Elizabeth Crembell

James had walked out of his bedroom and left me here, obviously. I sat on the floor, trying to figure out what I was going to do now. What could I do? My wrists were sore from being chained or cuffed all day. It was dark outside looking out the window. If it was dark outside, then I must have been the Dark Lord’s captive for at least 24 hours. MY stomach growled at the thought of not eating food for a whole day.

I had gone to the party and tried to seduce Mason in order for him to take me to his house. My neck felt bare without the locket. The information I needed was crucial. The Benders and Shadows were planning something, something big. Something dangerous. There had been rumors about some sort of new power source in the mountains that could detonate an entire country. Somehow the Dark Kingdom had gotten their hands on this resource and they are now planning attacking the United Kingdom.

My job was to plug the USB into a computer and gain the plans from a technological device.

I had failed.

The door opened but I didn’t look in the direction of the noise, I kept my head down and focused on my legs. I felt drained and bored out of my mind. James’ black shoes appeared in my vision but I didn’t look up to meet his gaze. He didn’t deserve my attention. He crouched down after a while of silence.

A bowl of strawberries was clasped in his hands. My mouth watered at the sight of food, but I couldn’t give in to him. Not now, I had to stay strong.

“I’m not eating anything you give me, you know. I can’t trust you.” James sighed and made himself comfortable, sitting on the floor in front of me

“You are my responsibility, and I’m not going to be punished because you’re not in good condition.” I looked away towards the window, the light of the moon blinding me a bit.

“I’m not eating.” I repeated. James growled and forcefully grabbed my chin in his hand. Strands of my hair fell around my face and brushed James’ hand.

“Let me feed you nicely, Beth.” He warned. “Before I forcefully shove it down your throat.” I glared at him but stayed put. This man was enchanting, a real flirt, but also a real devil. He searched my eyes.

Do what you want, I thought. James growled again as he read my mind. I’m already in a shitty condition.

James roughly let go of my chin and crossed his arms.

“Being chained to a wall isn’t good for your body, you know?” I stated, my arms feeling slightly numb. “And having your wrists continually slaved with metal doesn’t help either.” James looked up at my wrists. His expression faltered for a second while he looked up and saw my irritated wrists.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall. I became slightly drowsy and my head began to fall to one side. I could feel James’ eyes on me. My hair smelled like lilacs when my nose came close to the hair resting on my shoulder.

A harsh shake to my shoulders made me open my eyes.

“You can’t fall asleep, Beth.” James demanded.

“Why not?” His eyes widened.

“Because-” I urged him on by extending my chin. I shifted in my position but winced when my wrists pulled on the chain cuffs. “Whatever, if you want to starve yourself, go ahead. I don’t care.” And with that he got up and stormed out of the room.

I closed my eyes again and drifted off to sleep.

What an asshole.

~X~

James' P.O.V. 

This girl was driving me insane. What the hell was so special about her that I couldn’t stop thinking about her? Nothing. She is nothing. It’s just a fling. I leaned my back against my bedroom door and closed my eyes.

Why did she have to be so stubborn and beautiful? No other woman has treated me the same way she has. All of the other women I’ve seduced have given me what I wanted, but her? Damn. She is something.

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and stormed down the hall towards my father’s chamber. Beth has to get out of my sight before I do something stupid. I rubbed my right temple with my fingers as iron soldiers opened the big, black chamber doors for me.

“My Lord,” I greeted, walking to the stairs leading up to my father's throne and kneeling down.

“James,” He acknowledged. “You may rise.” I stood and made eye contact.

“I am afraid that this women is tougher than we could have imagined.” His brows furrowed in disapproval.

“Explain,” I nodded and cleared my throat.

“I used the Blood Oracle as you instructed, and- she survived.” My Lord rose and pushed his black cape behind him.

“That is not possible, the last rejection of the Blood Oracle was many lifetimes ago. You're great-grandfather was the one to destroy them." He sounded so sure, but he sounded so fake. He knew it was possible for a human being to reject the Blood Oracle if they had the mental ability.

