Star Crossed: an Adult Dystopian Paranormal Romance: Sector 11 (The Othala Witch Collection)

by J. E. Taylor

  Lights filtered from above, and the ravager howls filling the space drowned out everything else. I had to hide, or otherwise this brief reprieve would be just that. Then the real fun would begin. My chest remained tight as if one of the guards’ belts had wrapped around it and squeezed until breathing became nearly impossible.

  I quickly surveyed the area, and my chest loosened a fraction. There were no visible cameras, giving me a sliver of hope. I scuttled to the side into the shadows and closed my eyes, concentrating.

  “I am but a shadow, pay no attention to me. I am but a shadow, so mote it be,” I whispered and curled myself into a tight ball in the corner of the stairwell.

  The beasts inside their cages continued howling and snarling, but the guards’ flashlights passed over me and didn’t return.

  “Where the hell did she go?”

  I kept silently repeating the spell as they passed. The breeze from their pant legs swept my face. I held my breath. The flashlights traveled over all the cells, allowing me a second view of the creatures locked on this level.

  Saliva dripped from sharp fangs as they paced in their cages. Their beady red eyes focused on the guards as they passed. I counted four rabid ravagers pacing in their cages like the wild beasts they were. Beyond them at the farthest point from the elevator stood a calm one. Its eyes were different, almost human in shape, but with red irises planted in the middle of a sea of white. While the others hunched over on all fours, this one stood on two legs sniffing the air. When the guards shined the light in on him, he glared at them, baring teeth as sharp as razors.

  He stepped towards the bars separating him from the guards. The guards moved backwards, hugging the wall, and even I smelled their fear when the beast wrapped his huge clawed hands around the metal. The glare of his nails caught my attention. They looked like the deadly paws of a black bear, but they were absent of hair.

  “Have you seen a girl?” one of the guards asked in a shaky voice.

  The ravager licked his lips and smiled. He pointed at the guard and then curled his finger in a silent request to come there. The fool stepped closer. I almost came out of my shadow spell, but common sense stopped me. If I stopped him from stepping into the devil’s grip, I would be the focus of the two guards, and Samantha would get exactly what she wanted.

  The beast curled his finger again, and the idiot obliged.

  “Are you the one who drew her blood?”

  I blinked at the fact the beast spoke, but the voice had a gravel quality that reminded me of a talking corpse. I whispered the shadow spell again just to make sure I kept my invisibility intact.

  The guard let out a small laugh. “Not as much as I would have liked.”

  The beast’s hand lashed out. Its nails pierced the poor bastard’s throat straight through.

  The ravagers reached a frenzy at the smell of fresh blood. They paced and howled and threw themselves against the bars trying to get to the dying guard.

  The second guard’s flashlight fell from his hand, and he bolted past me up the stairs. His footsteps, along with the animals’ howling, almost drowned out the beast’s next words.

  “That is my blood you spilled,” he growled and shook the body at the end of his claw.

  With one gone and the other twitching, I stepped out of the darkness, careful to avoid coming within reach of the cells. The light spun on the floor in slow motion, and each step felt dreamlike as I approached the cage. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew going back upstairs was just as much of a death sentence as getting within reach of these creatures.

  The advanced ravager’s claws retracted, and he tossed the body within reach of the cages next to him before his sharp eyes focused on me. I ignored the sound of ripping flesh and snapping bone, stepping beyond the spectacle to stand in front of the caged anomaly.

  “Starlight, star bright...” he whispered and sniffed the air. His eyes closed and his hands again wrapped around the bars. “First star I see tonight.”

  “Wish I may, wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight,” I finished the phrase.

  His eyes opened. A trace of humanity showed itself in the flare of pain in his eyes.

  “You smell like your mother,” he said.

  I stepped back against the cold wall. “My mother is dead.”

  His forehead dipped against the bars. He was so human-like. I paused, watching the others share with those that couldn’t reach the hot meal. That simple act told me more about these beasts than I had learned in all my twenty-two years.

