Chained to Darkness

by Raven Woodward

  “Your leg is broken. An ambulance is on its way.”

  Harlow looked back at the man standing over her, impossibly tall and strong. “My parents…” Her voice was small and tight with pain.

  “They’re dead,” he answered, unfeeling. Then he moved to the other side, ripped the door clean off the car, and hauled out an unconscious Mary.

  He laid her down beside Harlow and swore under his breath. “Listen, when the police come, you don’t tell them you saw me, okay? Tell them you two climbed out and then your sister passed out. Do you understand?”

  Harlow nodded slowly, still trying to process everything. Her parents…were dead? They were dead.

  The man looked around, gritting his teeth. Gentle flakes floated down in the picture of serenity. But her world was anything but serene right now.

  When he started to walk away, she reached for him. “Don’t leave me,” she pleaded. “My leg really hurts.”

  Looking back down at her, he watched her carefully, but something in his eyes made her snap her mouth shut. He looked…angry.

  Harlow’s mouth fell open. It had been a while since she’d experienced a memory so vividly. But one thing was for certain: the bear their car had hit was not a bear. Through the snow she’d barely made out the outline of its horns.

  Arian.

  And the man that had dragged her out before casting her aside—it was Arian. But no. She knew he’d pulled her out, but he hadn’t been the cause of the accident. Had he?

  She turned her glare on Rex. “Did you plant that fake memory in my head? I haven’t remembered the crash that vividly, ever.”

  Rex shook his head. “You have the power to recall memories and even see the future. Not just from yourself, but from others as well. I’ve seen you zone out when you’re living a memory or a vision of the future.”

  Harlow shook her head. “This is just another bullshit mind game. Get the fuck out, I’m not playing.”

  Oricus shrugged. “I watched Arian walk out into the middle of the road, just around a corner, so your father wouldn’t have time to stop. He wanted you dead. Because at least dead I couldn’t steal you from him.”

  “You’re sick!” she seethed. “And if he wanted me dead, why didn’t he do it when I was a baby? Instead, he bound my magic to keep me hidden from you.”

  His mouth twisted to one side. “You’ve never been hidden from me, despite all his efforts. I watched you grow up just as much as he did. On your birthday when you summoned the both of us, I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. It wasn’t an accident, Puppet. You were always meant to be mine.”

  “And mine,” Rex growled behind him.

  Still glaring at Oricus, she spat, “If you came in here to spout a bunch of pretty lies in hopes I’d spread my legs for you, you’re sorely mistaken.”

  He shrugged. “There’s always two sides to a story, Puppet. Now you know mine. Besides…” He leaned forward again, invading her space while his lips hovered above hers.

  Warmth flooded her body, heating her cheeks. Why was she reacting to him even when she hated him? The answer was there in the back of her mind. The stupid fucking Mark.

  A wicked smile curled his lips, and his eyes flashed as the beast within him showed itself yet again. “All I have to do is get close enough to you and you’re putty in my hands.”

  His whispered words registered a moment too late. He’d already reached the door when she bellowed, “Remove the Mark and we’ll see if I still react to you! Go on, if you think I’m so ready to let you fuck me, get rid of the magic that forces me to want you!”

  Pausing at the door, he spoke over his shoulder, but didn’t look back at her. “The Mark doesn’t force you to get wet for me, Harlow, that’s entirely you.”

  The door slammed shut, but not before Rex met her gaze, a deep longing reflected in them.

  Then there was nothing and no one but her in the room, and only a hint of light streaming around the bars in the small window.

  “How is locking me up proving that I should trust you or want any of you bastards?” she shouted.

  There was no reply.

  Not for the hours she shouted and screamed, or pulled on her chains so hard she shattered the bones in her hands, though they healed too quickly for her to slip out of the manacles.

  Not even when she sagged to the floor and let sleep take over.

  ARIAN

  Oricus broke my bond to Harlow so he could claim her himself. The thought swirled around his mind over and over while Arian fought to find sleep. Even a moment of reprieve from his current hell would help restore his sanity.

