Forged in Blood by Kristina L. Wildes

Author:Kristina L. Wildes [Kristina L. Wildes]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kristina Wildes
Published: 2025-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Verena

Verena had no concept of time, her mind unusually blank as she vaguely heard voices around her. Her body felt confined with chains as her brain raged to get up. She couldn’t make out words, only registering sounds near her. Occasionally, a feeling of warm, soft hands on her, changing her clothes, she assumed, was processed in her mind. Verena felt embarrassed. How long had she been asleep? Her legs spasmed, she thought, as she felt pressure pushing against her thighs. A sharp sting contrasted on her arm as the high-pitched sounds faded. Drug-induced sleep, her mind quieted while the bright lights faded into darker tones. The high tones swapped to deeper, melancholy and rough.

“Verena?” She could feel hands cupping her face, gently shaking her. “Verena?” The voice asked again. She recognised it, but in her drugged state, a fog still enveloped her mind. Her eyelids were heavy as she tried to blink them open.

“H-h-h.” Verena coughed, her throat sore and dry as her stomach wheezed from the pain of coughing. “Hello?” She tried again, her tone still coarse, her oesophagus angry, and the rasping from her vocal cords.

“One moment, my love. Give me a fraction of a second.” Hands lifted from her face, and the weight beside her shifted.

Kieran?

Who else would it be, love?

I’m in your head again, aren’t I?

Shh, darling, let me grab you water before we speak.

“Kieran?” Verena voiced, her lips cracking as she fought against the dehydration.

“Stay still; I’m coming,” Kieran ordered. She felt him sit next to her again.

Attempting to rub her eyes, she noticed her body resisting. The drugs she was given must have been blocking her, even in her head. She felt his strong hands snaking under her shoulders, dragging her to his chest. Holding her to him as she imagined he recognised she was battling herself.

The drugs…Kieran…I can’t move. I can’t move. I can’t.

She panicked; memories of Colin holding her down rushed to the front of her mind. Her body shook as tears fell down her cheeks. She tried her best to will the reminder of the scumbag away and tried to remind herself she was safe. She felt Kieran’s body go taut. She knew in her soul he was witnessing everything through her eyes. With their mental connection, Verena had little chance of hiding her memories from him. She realised she was crying more, not from the shame of what Colin had done to her, but knowing she wasn’t strong enough for him. She felt as if she didn’t deserve him. Her demons told her she was damaged, worthless, and useless. She wasn’t strong enough to protect herself from him; how would she survive being the mate of a Demon Prince?

You are not worthless, my love. You are not useless. The things he did to you do not define you. They define him. They define the type of person he is, a man who does not deserve to be anywhere near your presence. You are strong, you are powerful, you are so much more than everything, more than everyone.

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