King Varamont. He told them the tales of their cruelty and wickedness and all the while his hands kept closing in tight fists and his jaw kept clenching whenever he looked at her exposed abdomen.

Days passed and every day Titan found new ways to torture her, asking her to beg. Every inch of her body ached. Every breath was a mountain to scale. He would force Sarah to eat in front of Raegan while keeping her hungry. One day he broke her wrists, the next day her fingers. Cara would quietly mend her flesh and bones. The bones settling back in their joints was new kind of agony she had to go through every time.

Tristan was a constant though. He would try to find ways to keep her mind off of her pain and helplessness. He told them about his mother and the few good memories from his childhood; none of which included either his demonic brother or father. He kept trying to find a way to free them but failed. He reminded Raegan of her own brother and in her heart, Tristan became just like a brother… not Max but still… a close second.

Then one day Titan came barging through the door with a scowling red face. Something might’ve happened against his will. That day she came so close to breaking down in front of him when he had had enough and stopped; leaving her a bloody mess in his furious wake. That day Cara’s soothing hands weren’t enough to take all the pain away. And afterwards Titan’s cronies came to chain her to the wall.

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