afflicted

44: Eris

Rhysand and Azriel had taken the left and center hallways, so Eris ducked right. Unlike Azriel, Eris was of the mindset that they knew he was here regardless, and he might as well look confident. He walked down the hallway, deciding he'd start at the farthest one- the door straight ahead- and work his way back to the main hub of the building.

He wished Vera were here. She'd think he was so hot when he beheaded Mauve. He smiled to himself smugly at the thought of his mate. She was fiery and beautiful and everything he could have hoped for, and then more. Now he just needed to get through this stupid battle so he could take her somewhere safe and let her reap the benefits of being his mate.

He kicked open the door but saw nothing. Scoffing, he swaggered inside. He heard a sniffle and turned on his heel. Deeper into the room, in the darkest corner, was a blonde woman. She was crouched and crying quite audibly. Eris's gut twisted. He turned to leave, but the door was gone. The woman wailed louder, and Eris began to panic. Her legs were hugged tightly to her chest and her hair covered her face, but he knew she was naked.

Eris swallowed, pulling at his shirt collar that suddenly felt much too tight.

"Think you can save this one?" A voice cooed from behind him. He stiffened, recognizing that disgusting voice. It was one he'd never forget. "You couldn't last time, could you? Here's your chance to redeem yourself, son." Eris turned, trying to summon the sparks that typically flowed freely from his hands, but nothing came.

Keir rounded and came into view, the nasty, sadistic bastard oozing with self-satisfaction. He looked just as he had that day on the Autumn Court border. Two bodies crowded him from both sides and gripped his limbs, immobilizing him almost entirely. A panic he'd only ever felt once was stuck in his throat.

Keir walked to the blonde, who was still crying on the floor. He reared his leg back and kicked her in the ribs as hard as he could, and she howled like a hurt dog. Eris growled, trying to yank his limbs free, but he felt like they were encased in concrete. It was impossible for these men to be so strong. He was the first-born son of a High Lord. Keir's lackeys would never be able to disarm him like this. 

"She really is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Keir waggled his eyebrows with a chuckle. Eris felt like he could have exploded out of his skin. This- this was a replica of the worst day of his life. Keir grabbed her by her hair, pulling so hard that she scrambled onto her feet, standing on her tip toes to try and ease the pain.

And the world around Eris stopped.

There wasn't enough air.

He was going to be sick.

There, in Keir's arms, was the woman he loved. Her cheek was puffy and bruised like he'd hit her there multiple times, and her body was littered with matching purple and yellow bruises. No, it was impossible. Vera hadn't come with them. Vera was back at the safehouse with Feyre and Nyx. Vera couldn't be in front of him now, but she was.

She whimpered in pain, and Eris felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest.

"Don't worry, I already had my fun with her," Keir laughed. "You took quite a while to get here. I got a few good rounds in before you got here. I can see the appeal." Eris felt like a million bugs were crawling across his skin. He'd never wanted to die quite like he did in that moment.

"You son of a bitch," Eris snarled, yanking against the men holding him as hard as he could. Keir dropped Vera and she slammed onto her knees, sobs wracking her body from the impact and from everything else he'd already done to hurt her.

He blinked the tears from his eyes. He'd promised her he would always protect her. They joked and play fought and teased each other, but he'd sworn on his life he would always protect her first and foremost. And when it mattered, he hadn't been there.

He just hadn't been there.

Exactly like he hadn't been there for Mor.

His greatest failure, the thing that haunted him in the middle of the night, was happening again to him now. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. He just had to watch as Keir hurt the person he loved most. The moment he got free he was going to carve Keir's skin from his bones and make him watch. The most violent urges Eris had ever had- and he'd had quite a few- were nothing compared to the rage in his chest now.

"Eris, please," Vera sobbed, her voice broken and defeated. He'd never heard Vera be anything but absolutely sure of herself. And it broke him in half.

"V, I'm so sorry," Eris sobbed.

Keir grinned, lifting Vera's arm and giving Eris a pleased look before he snapped the bone in half with his bare hands. Vera screeched, the sound careening around the room and crawling inside his skin.

"Vera," Eris cried, nearly collapsing in the arms of the impossibly strong captors. He didn't care what it took, he had to get to her. His mate, his mate, his everything. He had to get to her.

Keir squeezed her arm in his hands, sending bone shards stabbing through her skin. She fell lifelessly, likely passed out from the sheer amount of pain she was in. With a scream that felt like it came from the very center of his soul, Eris finally broke free, scrambling desperately to Vera.

He reached for her, but his hands went right through her. The panic was overwhelming. He spun wildly, seeing that now, the room was entirely empty, and the door to the hall hung open exactly as he'd left it. In the center of the room, there was a small creature. Its skin was so charred and burned that the form or features of the creature were entirely mangled and unrecognizable. Eris felt like he was losing his mind. He had to find Rhys and he had to get home and he had to know that no one had touched Vera.

And this Mauve bitch, purple or not, was going to fucking pay.