CHAPTER 27
Frankie
A fter the dreadful dinner with Dante, I crawl into bed and press my hand to my chest. The bond with Zarreth feels weaker. I wonder if it’s because we’re in different realms. Closing my eyes, I focus on the warmth of my mating mark, tears falling till sleep takes me away.
The next morning, two demons enter my room. I recognize the one with a missing eye from the night Zarreth and I met Dante. Cronus was his name. His presence alone makes my skin crawl, and it has nothing to do with his appearance.
“Come with us.” They each take an arm, escorting me from the room.
“What’s this? Another fancy dinner date? Whatever will I wear?” I can’t help the sarcasm in my voice. Jess always says I turn to humor instead of dealing with what’s in front of me. I guess she’s right.
The demon to my left laughs before muttering in my ear. “I wouldn’t tempt Lord Cronus if I were you. He would love nothing more than to have you for a fancy dinner.”
An audible gulp leaves my throat.
Cronus leans toward me, inhaling deeply. “Smells like fear, my favorite.”
I bring my eyes to his as he stops walking. Pushing me against the wall, his putrid breath making me want to vomit, he leans in, hissing, “I can’t wait to have a piece of you.”
I turn my head, thinking he’s going to kiss me. Instead, Cronus spits in my face, laughing as he releases me. I grit my teeth, thankful I’m able to keep my temper in check, as I wipe away his saliva with my sleeve.
Anger surges through me, yet it’s not enough to tamp down my fear. My knees wobble, making it difficult to walk as they lead me through a basement.
Screams come from behind the doors on both sides of the hallway. I wonder how many people are down here. How many lives have been upended, families torn apart, because of Dante?
We reach the end of the hallway and enter an open room. Shackles hang on the stone walls, and a workbench holding multiple tools sits in the middle of the room.
“Your date will not care what you’re wearing.” Cronus nods at a frail man hanging on the far wall. His wrists are restrained with his head resting on his chest. I can’t tell if he’s dead or alive.
The other guard walks up to the man, slapping him across the face. “Wake up,” he bellows. The chained man groans, the links to his binds clanking.
Dante enters the room with Robert in tow. “Time for your training. This will be exciting, don’t you think?” His eyes dancing as he claps with excitement.
“I can barely contain myself.” What is wrong with me? Why am I talking back?
Dante looks amused but thankfully ignores my remark.
“It’s simple.” He pulls a small plastic container from his pocket, holding it up. “Once this pathetic bag of bones ingests the K4, it will immediately work its way through his body. All you need to do is use your powers to scramble up his insides.” He gestures to the frail man’s body. “The K4 will take care of the rest and within minutes he'll be a hell-human, or dead.”
“What if I can’t?” My voice shakes. My powers are hit or miss. Why does he think I’m so capable of using them? My eyes bounce around the room, finally connecting with Robert’s. There must be a way out of this.
“Then poor Robert, here, will lose a limb.” My eyes snap back to Dante.
Cronus holds up a pair of large gardening shears to prove his point. Robert shakes with fear but doesn’t make a sound.
“I’m going to remove your cuffs. Don’t do anything stupid. You’ll regret it,” Dante sings, clasping his hands together.
I don’t want any part of this, but I can’t be the reason Robert loses a limb. “I won’t do anything stupid,” I promise, my eyes locked on Robert.
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I feel a knife at my throat keeping me in check.
Dante presses the first cuff with his thumb, and I hear a click as it unlatches. He passes the cuff to the guard standing behind me before removing the second one.
I rub my hands together, my fingers tingling more than they ever have before. My powers must have grown since I’ve been here.
Dante removes a yellow strip from the container before grabbing the man’s hair and lifting his head, shoving it in his mouth. “Now,” he tells me.
The man’s eyes instantly turn red, and fangs grow from his mouth. A deep growl rumbles from his throat, as he pulls violently at the shackles. The guards push the man against the wall to keep him from thrashing around.
I scream as I try taking a step back, but the guard with the knife to my throat holds me in place. “Now, Frankie,” Dante commands.
I have no idea what to do, so I extend my arms and grit my teeth, trying to summon my power. The man tugs at his chains in a frenzy, gnashing his newly formed fangs in my direction. He breaks one of the shackles, drawing an ear-splitting scream from my throat, as his jaw snaps, eyes fixated on me.
A guard quickly produces a syringe, the movements practiced, refined, as if they have done this many times before. Swiftly stabbing it into his neck, the man falls to the floor, unconscious. I watch in a trance as they drag him out of sight.
