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A wave of heat blasted against my cheeks as flames detonated. Belle was incinerating everyone in her path. Black dust filled the air and fell each time she opened her snout, the fire erupting dangerously. I coughed from inhaling the particles that once used to be human.
I couldn’t be any more proud of Belle.
Damian hopped off her back as she continued to claw at people, kick the tables and glass, and release the wrath of her flames. Her tail whipped back and forth lethally against bodies in the way. The sounds of running, screaming, and glass shattering were all that I was focused on.
Damian came up to me, sadness in his eyes as he looked at the bolts that held me. “You came back?” I breathed out, barely able to move my chest. Slowly looking into his eyes, my heart beat faster.
He met my gaze, his eyes full of terror and relief at seeing me alive. “I was stupid for leaving you, my Queen. I will be by your side the rest of your journey, protecting you. I promise.”
His fingers grabbed the metal bars holding down my wrists. He quickly moved his hands to get the metal to release. The clasp on my right hand sprung open. I moved my arm up, looking at the ghostly white skin that resulted from the pressure of the metal. My fingers became numb from the lack of movement.
Damian shuffled to remove my wrist from the left clasp. He was struggling with the heavy and tight metal clinging to my skin.
A brooding black figure walked toward us, not paying attention to the rest of the commotion surrounding him. My vision became blurry surrounding his figure. Everything felt as if it were fading to black as Damian remained crystal clear.
“Damian,” I breathed out in a warning.
Behind him stood a burly figure. His mane of unruly black hair framed his thick face. His boots started to make their way to where we sat. Damian slowly turned and took in the figure in front of us, an audible gulp pushing down his throat.
The background of him was hazy except for a few wisps of fire and smoke wafting upward, Belle continuing her job.
“She’s not yours to take,” he said, flashing his awful teeth in our direction, a snarl encapsulating his lips.
“She’s not an object,” Damian said back, his voice deep and protective.
“Finders keepers,” the brooding man said as he hunched over the both of us. His grin was far too vast to be out of kindness. His words sizzled out of his mouth, sending a wave of spit hitting both of us in the face. His towering body dominated over each of us.
Not knowing how Damian would respond, I watched in concern as he turned back to me, quickly releasing the last bolt from the clasp on my left hand in one swift movement. The large obscure man swiped at Damian to knock him out, but Damian ducked and lunged in the opposite direction, barely missing his arms swiveling to where he originally was.
Time was running thin. The anxiety made my fingers numb as I worked at the hinges, breaking a nail in the process. The clasp was still snug on my ankles.
Walking to my left, Damian led away the man, so that I could free myself. The large, brooding man picked Damian up without a thought, holding him high in the air.
I gasped as I was bent over, fumbling through the metal on my ankles. “Damian!” I shrieked, fumbling faster with the bolts on my cuffs.
There was a demanding, heart-stopping smack as Damian hit the wall and fell to the floor. He groaned as he lay flat on the concrete, attempting to put his right hand forward to lift himself up. The wicked man wobbled closer to him to hurt him again. Damian was barely moving. Only the slight movements of his chest rising and falling caught my eye.
“Damian! Get up!” The rush of adrenaline hit me, and I was filled with energy. The need to release the metal around my ankles sent shivers down my spine. My fire abilities would be useless if I couldn’t be free. I had to get closer.
The man enclosed himself on Damian, and I released the last clasps holding me captive. I jumped up and faced him. He was hunching over to pick up Damian as he lay almost lifeless on the floor. His groans signaled that he was still alive.
I lifted my arms up to create large balls of fire, mustering every ounce of strength that I had left in me. Fireballs danced and crackled through the air, their searing heat leaving trails of shimmering light in their wake. With a swift motion, I hurled them toward him, each impact eliciting a sharp yelp of pain from his lips. He turned over his whole shoulder so quickly I thought he was going to pounce and murder me right that second. Narrowed slits formed beneath his furrowed brow as he peered intently, his gaze sharp and piercing.
I felt useless against him. His towering stature loomed, casting a daunting shadow that seemed to swallow the room whole. Each movement he made exuded an aura of power and dominance, his mere presence instilling a chilling sense ofvulnerability within me. He turned to face me completely, and I felt like the victim: the predator and the prey. I quickly reminded myself that I had unique abilities that he didn’t know the extent of.
I looked over to Belle. She was finishing off the remaining moving bodies. She was chewing them and eating them like twigs. It gave me hope that she was almost finished and that, soon enough, I would not be alone in this battle.
“Little girl. What do you think you are doing? I could give you everything you want. Join me.” He slowly walked toward me as if wanting me to trust him.
“You have nothing that I could ever want. You will use me until I bleed dry.” I looked down along my neck, arms, chest, and legs to see all of the slashes that were crusted over in blood. “Damian’s right. I am just an object to you and will always be seen as one.”
He scowled, moving closer to me, glass crunching beneath his feet. I moved backward, feeling the cool breeze from the open wall behind me, leading into the night. Glass broke beneath my feet, moving along the slickness of the cold concrete. There were upturned tables and chairs scattered along the floor that I was conscious about, not wanting to trip over.
I could tell that the bar was empty with the echoes each step ricocheted between the walls. Each person either died or quickly fled, saving themselves.
The option to flee surged my mind. But I couldn’t leave Damian there–not to this scoundrel. There was something there between us, an unsaid intention to protect each other. Maybe he cared about me more than I thought.
My arms lifted once more, and the last of my strength channeled into flickering flames that danced toward him. A cry erupted from his lips as he recoiled, clawing at his burning eyes.My focus shifted to Belle, my energy depleted, leaving me unable to conjure even the smallest spark.