“I have tried everything, My Lord. I had tortured her and seduced her at the same time while she was cuffed in the circular vortex, I was sure that would do it. I had gained some of her trust after I had saved her life, but then when I initiated the Blood Oracle, she cut me off again. Then Mason had to go and take advantage of her and-” My father’s staff pounded the floor.

“Silence! Enough of the excuses, James!” I bowed my head in respect and clenched my fists.

"What should I do, My Lord?"

"Do what you must to break her pride. Torture her, seduce her, beat her, rape her for heaven's sake. Just do something. If you fail, you understand the consequences. And this time I won't take your punishment lightly." I nodded and made eye contact. 

"I understand." I turned around and walked out of the chamber. I ran my hand through my hair out of frustration. My stomach continually flipped as Beth came back to my mind. I stopped dead in my tracks. Fuck. 

I turned to the side and punched the wall, my knuckle instantly bleeding from the impact. The wall now had a hole in it. I needed to let off some steam. I need something. Someone. 

And that someone was Beth. She always fed my crave for torture. 

A loud boom sounded down a couple of hallways. I ran towards the noise. 

~X~

Elizabeth's P.O.V. 

A loud boom sounds from outside the room. I quickly stood up and leaned over to try and get a better view of the door. Suddenly the door was kicked off of its hinges and it flew over to the other side of the room. I covered my head in instinct and crouched.

“Elizabeth?” A yell came from the place of the door frame. My head snapped up at my name. A manly figured spotted me and ran towards me. Panic engulfed me as hands grabbed my wrists. I screamed and tried to pull myself away.

“Hey! Calm down, baby. I’m here, it’s me.” I stopped struggling and looked up to meet bright green eyes, a jaw that cut could paper, and flawless skin. Tears rimmed my eyes.

“Liam,” He smiled and hugged me even though I couldn’t hug him back because of my chains. Liam, my future husband. 

“It’s me.” He repeated. I sobbed into his cyan shirt and leather jacket as he pushed my face into his chest. “Let’s get you out of here.” Liam wedged both of his index fingers between the inside of my left cuff and my wrist. I winced as he pried the metal appart. He reached over to my right cuff and did the same thing. 

Relief came over me as I finally felt free after 24 hours of captivity and torture. My legs gave out and my head rested against Liam's broad chest. He scooped me up in his arms and cradled me close. 

"Might want to hurry up there, Mr. Molasses!" I opened my eyes and caught a slivered glance of Canary standing in the doorway. She put her hands on her hips and smiled at me. "I knew you could keep up the tough-girl act, Ellie." Suddenly Canary was pushed out of the doorway, a groan escaping from her. James replaced her spot. 

His menacing eyes locked with mine. He was about to walk towards us but didn't get one step in because Canary tackled him right back, cursing at him in the process. 

"Don't touch her!" She yelled. 

"Canary!" Liam yelled before running out of the room and stopping once he entered the hallway. Canary and James were fighting to the left of us. Liam sat me down on the floor as Canary and James continued to spar with each other. I immediately rested my head on the wall and allowed my body to go limp with exhaust.

"Hey," Liam placed my chin in between his fingers. I opened my eyes as wide as slivers. Something cold, round, and smooth was pressed into the palm of my hand. "Use this to get home, Ellie. The caretakers will help you. Me and Canary have our own, just get out of here!" And with that Liam ran towards James and Canary. 

I looked down at my palm and uncurled my fingers. A teleportation stone. A breath of relief overcame me. I closed my eyes as I rested my head on the wall again. I heard some faint yelling but didn't think anything of it. Home, I thought. The throne room of the United Kingdom palace.

~X~

James' P.O.V. 

The girl kicked me in the face causing my head to snap back, but my urge for pain overcame my own. I grabbed her ankle and twisted it, throwing her on the ground. They guy came into the right side of my peripheral vision. He threw a punch for my face but I caught his fist, punching him instead. 

As he stumbled on the ground I looked behind him to see Beth sitting on the floor with her back against the wall trying to keep her consciousness. As I neared her I saw black wisps slowly crawl up her neck. My eyes widened as she clutched a stone in her hand. Oh no. The blood oracle had worked. 

