Chapter 106 — The darkness

GINA’S POV.

There was no need to look at Devyn; I could already tell something was wrong with him. I could feel his emotions even without touching his hand, and they were overwhelming. I could feel his rage, his worry, his love, his care, but as faint as the emotion was, I could feel his fear.

And that was when I decided to leave the cave. I sprinted towards him, breathing heavily as the wind tried to knock me. I didn't care if he was going to be angry. wasn't going to back to that cave.

There was a long scratch on my leg that I got when the wolf Devyn killed was trying to drag me out of the cave. I could feel blood trickling from the wound as I ran, but I didn't care about the pain shooting through it.

When Devyn was about to collapse, I placed my body under him, letting his weight fall on me. I looked at him, and when I saw his condition, I froze. It felt like my heart had left my chest, replacing the void with a strong sense of fear.

“Devyn.” My voice came out as a whisper as I cradled his face in my hands. He was barely conscious, and his eyes were slowly starting to close. Blood stained my hands as I tried to stop the wound on his neck from bleeding.

He wasn’t healing. What did they do to him?

‘He’s poisoned and he's going to die.’

One of them responded, causing chills to run down my spine.

I wasn't going to allow that to happen.

“Devyn, please, wake up,” I didn’t realize I was crying until my tears dropped on his face like raindrops.

I trailed the skin of his cheeks, “Please, fight the poison. Don't die on me, Devyn,” my heart was aching and it was too hard to bear, “You're all I have.”

I was having a Deja Vu moment and I saw myself holding Praya.

I couldn’t save her and she died because of me. Devyn was still alive, and I still had a flicker of hope. That was what stopped me from losing my mind.

When I examined his body, I noticed the inky blackness spreading through him.

Confusion, rage, and fear surged through me as I looked down at him.

‘Take the girl, and leave him to die. Killing him is us being merciful. He needs to suffer for killing Jovas.’ One’s voice echoed in my head, and I felt rage course through me.

Wrapping my arms around Devyn, I glared at them, my eyes hard and fiery from rage.

“Come near him, I fucking dare you!” I hissed with so much venom in my voice that my throat started to hurt.

A dark laugh echoed in my head, but I didn’t give a shit. They started to approach me, walking like men and their eyes glowing eerily. They were trying to intimidate me, to get me to cower, but I was far from intimidated.

The closer they got, the more I shielded Devyn’s body with mine. He was huge so I couldn’t cover enough of him, but it was the best I could do. As long as he was protected, I was fine. I wasn’t going to let him die, not today and not ever.

“I won’t let you come any closer. If you’ll have to kill him, you’ll have to kill me first.”

‘How romantic.’ one teased and my anger grew.

I felt Devyn stir underneath me and my heart skipped three beats.

***

Gi-na,” the way his voice sounded weak made my heart shatter into a million pieces, “R-run.”

I froze, my eyes widening as I gazed at him. He appeared to be in so much pain, and it hurt me to watch him like this, yet he wanted me to run. He was crazy to think I'd leave him behind. I was ready to lay my life for his.

“You told me to never leave you, remember?” I could taste the salt in my tears as they streamed to my lips, “I’m never going to. I’m not going to let you die, and if you do, I swear I’m coming with you.”

His eyes opened slightly, his blue eyes still having that warm light they always had when he gazed at me. The darkness was spreading through every inch of his body, and his face was twisted as he grunted in pain.

I held his hand in mine, ready to take it all for him. The thundering of the wolves’ legs reverberated through the woods as they approached us.

I didn’t flinch, or dart an eye. My focus was entirely on Devyn as I focused on taking all his pain from him.

Just when they were close enough to grab me, blood splattered everywhere, part of it spewing on the both of us. It caused my focus to falter just when I was about to transition his pain to me.

When I lifted my gaze, I felt all the blood drain from my body.

Everything around me went still and all I could hear was my heart thumping wildly and Devyn’s fading pulse.

The wolves that were just about to pounce on us now stood still, their bodies frozen. Their heads had been decapitated in one clean sweep, and blood was spluttering from their severed necks.

What the fuck?

When their bodies collapsed to the ground, I recoiled, holding Devyn tighter.

Just like that, they were dead.

Something killed them.

Sudden Trepidation gripped me, coursing through me like a fever. For something to kill them that easily, it had to be strong and dangerous. And now I felt a greater fear for it.

I scanned around me, blood pumping through my ears as I searched for whatever had done this.

“Don’t be afraid,” a feminine voice echoed through the wind, and I almost snapped my neck as I turned to look in the direction.

My breath hitched in my throat when I saw where it had come from.

A woman stood behind us. She was slim, tall, and had long wavy blonde hair that cascaded down her back gracefully. She was beautiful and reminded me of a fairy. She was otherworldly and I was convinced she wasn't human. I noticed the sheath at her hips and I almost gasped when I saw the sword attached to it.

She was the one who killed the wolves.

“Who are you? Are you here to hurt us too?” I managed to let out. The woman didn't seem menacing at all except for the sword attached to her hip. As fragile as she looked, I could tell she was strong.

She smiled as she stepped closer, “I’m Flora. We’re here to help you.”

We?

At that moment, four other women emerged out of the woods from the darkness, walking towards us. They had the same delicate features as Flora but in different undertones.

Flora crouched down in front of me, and when she was about to place a hand on Devyn, I hissed. She stilled and gave me a reassuring look.

“Trust me. Let me help or he’s going to die,” she said in a calm tone that somehow eased my tension.

I had no reason to trust her, even though she had killed the wolves but I had no choice. I had to save Devyn’s life and if she could do so, I was ready to take that chance.

I finally lifted myself off Devyn who was now completely unconscious. I watched as she knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his chest. A white cloth suddenly came from nowhere and draped over his body.

I gaped in awe. There was no other explanation for what I just saw.

It was magic.

When he was successfully wrapped, she signaled to two other women who carried him away. I watched his face, feeling helpless as they took him away. When he was gone, I felt the knot in my stomach tightened.

“Come with me,” when she started to walk, I followed, keeping my eyes on Devyn ahead.

“I know you must have so many questions. We’re witches and I’m sure you’ve heard from Elara.”

The highlights of my last dream encounter with Elara flashed through my mind.

When it dawned on me, I asked, “You’re her sisters?”

She nodded and I watched closely. There wasn’t a resemblance between them since Elara was dark-skinned and Flora was fair-skinned.

Maybe ‘sisters’ was a term they used to relate to themselves.

“So you’re going to take me to her?”

“Yes, after we heal Devyn.”

Something fluttered in my heart. Devyn was going to live.

Something opened in front of us, like those portals in movies and I watched in amusement. When we walked through it, we found ourselves in front of a castle entrance.

I recognized the castle as the famous Dracula’s castle.

“Portals are used to get us closer to our destination, so we don’t waste time because of Devyn’s condition.”

I nodded, taking it all in at once.

When we walked into the castle, the interior was breathtaking and every corner was surrounded with women.

I never imagined the castle would look like this on the inside. It was far beyond what I had imagined.

I heard Flora’s voice behind me, “Welcome to our coven.”