Chapter 34 #2
He stopped behind her, and she felt his presence close, though it didn’t feel threatening.
His fingers dabbed the markings on her back, tracing the intricate patterns, just as Thorn had done earlier.
But this time, the touch was warm, not cold and cruel.
His touch was so light it almost tickled, a stark contrast to the harsh pain she had endured when the markings were first cut into her flesh.
Then she heard it. A low growl, rumbling deep in his chest.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she tensed, unsure of what it meant. The Al’teran circled back around her, stepping in front of her once more. Where there had once been gentleness and sadness, now there was anger. His jaw clenched tightly as he muttered something in his native tongue.
Elora couldn’t understand the words, but she didn’t need to.
She sensed his anger, aimed not at her, but at those who had wronged her.
At Thorn, who had turned her into this half-formed creature.
He was angry for her. For the violation of her body, the magic that had been forced into her without her consent.
Just then, the door swung open, and Thorn strode into the room, two guards flanking him. He surveyed the scene with a casual air. His eyes flicked between Elora and the Al’teran. “I’m surprised he didn’t hurt you.”
The Al’teran’s golden eyes snapped to Thorn, and before anyone could react, he shifted, his body contorting in a split second into the form of the massive nightglider. With a powerful leap, he launched himself at Thorn, his jaws wide, fangs gleaming as he aimed for Thorn’s throat.
Elora gasped, her mind instinctively hoping that he would make contact, save her from this nightmare they were both in.
But before the Al’teran could reach him, one guard standing near the mechanism that controlled his chains yanked the lever.
The chains jerked violently, tightening in an instant, pulling the animal back mid-leap.
His claws slashed the air, a foot from Thorn’s neck.
The chains tightened further, dragging the Al’teran closer to the wall, forcing him to the ground as his muscles strained against the bonds.
His growls echoed through the chamber as he struggled, but the guards slowly returned him to where he had been strung up.
Elora watched in horror as the nightglider shifted back into human form, his face twisted with rage, his chest heaving as he spat angry sentences at Thorn in his native tongue.
But Thorn didn’t so much as flinch. He acted as though a deadly mystical beast hadn’t just tried to tear his throat out. His calm, superior demeanor remained completely intact as he ignored the Al’teran’s furious words, not even sparing him a glance.
Instead, Thorn turned his attention back to Elora. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’ll have to cut this session short.” He spoke as if she’d been enjoying herself, as though she actually wanted to be here and become this beast.
Before Elora spoke—before she processed the sheer madness of what just happened—Thorn placed his hand on her shoulder. In an instant, a jolt of electricity surged through her, lighting her nerves on fire.
Elora screamed, the pain ripping through her body with a force that made her vision blur.
She could feel the magic being stripped away, her fangs retracting painfully into her gums, her claws shortening back into her fingernails.
The sharpness of her vision dulled, the world around her returning to the muted blur of normalcy.
Through her haze of agony, she saw the Al’teran straining against his chains, his eyes burning with desperation as he tried to get to her.
Finally, Thorn stopped the current, and the pain ebbed away, leaving Elora trembling and gasping for breath. Her body seemed fragile, as though it had been broken and then pieced back together.
She blinked through the haze of exhaustion and realized that her body was once again her own. The claws were gone. The fangs were gone. She was normal again, or as close to normal as she could be after everything that had just happened.
Thorn’s hand slipped off her shoulder as he turned away, his interest in Elora already waning. He motioned to the guard, his impatience clear. “Take this thing away,” he ordered dismissively. He was done with her, for now.
The guard stepped forward, grabbing Elora roughly by the arm.
The sudden jerk sent a fresh wave of pain shooting through her already weakened body.
She stumbled, her legs shaky from the transformation and the shocks of electricity that had ravaged her moments ago.
The guard didn’t care. He tightened his grip, dragging her toward the door without so much as a second glance.
As the guards dragged her out of the chamber, her gaze flicked back over her shoulder. Through the blur of exhaustion and pain, she found the Al’teran’s golden eyes locked on hers.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop. His eyes—those bright, glowing embers—met hers, and in them, she saw the same despair, the same hollow resignation that had taken root in her soul since the moment she became Thorn’s possession.
His anger from earlier had drained away, leaving behind only a deep, unspoken helplessness.