Chapter Forty-Eight: Improvise

Sapphire Nightborne

Amelia's screams mixed in with her roars, both resounding with the pain she felt as her bones were forced to shift, her skin straining to prevent them from piercing through her flesh. She fell on her hands and knees, blood dripping from her lips as she tried to resist the shift, slumping forward as her injuries prevented her weak human form from holding herself up.

I could not take my eyes off the sight as my cousin screamed in agony, and I could do nothing to protect her... something that I had promised her ever since we were children. My mind was so in shock that I did not even flinch away from Damien's touch as he traced his fingers up my shoulder and neck before running them through my hair.

"This will be quite the show, do you not think so, Sapphire?"

My lips twitched as he chuckled, my tongue running over my teeth unconsciously. He looked down at my expression as his laughter grew in volume, leaning down to press a kiss to my cheek.

"The two people you love the most in this life are about to tear each other apart, well Amelia doing all the work, but just think of it Sapphire, once your tethers to this life are finally gone, we can finally be together."

Amelia's screams echoed through the arena once more as Xander tried his best to talk her through the pain, screaming at her to focus on the best moments of her life to dull the pain. I tore my eyes away to laugh at Damien's face, tears running down my cheeks as I laughed, the sound of screams dying down in my ears as I threw my head back, Damien taking a step back as saliva sprayed out of my mouth.

"You will never get it, Damien! Hundreds of years can go by and you still will not get it! I will never love you, ever! You can take the people I love away from me, and I will never forgive for it, you can take my power away from me, restrain me like an animal, but you will never claim my heart!"

His guards took steps back as he growled in my face, hand raised. I continued to meet his gaze, silently daring him to hit me and he did, he brought his hand down, but stopped mid-way as Amelia started to laugh.

I shifted my gaze to see her on her knees, looking down at her hands as she cried and laughed at the same time. Damien howled in anger, bringing his hand down as I felt his claws rake themselves against my cheeks, the warmth of my blood tingling them as they slid down. He huffed and dragged one of his guards by their throat, claws digging in to the side as the guard's feet dangled in mid-air.

"You told me that this new batch would work exactly like the originals did!"

The guard struggled and choked as Damien squeezed harder.

"They d..did, she m...must ha...have dev...eloped an imm...unity as she had t...time to heal."

Damien slowly lowered him to the ground, the relief evident on the guard's face was short lived as Damien plunge a claw into his throat, smiling at the guard as he tore it out, letting him collapsed to his knees before walking back towards me. The guard tried to cover the wound with his hand, but gurgled as he choked on his own blood.

Damien paid him no mind as he turned to the rest of his men, who simply nodded and walked down from the stands. He smiled at me before using his hand to brush lightly against my bloodied cheek.

"I will instruct Mia to tend to your wounds, Sapphire, a face like yours needs to remain unblemished."

He grabbed my jaw in his hand and turned it back to face the arena.

"Do not turn your eyes away, Sapphire, my treat for you might not have gone as planned but I promised a spectacular show and I am a *Man of my Word* after all."

"No!"

My mouth fell open in shock as the doors to the arena opened once more, and a group of guards entered, each dragging the unconscious body of a Werecat. Amelia struggled to move towards them before another backhanded her causing her to fall backwards, grimacing in back as she used her injured hand to brace herself. A knife was thrown in front of her, its black blade glinting in the light.

"I am giving you a choice, Amelia, a chance for you to get your family back."

Amelia looked up at him, her eyes filled with distrust.

"That blade before you was quenched in the same liquid that is running through your cousin's veins, do what I ask and you can take your Pride members and leave Blackwater. Now... pick up the knife."

She took the blade from the ground, twirling it experimently in her hands as she gazed at the guards in front of her, Damien followed her gaze and clicked his tongue.

"I believe I said follow my orders, Amelia."

Amelia glanced at her Pride members before lowering her hand.

"Good girl, now use the knife and draw a pretty line across Xander's face."

"No!"

Amelia looked up at me, her eyes filled with disbelief before turning to Xander. Walking towards him as her hands trembled, the blade slowly raised before falling. Damien scoffed before waving his hand at the guards.

"Let me give you a preview of what is to come should you continue to disobey me."

One of the guards held Kamla's limp body in his arms, her head lolling back and forth as her eyes rolled back into her head. Amelia began to limp towards her, but it was already too late. Her body fell to the ground, limp as blood seeped through the cracks of the floor, her loud ragged breaths filling up the arena before they grew silent.

There was no scream from Amelia as she fell to her knees, too broken to even cry, a blank look glazed over her face as she stared at the lifeless body of her friend.

"You can still save the rest, Amelia, I am not the one sending them to the jaws of Death... you are."

Her eyes remained blank as she picked up the blade and walked towards Xander, her hand trembling once more as she brought it to his face, her other hand holding his cheek, tears slowly sliding down her face.

"It's okay, Amelia, it's okay"

She screamed as she slashed the knife to the side, Xander's scream mixing with hers as blood started to seep from the wound, Damien's laughter joining in as he fell back into his chair, eyes gleaming as he ran his fingers through my hair. Blood pounded in my ears as I watched the scene in front of me, furious at myself for being so helpless, I had to do something.

"Well done, Amelia, now one down his chest."

I took deep breaths as the sound of my own blood drowned the screams of Amelia and Xander as well as Damien's laughter. I squeezed my eyes shut as it felt as though someone was raking their claws down my throat repeatedly, digging in deep. My eyelids flying open in shock as my fingers started to twitch, but they were soon forced shut as pain surged through my gums forcing my mouth open, my tongue running over my teeth in shock as they came loose with just a touch. I closed my mouth once more, keeping them inside to prevent Damien from realising that something was off with me.

I looked down at my finger to see my nails splitting in half as the tips of black claws started to protrude... what was happening to me? My gaze was torn from my fingers as Xander screamed once more along with Amelia, his body covered in slashes as Amelia hacked at him while she screamed and Damien applauded, relsihing the sight of Xander in pain.

I bit my lip, the metallic taste of my own blood filling my mouth, as I felt the bones in my knees break and shift, the pain searing up my spine, nothing like I had ever felt before, even when I shifted for the first time.

Screams filled the air once more, but they neither belonged to Xander or Amelia. Damien stood up from his chair as a guard rushed up the stand from outside of the arena, panting.

"They breached our border, Alpha, they appeared out of nowhere!"

Amelia stopped as she stared at the scene unraveling above her, I strained my eyes to catch the conversation as my bones moved under my skin, barely able to keep my teeth and blood in my mouth.

"Who are they?"

Damien's voice was cold and collected as the guard whimpered and shrank back.

"The Shadow Mountain pack has stormed Blackwater, all of them have breached our borders. Our land is on fire."