  Onoliza had known. She’d slipped him inside under the guise of having a moment alone with Harlow. He’d gotten that moment and she’d had no memory of him until it was too late. Then the Empress had collared him so she could parade him around like a trophy.

  His fury had ebbed now, leaving him only with desolation. Harlow—his mate—was Marked by someone else. More than one, though he couldn’t sort through all the scents—it had been too overwhelming. But it was what he hadn’t sensed that had given him hope. The bond was incomplete. There was still time.

  If he could rescue her, then…

  What?

  He’d go back into hiding with her, while she forever ached for another male. No, several other males.

  Fuck.

  Everything was a mess. But at the very least, Onoliza had pulled Elentis from the depths of the Okeah Sea. He rested in the next room over, recovering from the trauma of the freezing- cold water stealing his breath repeatedly. Though she had promised to let Elentis return to the pack back on Earth, the moon curse would take effect in the next day and his already exhausted brother would be forced into his beast form for several days.

  Arian groaned inwardly so as not to wake the Empress asleep beside him. Even with a dozen thick blankets covering him, the frigid cold seeped from the creature.

  Carefully he peeled back the blankets and climbed down from the pod-like enclosure they were suspended in, trying not to jostle it. He didn’t want to wake his jailor: the creature that repeatedly forced his cock to stiffen against his will, but could never make him want her like she did with others.

  He needed to get Elentis and get the fuck out, back to the pack so he could regroup and save Harlow. Though the Empress would likely see through it instantly, he cast an illusion of himself still fast asleep on the bed before creeping across the room. Guards were posted outside the door, but not too many nights ago he’d seen her exit through a hidden passage on the other side and made his way to it. The walls were dazzling in the royal suite. Scondeladians prided themselves on precious gems. When they were inlaid in the walls and floors, it was a sign of wealth. And this room was practically carved from the finest jewels.

  Fingering the smooth veins of golden tanyasilk and the assortment of jewels in vivid colors, he tried to find the trigger that opened the passage. He recalled how he’d once opened the secret passage in his room that led into the lowest level. He’d used it only once, but his brothers had frequented it, using it when they were young to play or to steal sweets from the kitchen, and later to sneak in their lovers.

  Arian trailed a finger down the jagged line of dark ruby red—his father’s chosen color. A part of the wall clicked, and a small panel slid aside. He rushed inside, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the Empress was still asleep, before hurrying to shut the panel again and follow it to the left. How he’d sneak into Elentis’s room, he wasn’t sure. When he came to what he hoped was the panel that led into his brother’s quarters, he felt around, hands running over smooth stone.

  At last his fingers found the groove. The panel slid to the side and Arian stepped inside the dimly lit room, the cylinder of artificial light in the center a creamy orange. It made his brother’s pale skin look eerily waxy, but his chest rose and fell with breath.

  Arian stopped by the bed, bending down to shake Elentis. His shaggy bl
ond curls hung in his eyes, which twitched in his sleep.

  “Elentis,” Arian said softly, shaking his brother harder.

  His brother’s whisper was hoarse, his brows pinched. “Lenae.”

  Lenae? Harlow’s human friend? “Elentis,” he said louder. “Wake up.”

  Finally, pale green eyes flashed open, unfocused and wild. Elentis’s body jerked, arm swinging in a wide punch that Arian batted away easily.

  “Dammit, I’m trying to get you out of here,” he growled.

  Elentis blinked, the fear in his eyes slowly fading. “Dom?”

  “Yeah.”

  His brother nodded sharply, pulling himself into a sitting position. He squinted at Arian as though he couldn’t see him clearly. The high algae content had damaged his vision. When they first retrieved him, he was completely blind and mostly deaf, but he was healing.

  Arian had managed to speak to his brother only once since he’d been pulled from the sea, and Onoliza had been present the entire time.

  He pulled his brother to his feet, securing him with an arm around his thin waist. “We don’t have long, we need to go.”

