Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Three
KAMARI’S POV
The first thing I felt was pain.
Not the sharp kind from the lashes, but a deep, heavy ache that crawled through every bone, every muscle, every breath I tried to take. It hurt even to open my eyes. My body didn’t want to respond, didn’t want to move, didn’t want to wake up at all.
But my mind forced itself back.
When my vision finally steadied, the first thing I noticed was the darkness. The dungeon was darker than before—far darker. The only light came from a small lamp outside the iron bars, barely reaching into the room. Everything inside the dungeon looked swallowed by shadows.
I wasn’t sure if minutes or hours had passed… until I looked up at the staircase leading out of the dungeon and saw darkness through the open doorway.
Nighttime.
It was nighttime.
My throat tightened with fear.
Joselyn and the guards were gone. No footsteps. No voices. Not even the soft hum of lights. Just silence that pressed against my ears.
I tried to shift, but pain shot up my back like fire. The ropes rubbed against the raw skin, reopening wounds. I gasped and bit down on my lips to stop myself from screaming.
My voice came out cracked and dry.
“H-hello?” Nothing. I tried louder.
“Someone… please… please help me…”
Silence answered.
It made my chest cave inward, made everything feel even colder. I didn’t deserve this. No matter how angry Luciano was, no matter what he thought I’d done—I didn’t deserve to be beaten half to death by a jealous fiancée.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
Then another.
Soon I wasn’t controlling it anymore. I was crying, shaking, gasping for air as I tried to hold myself up against the pole. But every movement burned. Every breath dragged through my chest like knives.
“I didn’t deserve this…” I whispered again. “I didn’t… I just wanted to go home…”
My voice broke on the last word.
“Help…” I whimpered, barely able to lift my head. “Please—somebody…” Still nothing.
My tears dripped onto the stone floor. The room felt smaller by the minute, like the darkness was getting thicker, swallowing the corners first and then crawling inward.
I tried again, louder this time, though my voice trembled. “HELLO? Is anyone there? Please… I’m hurt… I… I need help…”
My voice echoed through the dungeon, faded, and died. Then I heard something.
Not footsteps….Not a human voice.
A sound so soft I almost missed it…A low rumble.
A slow, dragging growl vibrating through the darkness.
My body froze instantly.
The hairs on my arms rose. For a second, I held my breath, hoping it was just the wind, or my imagination, or maybe a pipe somewhere in the walls.
But then it came again.
Grrrrrrrrrr.
Deeper this time and even more closer.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears. I couldn’t see anything. The light didn’t reach far enough into the room to show what was moving in the shadows.
“Hello?” I whispered, even though I didn’t want an answer anymore. My voice trembled. “Who’s there…?”
The growl rolled through the room again, thick and predatory.
I swallowed hard.
My mind raced through every horrible possibility—rats, wolves, some kind of guard dog. This house was owned by a mafia lord; who knew what kind of creatures they kept down here?
I tugged at the ropes, desperate now. My wrists burned, skin reopening under the rough fibers.
“Please—someone—” The growl cut me off. This time, it was followed by the sound of claws scraping against stone.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Coming closer.
My heart pushed up into my throat. I tried to twist my head, my eyes scanning the darkness. My breathing got louder—too loud. I tried to slow it down, but fear twisted my insides, squeezing until it hurt to breathe at all.
Then I saw it.
Not the cat—just the eyes. Two glowing, narrow slits that caught the faint light and reflected it. Yellow. Sharp. Unblinking. Watching me.
My stomach dropped.
“No…” I whispered. “Please no… please…”
The creature stepped forward, and its silhouette finally took shape. It wasn’t a house cat. It wasn’t even close. It was bigger—leaner—its movements smooth and predatory. The light hit its body just enough for me to see the dark fur along its back standing upright.
A wild cat.
A real one.
Something that wasn’t supposed to be in a house… let alone a dungeon. My pulse hammered so fast I felt dizzy. I pressed myself against the pole, trying to sink into it, trying to disappear.
The cat growled again, low and hungry.
“It’s okay… it’s okay… please go…” I whispered, but my voice cracked. The trembling made the words shaky and almost unintelligible. The cat crouched down a little, shoulders rolling like it was preparing to leap—its eyes locked on me the way animals look at trapped prey.
“Please…” I begged. “Please don’t—”
It charged.
I screamed.
The sound ripped out of my chest, raw and panicked. The cat lunged at me, claws extended, and I squeezed my eyes shut just as it reached me.
Sharp pain tore through my arm.
Its claws raked across my skin, slicing cleanly and easily. Warm blood spilled down my forearm immediately, the sting shooting straight to my elbow.
“STOP! PLEASE!” I cried, jerking away instinctively, but the ropes kept me in place. “Please—somebody help me!”
My breathing grew frantic, fast and broken. Tears blurred my vision as the cat hissed, baring its teeth, ready to strike again.
I tried kicking my legs, tried shifting my weight, tried anything to make myself a smaller target but the pain in my back and sides made every movement torture.
The cat paced in a tight circle, its tail flicking aggressively. I could see more clearly now, muscular body, tufted ears, the kind of wild cat that didn’t belong in any civilized place.
It growled again… and pounced a second time. Its claws scraped my shoulder, slicing through already tender skin. I screamed louder, the sound raw with terror.
Blood soaked down my arm and chest, mixing with the dried blood on my back. “PLEASE!” I sobbed. “SOMEONE! HELP ME—PLEASE—”
But no voice answered.
The cat circled again, slower this time, as if deciding where to attack next. My entire body trembled violently. My wrists throbbed. My throat ached from screaming. My head spun from pain and fear.
Tears ran freely down my cheeks.
“I don’t want to die… please…” I whispered, my voice shaking so badly it barely sounded like mine.
The cat’s eyes locked on me again….And it moved closer.
Closer….Closer.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the next strik
e, the next slash, the next wave of pain.
I didn’t know which would come first—the claws,
or the moment my body finally gave up completely.