Touch Me ✔

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Desmond didn't kill me like I thought he would. He kept me only just alive, so much so that I lost consciousness. When I awoke, my body was weak and my eyes struggled to take in my surroundings. All I could see was that I was in a dark, empty room, left unceremoniously on the floor.

Around my wrists were thick bracelets. They might as well have been the same shackles Sebastian had put me in not too long ago. It held the same markings which summoned the same curse to keep my abilities captive. My magic was weak; most of it stolen and the rest suppressed while I was left to gain my strength. I touched my neck, feeling the dried evidence of Desmond's attack, and the reality of my situation left me terrified.

He found me. More than that, he caught me.

Time passed by excruciatingly as I felt my body regenerate at a slow pace. My powers were returning and my wounds were healing. I would survive. If I could gain all my powers back, the bracelets wouldn't be enough to keep me from teleporting home. Then I could search for Sebastian and Jax. I didn't know what happened to them. I needed to know they were okay.

I passed out on the ground. When I awoke, it was to the sound of the door opening. I blinked through the darkness, my breath shortening as I saw a tall figure approach me. I scrambled to get up, to move away, but my body was still slow from recovering.

Desmond lowered himself to the floor, grabbing me firmly before pulling me to him. I whimpered in fear, quieting when his hands found the flesh of my arms. He stared at me for a moment, a silent dark shadow of a predator mocking its prey.

"Please don't," I whispered, tears beginning to build in my eyes.

"You've already regenerated so well," Desmond stated, inspecting his previous bite with pleasure, "I had your magic for most of the night and a bit into the day. Far longer than I thought I would. I've seen the sun again. When I've taken you completely, I will be the most powerful being in this world." Desmond's eyes shined with the pleasure of the thought.

"Where's Jax and Sebastian?" I asked fearfully. If I couldn't be saved, then I wanted them to be.

"Don't worry. They'll all be dead soon," Desmond responded emotionlessly. He gripped my hair in his fist and pulled my head back. I wanted to scream, but my body betrayed me with that instinctual anticipation. Desmond struck, tearing his fangs into my throat once again and feeding from me hungrily. I could only manage whimpers, tears falling from my eyes as he took from me. The light on my skin shone bright and then traveled over him until I was left in darkness, nearly dead once again.

I couldn't tell how long this went on. Desmond kept me at a constant cycle of near-death, recovered just enough, and then fed from my power before leaving me near-dead once again. My body struggled to keep up and my magic couldn't break past the bracelets that kept it captive when I did wake. I thought at some point my body would refuse to recover, but it always did. It was as though this was what I was meant to be; a power source to tap into whenever Desmond pleased.

I wasn't sure what kept him from taking it all, but whatever it was it couldn't be good.

Sometimes, the Exodus witch would visit me. As I came to learn, her name was Leanna and her visits were horrible. She would force water and soup down my throat with much joy as I choked. Then she would sponge-bathe me with little to no effort, mocking my pitiful state the entire time.

"Poor little Phoenix," She said on one such visit, mocking me. She grasped the rag she had been using to dry my skin and held it over my mouth and nose, preventing me from breathing. I struggled weakly, grasping at her hand as my lungs burned in my chest. And then she abruptly let go, laughing gleefully. "Look how weak you are."