Darkness (Book 1 of The Royals Trilogy)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

ETHAN

I felt my body being lazily dragged across the cold concrete floor. I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. I saw as Devion dragged me closer to one of the rooms in the basement of where we lived. A door opened and I was thrown inside with brute force. I put my hands before me but I still managed to get a few good hits. I turned around and glared at Devion.

Devion stood over me with a smug smirk across his face. He was in the doorway, blocking my exit, I was trapped. I kept my expression emotionless and my eyes quietly searched for a way out.

"Now listen very carefully Ethan because I'll only say it once," Devion said returning my attention back to him. I glared at him but nodded. "I'll consider letting Ana live if you do me a favor," he continued. My eyes widened, was Ana here? Where was she? Was she alright? What had they done to her? My face seemed neutral but inside, worry was killing me.

"What kind of favor?" I asked suspiciously, Devion would never back down so easily, there had to be some kind of twisted outcome to all of this.

"Hurt her," he replied with a shrug.

"Emma?" I asked confused.

"No you i***t! Hurt Ana, that'll lure Emma here," he snapped frustratingly. He started pacing in front of the door while he eyed me closely, waiting for some kind of reaction from me.

My eyes widened, I couldn't hurt Ana, I couldn't! "No way! I can't hurt her!" I yelled while he looked at me amused.

"Oh, has the great Ethan gone soft?" he mocked, slowly making his way closer to me before he stood only a few feet away. The door behind him was open and I knew I could try to get out and find Ana so that I could take her to safety. Making my mind, I lunged at him. I was thrown back by an invisible force. Devion hadn't moved so it wasn't him. Where the hell was I?! I eyed the room closely and got up from the ground.

Slowly, I walked closer to what seemed like faint shimmer on the wall. When my fingers grazed the shimmer my hand burned. I cried out and pulled it back as the fire on my hand faded. Devion laughed cruelly.

"You see Ethan, I, the most powerful living creature walking in this world, have gotten in contact with other supernatural creatures such as a witch. What she has done here is just a small thing compared to what she can do. Now, imagine this, the most powerful being on this earth with the help of a witch. I would become invincible!"

I stared wide-eyed at the vampire before me, someone I used to call brother, the one who would have my back when we were little, when life was simple, but he was gone and left the shell of a respected man and turned it into a cruel, cold-hearted murderer. "You're mad! You'll kill everything good there is! Innocent lives!" I yelled.

He shrugged with a frown, "so be it, sacrifices must be made in order for me to be king! This will be a new era, the era of vampires! So Ethan, pick your side wisely, who will you stand next to when the time comes?"

I sighed and I frustratingly ran a hand through my blonde hair, I had to stop him but what mattered most right now was getting Ana someplace safe. Emma could take care of herself, she's almost a full vampire now, after all. I would have to agree to his deal. "Fine Devion, I'll stand beside you, I'll do it," I murmured through gritted teeth.

"Do what exactly?" he asked with a smirk, he knew he had been where he wanted.

"I'll lure Emma here."

His eyes brightened evilly, "I knew you'd come around Ethan, now you see reason."

I tried to smile and that must have convinced him because with a swift move, the wall between us was gone. "You know what you have to do," he said threateningly, "don't fail me now." I nodded and followed Ana's scent to another cell in much worse shape than mine.

The door was rusty and looked almost too worn out to function. Slowly, I opened the door, the door squeaked and inside, Ana fidgeted uncomfortably. Ana laid on the floor curled up, her hands were tied behind her and her eyes were covered by a piece of cloth. A piece of take was beside her, she must have been able to take it off.

I walked over to her and once I was close enough I, adoringly, touched her cheek with my hand, it might be the last time she'll let me do so. After what I was about to do, I was not sure if she'd ever forgive me but it was for her own good. It was all for her and her safety.

"Ana, it's alright," I whispered soothingly and she took a sharp breath. As gently as possible, I took the blindfold off her face and her brown eyes captured me. Those eyes I loved so much, in that moment I knew that I would die for her, I would kill for her, I would do everything in my power for her to be happy even if it's not with me. She deserved that much. Her terrified eyes trailed over my shoulder and widened, probably seeing Devion behind me.

Her eyes found mine once again, "you have to get out of here Ethan, he'll kill you," she whispered urgently. I closed my eyes for a moment, this was it.

"You care for me?" I asked softly, still with my eyes closed.

She put a hand on my cheek making it harder to do what I was about to do. Her touch was comforting and gentle. "I-I... For some reason I'm attracted to you and I don't know what to think of it but I know I do care about you, deeply," she confessed softly. I looked at her and saw a faint blush on her face.

It took all in me not to take her far from there, away from everything for a chance to be with her. What she said made me feel like the happiest living being in that moment and I didn't care if it sounded cheesy, I also had feelings and I knew and have always known since I laid eyes on her, that she was the one for me, my soul mate, the love of my life and now I would have to break her heart to keep her safe. I knew that after I did she would be hurt, angry and would probably hate me and never forgive me. If that were the case I would welcome death with open arms. Life meant nothing to me and hasn't meant anything for a while now, she's the one that kept me from not going insane.

I took her hand off my cheek and turned away. I tried convincing myself that it was all for her own good, but a small selfish part of me wanted to be with her. After a few seconds I sighed, "Well I don't feel a damn thing for you!" I snapped turning towards her, "you're just a silly little girl with a crush. Well guess what, I don't like you and never will, it's been my plan all along, to use you to get to your sister. Did you really believe I cared about you? You are just too gullible and pathetic." With every word that came out of my mouth her expression changed to pain and disbelief while tears filled her eyes.

It was getting harder to stand before her while she looked at me like that, it broke my heart. I closed my hands into fists and stiffly walked out of the room. It took all in me to walk away from her. I heard Devion clap and then he rushed into the cell and locked it after him. Confused, I looked through the tiny bars and saw Devion leaning over Ana as she shook with sobs, tearing me apart from the inside. Devion untied Ana's hands slowly and then winked back at my direction. In a flash, Devion had Ana pinned to the wall a few inches over the ground.

He took her hands in his hands and twisted one of her wrist until a sickening c***k filled the room. She cried out for help but it was useless. I tried opening the cell, pounding, kicking, screaming her name and telling Devion to stop but it was no use, Devion had his witch do a spell so they couldn't hear, I could tell by the light shimmer that surrounded them.

As I kept trying to get in, I didn't realize someone now stood at my right. "What's happening in there?!" demanded Emma, terrified. I moved over and let her see. She gasped and also went hysterical trying to knock the damn door down. It didn't budge.

Both of us gave up and hoped that the torture was almost over. We sat on the cold, dirty floor in defeat. Ana's screams filled the silence as we waited for Devion to stop. The door creaked open and he walked out satisfied with his work while looking at me, then at Emma who was covered her ears.

Emma's eyes opened slowly and she looked up at Devion. He roughly took her right arm and led her out. "You can take the girl Ethan, I'm done with her," he yelled at a distance away. I rushed into Ana's cell and almost fell to my knees at the sight. Ana, my beautiful, carefree and peaceful Ana, laid on the floor broken and on her own puddle of blood.

I took her in my arms and tears I didn't know I had, escaped my eyes. Her eyes fluttered open faintly, "Ethan?" I nodded my head and kissed her forehead.

"You can't be Ethan, he's gone. I'm probably dead now." Her eyes closed an she went limp in my arms. Unconscious. I silently cried and held her tighter to me.