Chapter 1
One
Ziggy- 13 years old
“ I swear to the gods I will peel the flesh from your bones!”
Kicking my legs out I try to make contact with either of the two men dragging me away from my sister. She’s so young and unaware of what goes bump in the night—yet so strong and resilient.
“Oh, we love a fighter! All the more fun to break.” Snickering, the minotaur to my left tightens his grip around my bicep. “Isn’t he so pretty, Markos? So young and fit. He’ll be a favorite back at camp.”
“With lips like those… wowwee ! I hope he’s got tough knees.” Markos’ furry face stares down at me with a look of lust and delight that I’ve never seen before.
I prayed I wouldn’t die a virgin, but this is not what I had in mind. I always pictured I would find a beautiful girl who I’d desperately fall in love with. We would go on hikes and read together while sitting under a tree. Maybe we would have a few kids and grow old together. I didn’t need to have sex with a bunch of beings, just one who made me feel .
Instead, my reality is some grown-ass being holding me down to force themselves on me. They will take any trace of hope and innocence I have and incinerate them.
And to think, Mama sacrificed herself just to have me end up in the arms of evil.
“Titus, I think the pretty elf likes the idea of being the camp bitch boy because he’s stopped resisting.”
“First of all, the pretty elf has a name! Sec–” As I’m about to go on a tangent I’m abruptly cut off.
“You will answer to whatever we call you now. Your sole purpose is to be bled and fucked, and once your usefulness ends…” Titus runs his thumb across his throat, cocking his head to the side with closed eyes and his fat tongue sticking out—pretending to be dead.
I wish it was that simple. Maybe if I think about it hard enough, he will be.
Hot droplets spatter across my face as the minotaur to my right drops to the ground—my lungs seize with shock. Titus has crumpled to the dirt, crimson liquid pooling around him seeping from his neck. I lay a shaky hand to my cheek, pulling back to find crimson. My heart beats so hard I can feel the throb behind my eyes as they scan the crime scene, all while my brain tries to figure out how to get out of here—and quickly.
There’s no way…
Markos drops my arm, hurrying to his friend’s side. He presses his hands to the wound to stop the bleeding—not that it does any good.
Piercing black eyes flick to me, hatred marred in the creases that surround them. “What the fuck did you do?” His voice comes out deathly sinister.
“N–nothing…”
Head spinning and chest heaving I make a run for it. I have no idea where I am or in which direction I’m headed. I can only hope it’s back to Villiana.
Making a sharp left I push through thick brush and prickers, each tearing at my golden skin. With my arm raised to protect my eyes, I continue on. Unfortunately my obscured sight screws me over. A large root takes me and my foot by surprise, sending me flying into the thorn littered brush.
“ Fuck, fuck, fuck, ” I hiss as quietly as possible. “Keep moving, Ziggy, or you’re dead.” Planting my torn up palms on the ground I push off, tripping over myself with every movement.
Nothing is going to stop me from escaping my pending fate. Not the ache in my bruised knees. Not the trickle of blood running down my arms. Definitely not the fire in my lungs as I suck in air.
Nothing but the hard body I slam face first into.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” The slim man wraps his long, slender, hand around my throat, squeezing tightly. Beady red eyes lock onto mine causing me to go limp in his grasp.
“Now, boy, it’s time to choose your fate. Are you going to join the cause? Or are you going to die for it?”