Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
My throat goes tight and my heart fists in my chest.
“No,” I mutter. “No, fuck this.”
I turn in a slow circle, dread pooling in my gut. The iron rings are still set into the wall—thick, rusted loops hammered straight into the stone. The chains hang slack for now, but I know exactly where this is.
My cell—my fucking cage.
A sound echoes down the corridor—boots on stone…heavy footsteps…male voices shouting angrily.
I freeze.
Fuck—are the guards coming for me? They won’t take me without a fight. I call on my Drake, pulling his fire into my throat. I’ll burn these fuckers to ashes before I let them chain me up again!
Torchlight flares on the stone walls as figures emerge from the shadows. Armed men in the livery of the castle march in, hard-faced and angry.
And between them—
“Irena.”
Her name tears from my throat like a wound.
She’s stumbling, her wrists bound, her gown torn and dirty. Her hair hangs loose and tangled around her shoulder. Her face is pale but proud, chin lifted even as they shove her forward. There’s fear in her eyes—but worse than that, there’s disbelief. Like she still doesn’t understand how she ended up here.
Just like I don’t.
“No—no, stop!” I shout, rushing forward. “Don’t touch her! Get your fucking hands off her!”
One of the guards laughs, a harsh, ugly sound.
“She’s a stubborn one,” he says to the others. “Just like the beast.”
Beast.
The word hits me like a punch. That’s me—I’m the one they’re talking about. But none of them are looking at me—they can’t seem to see me.
They drag Irena into the cell—my cell—and throw her against the wall. She gasps as the cold stone slams into her back. I lunge for her, arms outstretched—
And my hands pass straight through her body.
Like smoke…like she isn’t really there at all.
“Fuck!” I roar, stumbling back. “No—no, no, no!”
I try again. I grab for her arm… the chains…the guards—nothing. My hands go through everything, useless as air.
I’m a ghost…a spectator…helpless to do anything to save her.
The guards yank her wrists up, forcing her arms high. The iron rings groan as they pull the chains free, the metal shrieking as the links scrape stone.
The sound sends a spike of remembered pain straight through me.
I remember how it felt…how my shoulders burned…how my muscles screamed. The way the collar bit into my throat.
They shackle her wrists, locking her in place and the chains go tight—too tight.
“Irena!” I shout, my voice echoing uselessly off the stone. “I’m here! I’m right fucking here—look at me!”
She flinches as the chains settle, her breath coming fast and shallow. She looks down at herself—at the iron biting into her skin—and then slowly lifts her head.
For a heartbeat, her gaze seems to land right on me and hope surges in my chest.
But then her eyes slide past me, unfocused, and I know the truth—she can’t see me. She can’t hear me. She’s alone in this nightmare.
Just like I was.
One of the guards steps back, wiping his hands on his tunic.
“That should hold her.”
“What about the collar?” another asks.
“Not yet,” the first says. “Let her sit here for a while.”
They turn and leave, their laughter fading down the corridor, the torches taking the light with them.
The cell is plunged into shadow and Irena sags against the chains, her body trembling. She presses her forehead to the cold stone, breathing hard, clearly fighting not to cry. Her shoulders shake with silent sobs, and my chest feels like it’s splitting open.
“Fuck, baby,” I whisper hoarsely. “Irena… fuck… I’m so sorry.”
I pace the length of the cell like a caged animal, hands raking through my hair, every instinct screaming at me to break the chains…tear down the walls… burn the whole fucking castle to ash!
But I can’t do a damn thing.
She lifts her head again, blinking in the dark, and whispers my name.
“Valen…”
The sound of it nearly drops me to my knees.
“I’m here,” I say fiercely, rushing to her side. “I swear to you, I’m here. I won’t leave you. I won’t—”
I reach for her cheek, desperate to feel her warmth, to give her comfort—
But my hand passes right through her face.
I can’t touch her—can’t bring her any comfort or set her free.
Fuck, I feel so helpless…so useless.
She shudders, wrapping her fingers around the chains as if they’re the only thing keeping her upright. Fear radiates from her in waves—sharp and bitter. I can feel it, even if I can’t touch her.
This is what she saw when she first came to me…this is what she found when she came down to the dungeon to see the “beast.”
And suddenly the vision clicks into place, brutal and undeniable. The door isn’t just showing me a future—it’s asking me a question.
What if it’s her next time?
What if she’s the one chained…what if she’s the one abandoned?
What if I fail her?
“No,” I growl, fists clenched at my sides. “Not happening. I don’t care what this fucking door is trying to show me—I won’t let this be real.”