The Embrace of Steel and Sorrow (Celestials of Arcadia) by K.L. DeVore

Author:K.L. DeVore [DeVore, K.L. & DeVore, K.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-11-26T00:00:00+00:00

“Up,” Grim’s vile voice slithered through my consciousness.

Nausea from the black crystal caused bile to swirl and purge from my body. I heaved into the icy cell devoid of light. Bitterness from the fluids in my empty stomach burned my throat and nose as I coughed, attempting to catch my breath. Despite being weakened and every fiber in my body feeling wrecked beyond repair, I pushed myself to my hands and knees.

Grim’s booted foot struck my exposed ribs, making me collapse into a puddle of my bile. I bit down on my tongue, and all I could do was wheeze from the impact’s violent pain. With my magic drained and suppressed, my body violated and beaten without the ability to heal, I was nothing. No longer the hero that everyone thought I was.

A stark reminder of the hold they had on my life.

I was nothing but a weapon. A weapon that needed to be sheathed when not in use. Or if it became too dangerous to control.

“I’ll ask again,” Grim seethed above me. “Why were you charging into the King’s Suite? And why the fuck were you exposing your abhorrent Elemental side?”

I spat on the floor beside me, trying to block the magic deprivation’s agony. “I…I don’t know.”

Another kick to my ribs; this time, another one broke. A silent scream clawed up my throat as the jagged edge of the bone protruded from my skin. I couldn’t breathe. Surely, a rib punctured my lung.

“Fucking little liar. What are you planning?” I imagined that his beady eyes had formed slits and his crooked nose angled in a way that appeared more grotesque than usual. I could bet that spit clung to his pallid lips.

I wheezed out a cough, nursing my ribs, hoping against all odds he’d remove the shackles just long enough for me to heal. I couldn’t physically respond. The ringing in my head only shrilled louder, and the scrambling of my mind grew to exponential levels. My essence desperately searched for anything to latch onto.

“Let’s go. It’s time for you to see what happens when you think you have a mind of your own.” Cold hands coiled around my biceps, snatching me to my unsteady feet, but the splicing in my ribs rendered me incapable of standing on my own.

The cuffs fell from my ankles and wrists. The raging hunger within my veins ignited an endless hellfire as my essence fought to consume anything that would feed my magic. Grim eased off on his ability just enough, allowing me to absorb what I could to heal the broken bones. But first, I needed to do something about the rib protruding from my skin.

With all the shame that soiled my soul, I looked at Grim from beneath my lashes, gritting my jaw. “I…” I forced out. “I need…”

Grim’s chuckle snaked through my veins, leaving a trail of rot in its wake. “I do love it when you beg.”

“My rib,” I grunted, looking away from him. My breaths croaked shallowly, compounding the brutal agony as blood pooled in my lungs and excreted from my mouth and nose.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.