Page 16

Then—pressure.

A boot presses down on my chest, pinning me in place.

A voice shouts through the haze, familiar yet distant. The weight disappears.

Growls erupt around me, the sounds of bodies colliding.

I push up onto my hands and knees, half-conscious, vision swimming.

I try to stand—stumble. Fall. Try again.

Hands grab me.

I scream.

“Shh, Elora. It’s just me.”

Dragus.

My body goes limp, my fingers gripping his shirt as he holds me upright, his arm a steel band around my waist.

The fight rages behind us, the sounds growing louder.

Then—a violent tug.

I’m ripped from Dragus’s grasp.

His arms tighten around me, refusing to let go.

“Let her go, Dragus!”

The voice makes my stomach drop.

The same man who just threw me around like I was nothing.

“Leave her, Silas, she is barely conscious.”

“She sounds conscious enough, hand her over.”

I grip onto Dragus, knowing I stand a better chance at survival with him.

Silas grabs my hair, making me scream and I feel tears run down my cheeks.

“Silas, she can’t take anymore, let her go, now.”

“She should have thought about that before running from us. I’ll make sure she never fucking runs again,” he bellows, his voice laced with fury.

Then—his fist flies.

Dragus stumbles back, crashing to the ground.

I barely have time to react before Silas grabs me.

Adrenaline surges through me. I kick. I struggle.

His grip only tightens.

His arm locks around my chest, crushing me against him.

A hand clamps over my throat, squeezing like a boa constrictor, while his arm across my chest presses the air from my lungs.

I can’t breathe.

“Fucking Aziza’s thinking they can always get away with everything,” I hear him growl into my ear. I claw at his arm, trying to get him to let go. My attempts are getting weaker as my body slowly becomes deprived of oxygen.

When I am once again thrown to the ground, I gasp for air. My entire body feels limp and heavy as I lay face down on the dirt. I give up, welcoming death. Please let me die quickly. I feel his foot come down on the center of my back.

“Please, just kill me” I breathe. Closing my eyes, waiting for death.

“Silas, please, no more,” I hear Matitus say, and I realize he is the one who attacked Silas. He pushes me onto my back and my entire body feels bruised and battered. I lay there as he continues to stare down at me. Kneeling beside me, Silas grips my face and growls.

“Run again and I will fucking kill you, understood?” he snarled at me.

“I won’t run,” I tell him, my voice barely a whisper as it feels even hard to talk. His arms go underneath my back and knees, and I feel myself being lifted. I brace myself, waiting to be tossed again only this time he pulls me closer, hugging me tight to his chest. After a few minutes, I realize he won’t throw me again. I relax, going limp against him and giving into the darkness that has been trying to envelope me, praying to the fates I won’t wake back up to this nightmare that is my life.