  They not only toyed with their victims, but they took care of their pack. I glanced back at the man-thing.

  “Why can you speak?”

  His soft chuckle sent a chill through me.

  “We all speak, but I’ve been cursed by the Regent, so both man and beast can understand me.” His gaze rose to the ceiling, and his claws tightened in time with the muscles in his jaw. “She’s the one that made me into this thing. Her magic left me in this between realm.”

  “Between?”

  “Somewhere between a beast ruled by bloodlust and an intelligent being. It makes me more cunning and dangerous than my kin. One bite and I turn my victims, sentencing them to this hell.”

  He turned and looked at the others in the cages next to him. “They have to nearly kill their victims to turn them into a savage beast.”

  I thought I heard envy in the gravel-like voice. When his gaze returned to mine, I swallowed hard. Something deep inside made me step closer to the bars.

  He put his hand up, stopping me. “Don’t. Please.”

  Despite the alarms clanging in my head, I stepped within reach. “Who are you?” The question came out in barely a whisper, although the thunder of my own heartbeat almost made the question silent in my ears.

  He just stared at me and cocked his head to the side. His hand reached out, and the soft pad of his thumb grazed the cut on my cheek. He stepped back, putting distance between us as he licked my blood off his finger.

  “You already know,” he said and took another step away. “Now, please go before the beast takes over.”

  His form shook, and his eyes flooded red. When he launched at the bars, I jumped out of reach.

  “Run, baby girl,” he said and gnashed his teeth in a predatory growl. He pointed away from the dark stairwell.

  I scooped up the discarded flashlight and followed his direction, wondering if I was running to freedom, or into another horrific trap.

  Chapter 19

  I walked through the dark maze of caves, manmade stairs, and finally mud hallways until I reached a wall. I scanned every inch of the dirt with the flashlight.

  Nothing.

  A dead end.

  I turned and leaned on the hard-packed wall with the flashlight pointing at the ground, cursing my gullibility. I stared into the blackness, finally letting all the questions and doubts in. I sunk to the ground, burying my face in my hands. Hot tears stung as they ran through the cut on my face.

  That thing in the cell... That thing was my father. The fact that he had been locked up for the last twenty-two odd years burned, and my mother’s half-assed warnings finally started to make sense. Had she known about him when she was alive?

  “Mama, did you know?” I asked the dark.

  No answer came. When I dropped the light, a flash in the corner near the floor caught my attention. I ran my hand across the space until it caught on a hinge. I traced back until I felt an edge and pried the panel open, revealing a green and red button. I picked up the flashlight, and with my heart jumping, I pressed the green button.

  The wall trembled and slowly rose. I waited until it stopped and peered out into Samantha’s gardens. My teeth clenched as I pressed the red button, testing it out before taking any action. The wall came down fast. Faster than I had time to react. The thought of being crushed to death by a slab of rock wasn’t appealing, but if I left the gate open and Samantha let those beasts loose, then I would be endangering the entire sector.
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  I closed my eyes and shuffled through the catalog of spells I had read, silently thanking the gods for my photographic memory. I considered a force spell, but I wasn’t sure what that would do. What I really needed was to have more time to get through the opening. I opened my eyes and pushed the green button again, opening the gate.

  As soon as it was up, I said, “Time, I order you to stand still. No minutes pass until I’m safely through this gate. Time stand still, I order you.”

  I punched the red button and closed the panel, rolling under the wall as it slowly descended. The minute my body cleared the path, the heavy rock slammed down. I took a deep breath of clean air and stared at the darkening sky and the nearly full moon cutting the horizon.

  Public exile took place on a full moon, which meant I had twenty-four hours to figure out a plan. I crawled into the heart of Samantha’s rose garden and slumped on a bench. I turned the flashlight off and closed my eyes, taking stock of my injuries. I wasn’t sure if a rib was broken, but outside of that grinding pain in my midsection, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

  I climbed to my feet and turned toward the western edge of the property. I wouldn’t have much time to clear the wall before the alarms would go off. The trial would conclude before the sun set. I needed to get to the safety of our high rise. If not, my opportunity would slip away.

