Chapter 21

MISTY

I raced up the remaining stairs and pounded my fist against the steel door in the vague hope that King Axel couldn’t be this cruel. And then my whole life came crashing down, and I sat on the stairs and sobbed in despair.

Axel must have been tracking Tanner the entire time, which meant Monolith was in danger. If he caught Tanner, Chelsea’s life would also be in danger. The flashlight barely dispelled the gloom, but I was too distraught to switch it off.

Slowly, I navigated the stairs back to the chamber, traced Lloyd’s face, and kissed his lips, begging him to open his eyes, but he was like a statue.

~“I’m sorry, Cammy, but there’s no hope for us.”~

~“Don’t say that, Misty. Help will come.”~

I shook my head in despair and slid to the floor. Frieda couldn’t help us, but maybe she saw Axel and put two and two together to warn Tanner.

Without water, we’d be dead in a couple of days. Goddess, I wished I could link my dad, but I knew the chances of him being alive were slim.

Switching off the flashlight, I listened to silence; no sound penetrated the chamber.

~“Let’s check out the crystals. Maybe you can make them work somehow?”~

~“I can try, but I’m not hopeful,”~ I said, getting to my feet.

Switching the flashlight back on, I moved closer to the wall and inspected the crystals. They were no bigger than my palm and seemed stuck on the wall and not embedded.

Digging the knife out of my pocket, I wedged the tip behind a crystal and wiggled it carefully.

The crystal bounced to the floor and out of my line of sight. Stepping back, I angled the flashlight and searched for it. Shit, had it broken?

It glinted in the flashlight’s beam, and I picked up one half. Damn, one crystal down.

Putting the flashlight in my mouth, I started on the next one, holding it in place so it wouldn’t fall on the floor. I didn’t want any more of them to break.

I balanced it in my palm and looked around, eventually placing it on Lloyd’s chest for lack of a better alternative.

Tanner had said a dozen, but there were twice as many, and I ran out of space and ended up placing some on Lloyd’s groin area and giggled madly.

I was losing my shit…

It was difficult to tell time down here, and I had no idea how long it kept me busy. Axel hadn’t checked if I had a phone, and now I wish I’d insisted on taking it.

~“Probably no reception down here,”~ Cammy said.

~“Tanner would have checked that before leaving the phone.”~

Not that it mattered. When Lloyd carried me out of the throne room, Axel must have been suspicious and probably checked the chamber to see if he brought me down here.

I sat on the cement floor and leaned against the wall to think.

How could I get out of here?

~“We have to wake Lloyd. Maybe he knows a way out of here.”~

~“I don’t think I can perform the spell without the sun. That was the whole point of retrieving the crystals.”~

~“Let’s meditate and find that spark,”~ Cammy suggested.

~“Okay, there’s nothing else to do. Wait a minute… You feel the spark when we break something, so let’s break the locks and that stupid sensor.”~

~“Oh, yes. Good idea.”~

I raced up the stairs and stood on the landing, pressing my ear against the steel door. It was at least three inches thick, and even if someone stood guard, I wouldn’t hear them.

~“I don’t know where the sensor is, but does it matter?”~

~“I don’t think so,” ~Cammy said.

Closing my eyes, I focused my intent before touching the door.

~“And?”~

~“Nothing,”~ Cammy said disappointedly.

~“Fuck!”~

~“Don’t give up.”~

~“Okay.”~

I tried repeatedly, but nothing happened now that I wanted to break something. How could I be so unlucky? I slammed my palms against the door in frustration.

How could I harness my witch powers? I had no clue and wished I’d studied the grimoire more actively. Discouraged, I trudged back to the chamber and sat on the floor. I thought I was prepared, but in reality, I wasn’t.

Utterly depressed, I lay on my side, using my arm as a pillow, and let the cold seep into my bones.

Nothing had turned out the way I thought it would, and I resigned myself to the fact that I would die here as silent tears ran down my face.

I don’t know how long I slept, but I woke up numb. The flashlight dimmed as I switched it on, and it wouldn’t last much longer. I circled Lloyd’s ~bed~ repeatedly, trying to get the blood flowing to warm up.

~“Try the chant with the crystals,”~ Cammy said.

~“It won’t work without the materials and sun.”~

~“Those are just props. Real power comes from within,” ~Cammy lectured.

~“Since when did you become an expert?”~

~“Just try. We have nothing to lose…”~

I placed the crystals in the bag, sat cross-legged in the corner, and spread them around me.

Clearing my mind, I tried to remember the incantation, but I’d only read it once or twice and expected to perform it in the sun reading from the grimoire.

Goddess, what would my mom think when none of us answered the phone?

~“Focus,”~ Cammy rebuked.

~“I’m trying!”~

I closed my eyes and pictured the sun like a big ball of fire. I couldn’t remember the exact wording of the incantation and muddled through it.

~“It’s pointless. I’m not really a witch…”~

~“Don’t say that. Take a break and then try again.”~

~“Okay.”~

My stomach grumbled, and my throat was dry. In and out… So fucking delusional!

Then I heard the dials click, and I ran to the bottom of the stairs in anticipation. Was it Tanner or maybe Frieda? The door opened, the lights went on, and King Axel appeared on the landing.

“Still here? How’s the mating going?” He laughed derisively. “Or should I come down and show Lloyd how it’s done?” he taunted.