“Did it work?” I ask, my eyes not leaving the empty doorway the man disappeared into.
“Unfortunately, no,” Dante sulks. “But lucky for you, we have plenty to practice on.”
“But he had fangs and was snarling at me.”
“That’s what happens when someone takes K4. They grow fangs and descend into a state of delirium, but unlike a true shifter, they can’t be controlled. They can’t shift from human to hellhound. Instead, they’re stuck in this in-between state. They’re basically useless.” He nods at the man. “He’ll be destroyed.”
I’m appalled by the blatant disregard for human life. How can someone be so cruel? How is this my life? I can’t believe I’m a part of this. I’m responsible for this poor man’s life.
Dante picks up the shears, handing them to Cronus. “Lord Cronus, please do me the honor.”
“I would be happy to, my lord.”
“No, please! I tried,” I plead. “I swear I tried. Please don’t hurt him.”
“Frankie, Frankie, Frankie,” Dante reprimands, shaking his head. “Maybe this will motivate you to try harder.” He looks at Cronus, nodding.
Cronus turns the shears over in his hands as he walks toward Robert. Robert cowers but doesn’t attempt to run. Cronus grabs his hand, and with a gleam in his eye, cuts off Robert’s little finger.
Robert screams, dropping to the floor. Blood pours down his elbow as he holds his hand close to his body.
“Please! Oh my God! No. I’m so sorry.” Sobbing, I run over to Robert and grab his hand, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. “Help him!” I yell, glaring around the room.
“Stop being dramatic, Frances,” Dante says before he turns to Cronus. “Take Robert away from here. His pathetic cries are distracting Frankie.”
Cronus escorts Robert from the room. At the same time, a different guard enters with a girl who looks close to my age. She’s too weak to walk, so he drags her to the shackles.
This time he places a restraint over her forehead so she can’t move at all. Once she’s secure, he steps to the side, readying another syringe.
The girl’s eyes meet mine, but I can tell she doesn’t see me. She’s in her own world, and I pray she doesn’t realize what’s happening. Closing my eyes, I bring my hands together, concentrating on bringing power to my palms.
“Please focus this time, Frankie. It’s much easier for Robert to serve me with all his fingers,” Dante says.
He removes another yellow strip before placing it in the girl’s mouth. I don’t waste any time. Immediately placing my hands around her neck, I clench my jaw, focusing on how badly I want to end Dante’s miserable life as he has ended so many others.
My skin turns hot as pins and needles spread through my hands into my chest and neck. My ears ring as my vision tunnels, almost passing out.
“That’s enough,” Dante says. “Your powers are very unstable, but don’t be discouraged, we’ll keep trying.”
I open my eyes to a limp, lifeless girl. Blood flows from her eyes, ears, and nose. “No! I-I…I killed her!”
I sob. What have I become? What am I doing to these poor people? Am I just as bad as Aradon or Dante?
The next two days are spent in agonizing guilt. I only leave my room to practice my powers. And when I say practice my powers, I mean kill more innocent people. I’ve spent my entire life trying to be good, to be a better person than my mother. Now look at me.
I finally stabilized the K4 enough to create two shifters. I feel worse for turning people into monsters than I do for killing them. Their humanity is gone either way. At least those who die can move on to whatever afterlife they believe in. The shifters are stuck living in absolute misery.
Dante keeps them in separate cells in the dungeon. I pass them every day on my way to the torture chambers where I create the abominations. They’re huge. Their heads are nearly chest level when they’re on all fours. Black, patchy fur covers their ridged spines. Their yellow eyes are lifeless with no intelligence behind them. Multiple rows of sharp teeth fill their jaws.
But their human form. That is downright terrifying. Their skin is almost translucent, making their veins completely visible. The abnormal number of sharp teeth prevents their jaws from closing, making saliva drip from their fangs. Their fingers are long, extending into sharp claws.
Other than Robert bringing me food, I’m left alone to think about the evil I created, the lives I took. I’m a monster. I don’t deserve to live. If it wasn’t for the warmth of my mating mark letting me know Zarreth is still out there, I would have easily taken my life by now.
Instead, I focus on how the hell I’m going to get out of here. Robert is the only one I can overpower while wearing these cuffs. I don’t want to hurt him, but if it’s a choice between me or him, I will choose me; it’s the only way I’ll make it back to Zarreth.