Chasing Sapphire

26. DARKNESS

ATTICUS

I was walking in utter darkness, stumbling over small objects lying in my path. I had been walking for an hour now, looking for something but I didn't know what. My mind was filled with confusion and my nose scrunched upwards. This place was unfamiliar and it was creeping me out, but I couldn't find a way out.

At last, I reached a door. I felt relieved on finding a possible escape so I kicked the door and it opened with a creak. But instead of outside, I stepped into a room. It was dark all around, except to my right where moonlight was illuminating the room. And a figure was sitting there, hiding her face in between her knees.

On noticing my presence, she lifted her head and I gasped when I looked at Sapphire's face. It was almost white, as if she was a ghost, as if there was no blood running inside her blood vessels.

"You couldn't save me Atticus," she said, blame evident in her voice.

"No," I whispered softly.

"They killed me. See," she said and that's when she lifted her shirt off her stomach, revealing the huge cut from which blood was seeping out. "You didn't come to save me."

"No!" I screamed out loud and that's when my eyes shot open.

I was in my room, safe and sound. Everything around me was normal then why was my heart drumming against my chest? I was sleeping without a shirt and my whole body was covered in sweat, despite the cold temperature of the room.

Stepping out of my bed, I took some fast steps and rushed out of my room bare-foot. The whole mansion was drowned in darkness as I climbed the stairs and knocked hard on the first door at the end of the stairs. When nobody opened the door, I kicked on it hard.

"God, does nobody have patience these days?" Grace's voice came after which she opened the door and when she found me standing outside her door, her eyes widened. By her messy hair, it was evident that she was sleeping. Of course she was, it was fucking 5:30 in the morning.

"Where is she? Is she safe?" I asked as I made my way inside her room without her permission. My brother Lucas was sleeping on the bed, unaware of the panic arising in my being.

"Calm down, Atticus. Last I checked, she hadn't left that guy's house the whole day after you scared her by following her to the library." Grace replied but I couldn't calm down. I knew something was wrong, I could feel it in my veins.

"There is something wrong with her." I said and a frown appeared on her irritated face.

"Okay, I'll check again," she said and went to her drawer. She pulled out the map to Connor Hunt's house from the first drawer and started doing her spell.

"Did you find her?" I asked, shifting on my legs impatiently.

"Sssshhh," she raised her hand to silence me. Her eyes were closed and her whole focus was on the words she was whispering under her breath. Once she stopped muttering, her relaxed expressions changed into a worried frown and I became more unnerved due to it.

"What happened?" I asked.

Her eyes opened slowly and then shifted to my face. "How is this even possible? I did a complete check on that man."

"Will you tell me what happened?" I snarled at her, barely controlling my anger.

"I can see them. They are together. She said.

"And?"

"How did I miss that?"

"Miss what?" I growled.

"Connor is a hunter and..." She took a pause after which she whispered. "Sapphire is missing."

"Fuck," I punched the wall beside me on hearing this and when my knuckles pounded against it, sharp pain shot through them. "I told you I didn't like that guy. I told you." I grunted.

"And I told you that I did a complete check on him. I don't know how he escaped my spell. I don't think he is working alone. Someone definitely helped him in cover his identity." she said in panic filled voice as she paced to and fro in front of me, her nightgown trailing on the floor behind her.

"I don't care if there are hundred people behind him. Where can I find her?" I growled and she flinched backwards.

"Calm down, Atticus." she said and I balled my fists in anger. How could I calm down when her life was in danger? How could I calm down when I failed to stop them from using her against me?

"Calm down? Don't you get it? Her life is linked to all of us." I chewed my words and she crossed her arms in front of her chest in a defensive manner.

"Is that the only reason of your concern?" she asked, irritated at me.

This woman knew how to push my buttons. If there was somebody else in her place, he would be trembling in fear but she was still challenging me, despite ruining everything with her incompetence.

"Don't tempt me to throw you out of this place." I glared into her fearless brown eyes.

"It's my wife you're talking to, Atticus." Lucas' sleepy voice appeared from under the blanket. "Keep your anger in control."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and turned around to leave. "You have an hour. Find her."

°°°°°

SAPPHIRE

I had been tied on this bed for hours now. My stomach was growling in hunger and my throat was dry like a desert. I had been screaming Connor's name again and again but he didn't bother to come here. I was afraid of dark but I was more afraid of dying. It was one thing to give up on life but when death stares you in eyes, the desire to live comes rushing back. That is what was happening to me.

I tried to bear the pain and pull my hand out of the handcuff but it was much more difficult than I had watched in movies. There was no way of escape, not until someone comes here and find me, which almost seemed impossible.

"Don't exhaust yourself," Connor's voice came, followed by his face that appeared through the door. "Nobody is coming to save you."

"Somebody will," I muttered under my breath.

"Who? That amateur witch, Bella?" he said sarcastically and I pulled my gaze away from his traitor face. He reached me slowly and leaned down to open the rope around my legs. "Hopefully, you have learnt to control your legs." he said, before he massaged my feet that were swollen because of all the efforts I had done to free them.

"Fuck you," I cursed and pulled my feet away from his disgusting touch.

"You already did. Don't you remember?" he said and I cursed myself for sleeping with him. His beautiful face was now making me nauseous and I wanted nothing more than punching the smirk off his face.

"If your wife was alive, she would have regretted the day she met you." I said and the way his face contorted made me happy. I had hit the nail at the right place and his flushed face was a proof.

"You are wrong. She would find her peace when her killer will be dead." he chewed each word.

"At the expense of an innocent life?" I asked.

"You're far from innocent, Sapphire. How many people have died to save you?" he said and my whole body burned in anger. He wasn't wrong but he had no right to say this to me.

"Don't," I said in anger-filled voice.

"You killed your whole family, didn't you?" he smirked. He knew how his words were affecting me and he was enjoying it.

"I didn't kill them," I defended myself.

He stood up then and walked towards me, to check if the handcuffs were in place. "But they died for you," he grinned and I fought the urge to kick him in the balls again.

He smirked, seeing the effect of his words on me and I cursed myself for giving him the satisfaction.

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