  “I am but a shadow, pay no attention to me. I am but a shadow, so mote it be.” The mantra fell from my lips as I navigated the garden to the outer wall. Climbing the old tree proved harder than I expected, and I nearly fell as I crawled to the drop point.

  I stared down at the ten-foot drop and clenched my teeth in preparation for the pain. I had never once done this injured, and even at my best, the fall jarred every bone in my body.

  “Suck it up,” I whispered into the dark and rolled, grabbing the lower branch to dangle from.

  I counted to three and let go. The landing nearly ripped a yelp from my tightly clenched lips. I fell to my knees just as the alarms sounded.

  Although I was outside the gate, I was far from safe. I would have to skirt around the buildings to get to the high rise with my safe room. The only question I had was whether Jaden would give up that particular building or not. I limped, repeating the mantra.

  When I finally looked up, I was at the edge of the tall structures. My heart throbbed in my throat. The shimmering barrier separating ravager lands from sector eleven was only a few paces into the city.

  The Regent must already know I escaped. Why else would she have blocked access to the old iron structures? I didn’t even want to think of the alternative, but it surfaced anyway. If this wasn’t intentional, then Samantha’s magic was failing faster than anyone could have foreseen.

  “Shit.”

  I just stood and stared because without my safe spot, I had no idea where to find shelter. I looked in the direction of Gypsy’s thrift shop and bit my lip. That was the only other place I might be able to hide now that Gypsy was dead.

  It was a risk, but I couldn’t hold the cloaking spell for much longer. I needed a nap to rejuvenate and then some food to replenish my energy if I had any hope to stop Samantha.

  The walk nearly did me in. I almost missed the shimmer and stepped though the barrier just outside Gypsy’s doorstep.

  “Jesus,” I muttered and stepped back into the middle of the intersection. The same intersection where Eleanor’s dogs had attacked.

  With nowhere to go, I turned and took an uncertain step toward the mansion. Every possible safe zone had been taken from me.

  A burning anger boiled to the surface. An electrical storm formed overhead, and lightning flashed in time with the throbbing in my temple. I clenched my fists, muttering to the elements, calling on them to give me strength to do what I needed.

  A familiar bite clutched my thigh. I glanced down at the dart embedded in my flesh. When I looked up, the guard I ditched stood ten paces away.

  “Fuck,” I said.

  He grinned as if we’d just shared an inside joke. “Oh, I’m going to fuck you up, alright.”

  I stumbled but caught myself and yanked out the dart. The sky echoed my frustration, and I screamed. With the full force of my fury, I threw the dart at the guard.

  A wind gust took it, turning it into a missile that sailed true. The point pierced the guard’s eye, running right through until the point stuck out the back of his head. I didn’t think he knew what hit him. By the time he hit the ground, life had already left his body.

  The knock-out agent in the dart turned my muscles to jelly, and I collapsed in the middle of the street.

  Chapter 20

  Every inch of my body hurt. I opened my eyes to a gray ceiling. In my peripheral vision, chains hung taut. After a blink or two, my focus moved to the shackles biting my wrists. Lifting my head hurt. I inhaled, holding it for a minute before releasing a breath.

  My head lolled to the side against my raised arm. The top of my feet scraped the floor, and it took me a few minutes to find my footing. I slipped in a slick puddle directly underneath me.

  My back exploded in pain, and I screamed, arching away from whatever the hell had shredded my skin. Hot trails of liquid ran down the back of my legs. My breath locked in my chest when I glanced down. Cold seeped bone deep to the point I never thought I’d be warm ever again.

  I stood in a puddle of blood, enough to indicate whoever was causing the agony in my back had been at it for a while. The puddle grew with each drip down my leg. My breath wheezed from my chest. I forced myself to stand, despite the tacky substance oozing through my toes.