“Fuck you,” I spat venomously.

“Hmm. I like feisty she-wolves who resist. Let’s see if you’re more amenable when thirsty and hungry. Till tomorrow…” He grinned and left, the locks snapping into place.

I screamed in frustration and anger until my throat was raw, and it hurt to swallow.

Crying would only make me thirstier, and I had to conserve whatever bodily fluids I had. Maybe this wasn’t even the right spell to break the curse?

I blamed myself for being so impatient, but I didn’t just want to save Lloyd; I also wanted to rescue my father, and time was running out.

Even if I could wake Lloyd, we were still trapped in this Goddess-forsaken chamber and would waste away until one day our bodies were found. No, wait, Lloyd couldn’t die, but I would.

I traced Lloyd’s features lovingly and kissed his cold lips, wishing a kiss could wake him. It must be horrible to wake up decades or centuries later, guarding a king he probably hated.

I couldn’t stop shivering and sat on the floor, hugging my knees as the flashlight died. I secluded my mind, not wanting to think about Axel coming down and forcing himself on me. Poor Olivia, she’d had no choice.

I dozed and daydreamed of the beach house, running on the warm sand and swimming in the sea.

~“The crystals are glowing,”~ Cammy said, nudging me awake.

Opening my eyes in disbelief, I yelled excitedly, picking one up. Tanner had said they shone like stars, but maybe it took a while for them to warm up.

It wasn’t warm to the touch, but slowly, the crystals gained power, illuminating the chamber.

And then I heard a heartbeat, just one. My breathing hitched, and I scrambled to my feet, almost losing my balance in my haste to get to Lloyd’s side. I listened and was rewarded with another heartbeat. And another. Slow but regular.

I willed him to open his eyes, but he was still hard and cold as stone.

“Please wake up,” I pleaded.

The crystals on the floor started shining like stars, and now the rhythm of his heartbeat increased.

His eyes opened. “Misty,” he croaked.

Cupping his cheek, I pulled back reflexively; his skin was still hard.

“It takes a while.” His voice was gruff, but his green eyes were wide open and focused on me.

I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak and very close to tears. Placing a hand on his chest, I felt his body soften and warm. I wanted to lie on top of him, but the thought that he might reject me floated through my brain.

“Did you break the curse?” he asked, flexing his fingers before running his hand down my arm. “You’re freezing. Come here,” he said and pulled me into his arms. I sank into his warmth, and he vigorously rubbed his hands up and down my arms.

But then anger surfaced. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? No, you had to leave me confused and stranded, punching my dad, and then you had the audacity to mark me and ask me to save you!”

I ranted and slapped his chest after every phrase for emphasis. “And now we’re trapped, and I’m going to die, and so is my dad and Chelsea and Tanner, and that piece of shit you’ve been protecting fitted a goddamn sensor and has threatened to show me how mating works!”

Breathing heavily, I slapped his chest again as he sat up, but he caught my hand and pulled me close, holding me tight while I struggled in righteous indignation but caved in seconds.

Goddess, it was wonderful to have him breathing. I burrowed into his chest and tried not to sob at the hopelessness of the situation.

“I’m sorry. I should have trusted you, but my hatred for witches overshadowed everything. I haven’t lived long enough to get over what happened so long ago. I’m sorry I marked you—I don’t know why I did that. I just wanted to save you…,” he trailed off.

“Save me? You ignored me and then threw me out the goddam window. In the meantime, Knox was being attacked.”

“Your mom?” he asked anxiously, hands cupping my shoulders.

“She survived only because Tanner convinced some warriors to go easy.”

He sighed in relief. “Please, tell me everything that happened,” he said so soothingly that I calmed down.

“I don’t know if I broke the curse. I was supposed to take the crystals and put them in the sunlight, but Axel caught me and locked me in. He even had lights installed,” I explained and pointed at the bulb.

“The crystals?” He frowned in contemplation. “Of course…they shine brightly when I wake but dim when I return to the chamber.”

I recounted everything from the moment he threw me out the window, including Axel’s threat. He growled then but listened without interruption. “It doesn’t matter now; we’re trapped here, and Axel…” I trailed off, blinking tears away.

“The curse might have woken me, but King Axel won’t know that. You said he’s come to check on you twice? When was that?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think it was that long ago. Is there any way out of the chamber?”

“No, I’ve tried before but can’t break the door even with my strength.”

I sighed. “Then we’re done for.”

He laughed. “Not yet. Hubris will be his downfall. You know, I’ve never woken in succession, but now I can link Frieda.”

“You know her?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes, she kindly fed me every time I appeared in the kitchen, which was often.”

Lloyd stood up and stretched, his vertebrae clicking. Goddess, he was handsome and hot. I touched his face, feeling the stubble on his cheek. I expected him to jerk away, but he didn’t.

He grabbed my hand, titled my palm to his lips, and kissed it.

“I should have known I could trust my mate, even if she is a witch,” he said contritely.

“If I am a witch, then I suck… But I might forgive you if you get us out of here,” I said magnanimously.

“If nothing else, I will make sure you are safe.” He pulled me to the stairs and sat on the fourth step, his long legs reaching the floor easily. “Would you like to sit on my lap?” he asked.

I blinked.

~“Of course we do,”~ Cammy yelled.