A Beautiful Evil (A Beautiful Book. 1) #Wattys2015

Chapter Twenty-Nine - Freedom

Time moved slowly. There were no clocks down in the dark chamber, only the painful beat of my heart. Multiple times I debated turning myself into stone. I wanted so desperately for the torture to end that I closed my eyes and started to force the change through my veins.

Charles and Avery were both fast asleep, and I knew I had to move quickly or they'd shout and most likely draw Curran and Carlos - or worse, James - back down. I also knew that if I did turn myself into stone, there was a good chance I wouldn't have the strength physically or mentally to recover. And at that moment, I didn't care.

But then Charles stirred. His hair had grown out since we'd been down here, so it was long enough to cover his forehead and fall into his eyes while he slept. I watched the way his body was relaxed with sleep and how his chest moved slowly up and down. I counted his breaths and let my own fall into sync, and the action calmed me down to the point where I didn't want to turn myself to stone. I didn't want to give up my life that easily, and it was at that moment that I realized that we needed a plan.

*******

It wasn't much, but it was all we had.

The plan was fairly simple but if we messed up and James caught on to what we were doing... We were screwed.

Everyday when James would descend from the steps, three bottles of Holy Water in hand, all three of us would act as nothing was different. For all James knew, we were still planning on staying in these disgusting cages another week. But what James didn't know was we'd drink that water in front of him to make him happy, but when he turned his back and headed up the stone steps, we'd vomit the water back up in our cages and pray he wouldn't come back down until it evaporated.

Lucky for us, we didn't get much food so there were no chunks to indicate vomit. Only once can I count that James almost caught us.

I'd just vomited my supply of Holy Water, careful not to let the liquid touch me - to burn me. Charles was sticking his fingers down his throat, and Avery was putting the mattress of his cot over the puddle he just created.

I then heard the large wooden door on top of the step squeak on its hinges.

"Sugar Cookies!" I hissed, using the code the brothers and I agreed on. Charles ripped his fingers from his mouth and wiped his saliva on his ripped black pants.

The blood in my veins went ice cold when I looked at the cement in my cell. It was dark and wet because I hadn't put the mattress of my cot over it yet. For a split second I debated darting to the corner and getting it, but I didn't think I'd have the speed or the strength to do so. Don't get me wrong, my strength was slowly coming back to me, but I wasn't at my peak yet.

So doing the only thing I could do, I sat on it.

There was practically nothing left of my dress, so pretty much all my skin was showing. I growled deep in my throat when the water began to burn my backside and thighs.

Curran's claws clicked down the steps, and before I knew it, he was ratting keys in front of my cage. James and Carlos soon followed.

"Can I open the cage?" Curran purred to James. A forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air.

James studied me a moment, his pale eyes raking over my almost naked body. I ground my teeth together against the flaming burn on the back of my thighs. "Actually..." he pronounced, "I think it's time we bring Asmodeus down here."

*******

I had little time to sigh a breath of relief when the three marched back up the stairs, because I had no idea when they'd be back. With Asmodeus.