  At that moment, I wished to god I had stepped through that barrier and into Gypsy’s house. At least there I would have had half a chance.

  It took a moment to realize my shirt was in tatters and I had no pants on. The slight shiver turned into an all out shake that rattled the chains keeping me bound.

  I faced the open cavern with my back to where Jaden was the last time I was imprisoned. An emptiness wrapped around me at the thought of what happened between the time I passed out in the street and now.

  “Jaden?” I whispered with a voice laced with death.

  He stepped into view holding a bloody cat-o-nine tails in his hand. The smile that drew to his lips chilled me, as did the blood-splatter on his chest and face. Jaden was no longer in control of his actions, or his mind.

  He stepped closer, and the fading shimmer of a spell reflected in his eyes.

  “Please, Jaden, fight this. Please,” I begged.

  He paused and blinked, and awareness brightened his eyes. The struggle for command over his body revealed itself in both the tightening of his jaw and his fists. Raw fury bloomed in his jade irises, accompanied by bone-crushing agony as he fought against his mother’s magic.

  “I want her broken,” Samantha’s voice demanded from behind us.

  “Fuck...you,” he growled in broken syllables. “I’m not doing this.”

  A dart whizzed by me and embedded in his chest. He met my gaze with a desperation I didn’t fully comprehend until he wobbled on his feet.

  “I hate you,” he whispered, looking past me at the object of his loathing. Then he collapsed onto his knees in front of me.

  Seeing Jaden’s ability to fight his mother’s spell compromised sent tremors through my form. Without awareness, he wouldn’t be able to resist whatever she had in store.

  Samantha approached and pulled the dart from his skin before she whispered her control spell in his ear. She gave me an evil smile as she straightened.

  “Break her by any means necessary,” she said and stepped out of the cell. “I want her begging for death.”

  Jaden’s bowed head slowly lifted. His glazed eyes frightened me just as much as his slack features. No part of the man I loved was awake or in control of his actions. He was Samantha’s puppet, and she was hell bent on destroying both of us.

  “Jaden?” I whispered, hoping my voice would trigger him out of this trance like
it seemed to before.

  He stood and reached out, grabbing my shirt. One yank and the already frayed fabric shredded. He threw the ruined garment on the floor, leaving me exposed in only a bra and underwear. The lack of expression or emotion present in his face nearly made me pee myself.

  He licked his lips while he studied me like he was contemplating my torture. He stepped close, and my heart turned to a wild beat, dreading the intensity now in his eyes. His clenched fist struck with such force he actually lifted me off the ground, stripping my lungs of oxygen. My stomach throbbed where he’d connected. I had no chance to recover before the second blow slammed home. This time I did scream.

  “Jaden, stop!” I cried.

  He stepped closer, looking straight through me. His hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing my airway.

  “Ja...den.” I forced the word out. Black spots layered over my vision, and I fought the need to pass out. “Please.”

  His grip loosened, but my reprieve lasted only a second before his left fist cracked my ribs. If he continued, I would never be able to fight off a ravager attack, never mind have a prayer of saving him. My brain raced for an answer, for a way to get through to him.

  Another punch drew a second scream, and then his free hand pinched my breast before it traveled lower.

  “I heard ravagers like eating pussy,” he said in such a smooth tone that my heart froze. His hand squeezed me before he stepped behind me.

  The rattle of more chains locked my breath in my chest. Cold metal wrapped around my knee and jerked up. Jaden placed the hook into the link above my hands, raising my knee and exposing me further.

  “Don’t do this,” I cried, but that didn’t stop him from doing the same with my other leg. The bonds around my wrists dug in with my full weight being supported by the tight metal.

  Jaden stepped in front of me, inspecting his handiwork.

  “What are you doing?” I gasped, trying to leverage the chains around my knees for support to alleviate the agony in my wrists.