  “Dom, what’s going on?”

  “I’ll tell you once we get out,” he murmured, pulling him toward the hidden passage and securing the panel back in place. In the dark, Elentis began to shake, his breathing turning ragged. “It’s okay, focus on me,” Arian whispered.

  Fucking Oricus, he thought. His dark ire grew with each passing second. When it came to enemies, his brother was quickly surpassing the empress that enslaved his home planet.

  They walked slowly, Arian nearly dragging his brother, whose chest heaved with ragged breaths. He sympathized with Elentis, but they needed to get out and as far away as possible.

  Clanging sounded from up ahead. They stopped, Arian’s heart picking up speed. A horde of guards rushed toward them. He propped his brother up against the wall and sprang forward, knocking two heads against the hard stone with just enough force to render them unconscious. Moving forward, he landed strategic hits to the next three that sent them dropping like stones. He had the advantage a hundred times over.

  When the last man fell, he turned, grabbed hold of Elentis again, and shuffled them through the narrow space faster, having to move sideways to accommodate both of them. A howl echoed distantly, but this time Arian didn’t stop. It grew louder and louder with every few hurried steps he took.

  What sort of creature made that kind of noise? His heart hammered against his ribs. It was certain the Empress now knew they were both missing and was sending her full army to bring him back. What he didn’t understand was why she didn’t come for him herself.

  The sound of footsteps thundering on the stone had Arian running, pulling Elentis along with him, his body limp. He’d fallen unconscious again. As the sound grew unbearably loud, Arian decided they were not from feet, but paws.

  “Stop running, Princeling. The Couguay are lethal. But don’t worry. It’s not you they’ll bite first,” the Empress singsonged. Her voice carried through the passage as though it were a living thing, chasing him despite his speed. “They’ll bite sweet little Elentis. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy to watch your brother rot away?”

  They had to be near the end. Faster, he demanded of his body, trying not to throw his brother around too much even if he’d heal easily. They couldn’t get caught. They couldn’t.

  A door came into view, so close he nearly cheered. The snarls and growls followed behind him, way too fucking close for comfort, but he charged on, throwing his body into the door. It exploded in a shower of splintered wood and curled iron. His feet stumbled on the slick glossy stone of the main level. Just one more door.

  At least a hundred guards stood with spears pointed at his chest, but Arian released his beast, tossing Elentis into the air and letting his body fall onto Arian’s much larger back. He bared his teeth at the mortals, but to their credit they stood their ground, blocking the way out. His path to freedom.

  His reluctance to kill vanished. Body after body he tore through, spraying blood that filled his mouth—bitter and astringent. Even with the mating bond severed, blood didn’t taste the same. Only hers would ever satisfy his craving.

  The thought of Harlow spurred him on, pushing him harder.

  Until a large body collided with his own, knocking Elentis to the floor. Arian whirled, facing the monstrosities that were the beasts before him. Their skin was dead and decayed, pulling away from bone and sinew while other parts were furred. They appeared to be wolves of some kind.

  They were smaller than him, but where he was one, they were at least ten. What was it Onoliza had said? They were lethal? That was impossible. Nothing could kill him. He’d tried, scoured the galaxies for anything that could end his pitiful existence. It was such a cruel twist that he now felt the urge to fight for his life when the thing that gave him that desire was his brother’s prisoner.

  Arian lunged at the same time the biggest of the group leapt for him. They clashed in a flurry of snapping jaws and claws ripping, tearing.

  Pain exploded in his shoulder, but he ignored it, sinking his fangs into the creature’s throat and biting down hard. The fluid that filled his mouth was ice cold and yet burned his tongue.

  Arian released the wolf, snarling at the bitter taste. His stomach churned with the need to expel its contents.

  “Bite him. He needs to learn not to run from me,” Onoliza spoke, though he didn’t see her anywhere. “Bite the brother too.”

