Chapter 88 – My Oath
SEBASTIAN.
As soon as Noah left us and showed us the way to the dungeons, he went to the castle, where he said he would keep Lettice occupied. The images in the dungeons will not leave me so easily.
The smell of death was everywhere, and we could see the terror in every corner. Most of the cells were empty and opened, a sign that the transformation of the beasts was over. I wondered where they were?
Vicky was right, this place was a damn maze. I followed Teresa's scent, but soon enough demons showed up in my path.
We had turned into werewolves again at the entrance of the dungeons and now we stood face to face with the demons of hell. The same enormous beasts, inflamed with the smell of sulfur.
I didn’t know if they were from the recent ones or from the ones left alive from Vicky’s attack. It didn’t matter when the first beast launched at us with threatening claws and fangs.
Directly to one of my men’s throats. He screamed in pain throughout the corridors of the castle. And although I jumped to his aid, it was late. He already had a broken neck.
I grabbed the demon, and with Liam’s help, we simply broke him in half. It wasn’t easy. His flames engulfed us and burned our bodies and although we were almost screaming in agony, we didn’t let him go until we killed him.
We did not have other serums with us that could somehow weaken them, only the brute force and violence that came with it. This method of breaking them in half, although it was difficult, seemed to work. They could not regenerate.
In the corridor in front of us were over a dozen such demons, all thirsty for our blood. Some hid in the cells and took us by surprise. Their wickedness infuriated me so much that I sometimes threw myself into their midst at the cost of my life and fought until their last breath. Victims were on both sides. I was killing most of them, but others were coming.
Their screams were so loud that it seemed almost impossible for Lettice not to hear and not to come and see what was happening. Even though Noah was there, Lettice did what she wanted and didn’t listen to anyone.
We destroyed the demons one by one, throwing their halves in the open cells, making our way, following Teresa’s scent that was becoming even more present in my nostrils.
Everywhere blood, ashes, and the remains of these beasts that were still throbbing in the last seconds of their life. I followed the trail of her scent to a small torture chamber.
She equipped it with everything she needed. Whips, cutting and torturing weapons, substances that I still imagined what harm they could do if injected. Handcuffs hanging on the stone walls sprinkled with the blood of those who found their end hanging in agony and begging for their lives.
In the middle of the room was a high wooden table, handcuffed on it, none other than Teresa. Lettice stung her with all sorts of needles that drew that precious blood from her.
She stood inert, motionless, as if dead. I approached slightly, seeing with horror how her blood was collected through tubes attached to her fragile body. My anger was so high that I rushed to get them out. I had returned in my human form, as had Liam, who approached me.
“Bash, don’t get angry, and don’t pull any tubes out of her! Don’t hurt her without realizing it!” Liam stopped me in time before I did something stupid and hurt her involuntarily.
Her pale face, which revealed the torment she had gone through, infuriated me even more because I was not here to defend her. I dabbed her cheek, shivering at how cold it was.
That bastard almost sucked the life out of her. I calmed down a bit and took a piece of material from the workbench and removed the needles lightly one by one, putting pressure on the sting each time, giving the skin time to regenerate.
I did the same with all those in her body until I released her completely. As I held her, she seemed completely motionless until she suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at me intensely and whispered with her last strength.
“Sonia...!” Then she fainted again in my arms.
Erik, who had been behind me, covering my back, heard this name, and his first reaction was stunned. He moved closer, hoping Teresa would open her eyes again.
“Sonia? Teresa, open your eyes, please!”
His voice was desperate that his daughter was fainting in my arms and now this name did not give him peace. I liked nothing about this entire story.
Suddenly, he sharpened his senses and seemed to go crazy, searching through all the cells. He knew he had to look for someone. Was it this Sonia?
“Erik, what’s wrong with you? Who are you looking for?” I asked, annoyed by his sudden change in behavior.
Eventually, he arrived in front of an open-cell, where he had frozen completely. He didn’t move anymore, he just looked inside looking at whoever was there. “Erik, why did you stop? Other demons will come and, with Teresa in my arms, it will be hard for me to fight. What happened?”
Erik was still silent and took a few steps inside the cell. From there, I heard a muffled, imperceptible voice.
“Erik, is it you?”
My mind was a jumble of conflicting thoughts, but I was certain I had heard something. I cautiously approached the cell to see who was inside.
I saw a thin, dirty woman, with the color of her blond hair barely visible, tied to the ground by her hands and feet. Erik, in his anger, broke the chains easily and took that weak creature in his arms.
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain later!” he said quickly, coming out in the lead.
Right then in front of us appeared the one for which our lives have changed so much. Lettice stood furiously, drawing flames through every pore in her human form we all knew. Her voice thundered in the dungeon corridors.
“Where do you think you’re going with my prey?” she asked angrily, pointing to the two poor girls in our arms.
“Somewhere far away from you!” I replied, knowing that I would annoy her.
Somewhere behind her, Noah was coming slowly, motioning me to not give him away. I don’t know when he passed on our side and why, but I didn’t care right now.
All I wanted now was to get out of here and take Teresa somewhere safe. In her attacking position, looking around at her beasts lying on the ground, their death fueled her anger even worse. My fangs had already come out, and I was holding Teresa closer to my chest to protect her.
Erik was in a fighting position, too, as were my remaining men. But we didn’t get to do anything because Noah took an enormous risk from her behind, even though he knew it would cost him his life. He knocked her out with one powerful blow to the head. Lettice collapsed to the ground.
“Get out now! I don’t know how long she will stay this way! She is very strong!”
“I will never forget this!” I told him, staring into his glassy eyes before we left that place forever.
After ensuring that everyone was accounted for, we made our way outside and gathered the remaining people, who had William as the person in charge.
“There were no problems here, Alpha! I hope our Queen is ok!” said William, approaching Teresa and looking at her gently.
“She is weak, but she’ll be fine! We will all take care of her and she will be fine! Let’s go now. Teresa needs rest.”
On our way back, I kept thinking about Noah and his reasons for protecting us and saving us from his mother’s wrath. If that reason was Teresa, it didn’t matter now. The important thing was that she was safe, and I owed it to him. We would talk more when she would wake up.
From the moment we entered Bellingham and then into our home, we knew we were safe. I ordered William and Jacob to remain in their wolf form and to guard with the two contingents. The danger was just beginning.
As soon as she saw her, my mother approached worriedly, placing her warm hand on her forehead.
“Oh my God, she has a high fever! Quick, bring her to her room. I’ll help her!” she said in a hurry.
We all gathered beside her. She was already prey to delirium and moaning. Certainly, from the fever and the nightmare lived in Lettice’s dungeons.
When my mother changed and washed her, she asked us to wait outside. But she told us about the whip marks that were still bleeding on the cotton nightgown.
The bruises on her body were witnesses to everything she had experienced and they will also be the reason for my oath that my revenge on this woman will be cruel!