Taria's screams of terror filled her ears along with the growls of the skeletons that had her pinned to the ground.
They were fast with their attack and as Belladonna tried to pull her away from the living bones, she got her own dose of attack too.
Bony hands pulled at her from all sides, shredding her gown and digging into her skin, the strength behind their attack, knocking her to her feet while she pulled the bag that housed the dragon stone closer to her in a desperate struggle not to lose it, tight like her life depended on it, because at that moment, it did.
Taria's scream morphed with the growls of the skeleton and in an instinctive defense, Belladonna curled herself on the floor, shielding herself as much as she could, both her hands folded over her head and her body turned inwards, like the monsters were her mother and she was once again shielding herself from a beating that would surely leave scars with the passage of time.
Why had she not learned by now?
The Bride Thief would always leave if things became too dangerous.
He had le---
A claw swept past her face, her eyes fluttering open with the shock of the pain that ran through her, just in time to watch the bony attacker above her collide with a ball of blue flames that went right through it.
What?!
The bones scattered into pieces in the air, the clanking as they fell to the floor and on her body, matching the pounding of her heart in her ears.
Still feeling dazed and a little out of it, her body gave into the pull of the hand reaching for her as Taria---no Alaris pulled her to her feet.
"I thought you left." The words blurted right out of her mouth, breathless, the blood from the cut on her face running down to her lips, making her taste it.
It wasn't sweet.
As always.
"Have a little faith in me, Nightshade." He pulled her behind him, sending more balls of flames, towards the skeleton that had now taken some inches or two away from them in what Belladonna could interpret as fear.
Flames and bones clashed together, clearing paths as it brought every skeleton on its path to a blast.
He asked her how beautiful she thought the disaster was and her response had been "After you get me out of here alive, I'll decide."
Then he frowned, looking around them, mumbling words in annoyance beneath his breath.
"There is another presence here," Alaris turned to her, his blue-lined pupils looking darker with observation, and the red lines that looked like lightning stretching out of them, looked even redder. When his hand pulled her to him, she almost flinched from how warm his hand felt against her, not just that, his body. It was strange. "Hang on tight."
And through a blast above and a launch in the air, he shot them to the other side.
Freedom did come at a price though and the price wasn't the skeletons that had tried to grab Belladonna's dress from the hole they created while Alaris blasted their escape right through the ground.
It wasn't that.
Alaris had sent a ball of flames right through that hole and Belladonna had watched the bones melt before he rolled a boulder over it. His movement was uncanny and jerky as he did that.
She didn't even know where he found that, right now, she didn't care.
Belladonna was fascinated by how quickly the blue flames had appeared in the palm of his hands, and how he had flown them right out of the underground cave.
It must be the perks of being connected to a dragon, or maybe not, she still hadn't worked out a theory for him yet. What exactly she thought he was, because there was no way she would believe his story over El---
Ah, by Ignas, that was painful!
Yes, that was the price she had to pay.
A sprained ankle.
Slipping to the floor, she observed her environment more. There were trees everywhere, the moon was high in the sky and she had just fallen backwards on grasses that were wet from dew.
The air smelt like dew on forest wood, mixed with rain.
It must be really early in the morning.
The steps next to her snapped her attention to Tar--- Alaris, he still had those reptilian eyes, so he was still in that body.
For a second, she had been scared that he had been forced out of his host body once again.
Taria had such overwhelming sadness.
She needed to be saved.
With only the words "I'll be back," Alaris turned away and left before Belladonna would even have time to communicate her thoughts on Taria's situation and her decision that they should help her.
Belladonna tried to follow but the pain of her sprained ankle kept her in place. When she hear more footsteps and Taria's confused voice from a distance, she knew what had happened.
The guards were already looking for her and Alaris had just walked her right to them.
By Ignas, this bastard!
"We are done here." She heard a whisper next to her.
Just like that, they were gone to the Beach again.
Belladonna's anger was so much, it overcame her pain.
First the boy, now Taria?!
Why did Alaris never try to save anyone?
Selfish, wicked, cruel!
Everything negative and more, that was what he was.
"You should wake up now, that ankle needs to get checked and taken care of. If I'm able to tap into my powers again, there will be more to explore. That was exciting! Don't you think, Night---"
Belladonna had finally had enough!
"You took her there, to the guards. You knew she wanted to kill herself and her situation. We could have done something. we could have saved her, we could---"
"We?" The air went still around them, the waves silent.
"I think you are forgetting something. She is none of my damn business. I focus only on what deserves my attention and that is you."
Her rage towards him increased, her gaze fixed before her and fists clenched into balls by her sides.
Alaris must have caught up on the tensed anger because when he spoke again, his voice was devoid of his earlier excitement and now filled with angry impatience.
"When will you destroy his ring, so I can get the fuck out of here?"
Bitterness filled Belladonna's mouth like venom.
"Once I'm done using you," she answered with a snarl, a line of growing hatred, "and that's if I feel like."