  Fury drove him on. Arian lunged again, snarling in warning to anyone that would approach the defenseless figure lying on the floor. But behind him, the rest of the wolves pounced, and their teeth sank into Arian’s back.

  Fire poured through his skin. His veins. His muscles.

  His form shrank, becoming human, yet still he roared. He caught sight of a man sinking to his knees beside Elentis, raising his limp arm. With his black eyes focused on Arian, he bit down.

  The pain was too great. Arian’s body locked up. Then he fell forward into the deep, dark abyss.

  HARLOW

  She stood in front of the full-length mirror, taking in the glittering black gown that adorned her slender body. Her wild curls were tamed into full waves that hung at her back, full and beautiful. She met her own deep blue eyes reflected back at her, searching for any signs of the girl she’d once been. The girl was mortal and flawed. The woman before her was perfect. Ethereally beautiful.

  The door behind her creaked open, though she didn’t turn. She already knew who it was. In his regal attire, with his short blond waves fixed to one side and a golden crown atop his head, he stopped behind her, making her heart pound.

  His fingertips trailed along her shoulder and down to where the three long, silvery scars marred her otherwise perfect skin. It was his favorite part of her, his claiming. She glanced up at him in the mirror as he lowered his lips to her heated flesh. Swallowing hard, she tried to push away the surge of desire that flooded her, but it was too overwhelming. Her eyes fell shut as she gave in to the feel of his mouth on her. The scrape of his canines over her thundering pulse made her suck in a sharp breath.

  “You look stunning,” he murmured, pressing another kiss to her throat. “But you’re missing something.” He leaned over, carefully picking up the cluster of purple stones that formed a crown, jagged and beautiful. She hated it.

  “I don’t want to wear it,” she said coolly.

  Oricus smiled slyly. “It’s much too late for that, Puppet.” He set it on her head, the weight of it much heavier in her mind than in actuality.

  She turned to face him, chest aching with anger and regret. She felt like Oricus’s version of the story suited her much better. The big bad wolf had tricked her. Devoured her whole.

  “Come.” He gripped her hand and led her into the grand throne room. The guards lining the carpeted path to the throne sank into bows, their staunch white coats replaced with the same dark
purple as her crown.

  Harlow took her place in the largest throne, Oricus settling into the one beside her. He took her hand again, pressing a kiss to the back of it that made her shiver in recognition. She’d seen this scene before.

  But she’d stood in front of the throne, looking up. Harlow’s stare bored into that exact spot, her breaths coming faster.

  “Breathe,” he ordered quietly against her ear.

  Her eyes closed.

  Harlow stirred at the feel of warm fingers trailing down her neck, down her chest. Between the swells of her breasts. Heat licked through her from recalling Oricus’s lips on her skin, and she arched into the touch sleepily.

  The scent of smoke and whiskey filled her senses, making her still.

  Only one person smelled that way, and she sure as fuck didn’t want him touching her. Eyes flying open, Harlow scrambled away, noticing she was on a mattress. That was new.

  Rasimus’s dark gaze followed her hungrily. “Don’t fight me, pet. You know I can make you bend to my will.”

  “Yeah, how exactly did you do that?” she asked, grasping the thin, plain white blanket that had also been supplied, and pulled it up her chest. “Because that’s called rape.”

  Rasimus chuckled darkly. His insanely huge body took up so much space that it was impossible to put enough distance between the two of them, thanks to the chain still attached to the wall, binding her wrists. Which were healed now. Fantastic.

  “I never touched you; it was an illusion. Most of us can cast them. I’m the most skilled next to…”

  Her stomach dropped.

  “Arian,” Harlow finished, glancing down at the material clutched in her fists. It was all so clinical. Perhaps making her feel like she was in an asylum would help convince her that she was insane and thus make her more likely to cave.

  Not going to fucking happen.

  Rasimus didn’t acknowledge her addition, but he didn’t flinch or growl at Arian’s name on her lips like Oricus had. Instead, he reached for her hand, which she snatched away with a glare.