"Beth! Wait!" But before I could reach her she was gone. Shit, I thought. Beth was gone and she was about to die. When I turned around in order to punch the fuck out of the two who helped her get away, they were gone. I growled in anger and yelled with rage, cursing at myself for being so stupid. 

I ran into my room and picked up the cuffs in my hands. These cuffs weren't just broken, they had been pried open. It takes pure strength in order to break two inches of molded metal. A small whiff of Lavender caught my attention. Beth's scent was still here. I quickly grabbed a pillow from my bed and placed it where Beth had once been. Her scent was calming, but also fueled my anger, which made me stronger.  

I considered going to my father and explaining what had happened, but he already knew. He had eyes and ears everywhere. What would he do to punish me this time? Whip me? He hasn't done that yet. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration while I calmly made my way to the torture room. 

I was sure he would already be there waiting for me. 

~X~ 

Elizabeth's P.O.V. 

I landed on a cold and hard surface. Yeling spread throughout the room as I lye on the floor motionless. Whispers and gasps also echoed throughout the room after I had stayed still fr about three seconds. 

"No!" A smooth voice yelled. I knew that voice. It was my mother. My throat constricted a bit as a cold pair of hands cupped my cheeks and lifted my head onto a lap. I opened my eyes and barely saw my mother. I smiled weakly. 

"Mom," She did not cry, for she was not vulnerable enough to cry. She whipped her head up. 

"Someone get a stretcher! Take my daughter to the care center!" My brows furrowed. 

"Mom, there's nothing wrong with me. I'm just sleep deprived and hungry." She handed me off to two nurses who put me on a rolling stretcher. 

"No talking, honey, Save your strength." The two nurses rolled me away and curved through hallways and sharp corners before I was blinded by a white room. Nurses stopped what they were doing and stared at me in awe as doctors rushed around looking for medical supplies. My eyes blurred out and refocused again. 

"There is some misunderstanding, miss." I said turning my head to look at a green-eyed nurse. She pushed me into a white medical room and closed the curtain. "I'm just sleep deprived." She gave me a worried look and walked over to a couple drawers, fidgeting through them rapidly. She finally pulled out a mirror and handed it to me. 

"You're skin is turning black." She insisted. My eyes went wide as I took the mirror. My hair was surprisingly straight with no tangles and my face looked to be it's natural color with a slight tinge of pink to my cheeks. But when I lowered the mirror and angled it down towards my neck I gasped. Moving wisps that looked like alive shadows engulfed my skin. 

My stomach got a sharp pain as I winced. I lifted my shirt and saw that the whole left side of my stomach had been engulfed by the shadow. My mind went blank as I stared at my skin. A doctor rushed in and put a paper mask on while he continued to talk to a nurse that was following him everywhere. 

"Miss Crembell, I am Doctor Cole." I darted my attention to him. He studied my skin with worry. "You have been a victim of the Blood Oracle." My face went pale and my body went numb. 

"The Blood Oracle?" I repeated. He nodded his head in a rush to organize his tools. There had only been one person in the entire existence of humans who had survived through the Blood Oracle, and she wasn't even alive anymore. I couldn't remember her name at this moment, but that was many, many years ago. That bastard, I thought with James on my mind. He had tried to kill me. 

"How do people survive this far in the process?" I asked. Doctor Cole shifted on his twisty chair as he rolled over to me and took my pulse. 

"You are the only patient I have had that has survived this far into being tinted with the Blood Oracle, so I am unsure how the human body stabilizes itself through inner-torture." He pulled his hands away and wrote down some numbers on a sheet quickly. "You are very lucky." 

"Will I survive?" Doctor Cole put on blue latex gloves before he picked up a gas mask. 

"It's a fifty-fifty chance, miss." He said with sad eyes. "I will need to put you under anesthesia in order to de-torturize your body." I nodded slowly and watched the wisps engulf more of my skin slowly as I layed on the stretcher. Doctor Cole placed the gas mask over my mouth and waited for me to fall asleep.

As the gas took affect, I hazily saw needles and tubes of blue liquid as nurses browsed over my dying body.