Dreamchaser

The Proposal

The damp, cold floor appeared from nowhere as I hit it with a thud. Two men muttered between themselves before roughly dragging me to my feet and walking along a darkened corridor. My vision still blurred from the dizzying smoke as I struggled to make sense of what had happened. Where was Sam and why was he allowing me to be manhandled like this?

A door opened ahead and my eyes slowly adjusted to the small amount of light as I took in the faces of the captors. Max. Along with an older man who reeked of booze and filth. Max grinned maniacally as if he'd pulled off the greatest heist of the century.

"What do you think you're doing?" The words came out slurred and weak which only fuelled his amusement.

"Not so tough now, are you? Don't worry, I took precautions this time. There's no way your friends can help you out of this one and I've made sure you have no access to any of your abilities." Something had changed in his energy, I'd seen some of it cracking the surface in the weeks I'd been confined to the mansion, but this was different. He was completely unhinged.

I took deep breaths and tried to clear the fog from my mind, reaching for Sam through the bond with what little energy I had left but there was no response. No inkling it even existed anymore.

"What did you do to me?" A little clearer this time as the effects of whatever happened started to wear off.

"Just a little magic to get you back where you belong. Father is dying to meet you." His eyes were black, nothing remained of the seemingly sweet man I'd first encountered. No, this was his true self, the one he'd barely kept hidden.

As we reached the end of the corridor, more voices could be heard as well as celebrations and cheers when Max walked through the entrance with his prize. I pulled away from their grasp with little force needed, they already knew they had won. They were so confident I couldn't escape they didn't even bother to watch as I backed away and studied the faces of the men and women who filled the kitchen before me.

I was back in the manor.

Terror consumed me and the whole house was filled with people I had never seen before, discussing their victory and how they had prepared. They had thwarted us with ease and there was no way my friends could have walked away from a fight if I'd stayed. This was the best outcome.

Let them have whatever they wanted and hope it gave my new family time to run, to hide. To be safe far away from me. Sam would never give up though. My heart yearned for him and the pain it would cause.

"Hurry along Aera, father doesn't like to be kept waiting." Max prodded me like cattle along the hallways, to a part of the house I was never allowed in. It had been thoroughly cleaned compared to the rest of the manor, no dust lay thick along the artwork here and the dark wooden floors gleamed.

Large oak doors with golden handles, harsh designs dug deep into the wood that created the image of burning flames, opening instantly to his light knock.

Nothing could have prepared me for Max's father. A colossal, white-haired man towering over all others. His face scarred beyond recognition, burnt and badly healed leaving a mangled mess of flesh. The eyes I would never be able to burn from my mind, black as death and promised as much.

He was regally dressed in deep red velvet with a large gold pendant hanging from his neck, a jewel as black as his eyes in the centre. A sickening feeling washed over me, like a lamb being led to slaughter. If death was coming for me, I would take him down too I silently promised myself.

"Ahh, Miss Adams. How nice of you to join us." His voice was inhumane, creeping under my skin and burrowing like a leech. He slowly walked towards me as Max shoved me to my knees.