The Tribrid and Her Prison {Book One - Complete}

Everything

Newt's POV

"NO!" Newt screamed as Hope fell to the ground, her head cracking against the concrete. She was faced toward them while he and Albus were stuck in this Godforsaken cage. Her eyes open, staring lifelessly at them.

Pale- so pale.

The light in Hope's eyes that Newt had fallen in love with repeatedly had been snuffed out. Now, the eyes that held passionate vigor were nothing more than dark pits leading to an abyss.

Blood pounded in his ears as he strained against his cuffs. He had to get to her and take her away from this place.

This wasn't real.

It couldn't be.

Any moment, they'd wake and find themselves warm in bed, tangled in each other's embrace while recalling the kisses from the night before.

"Please, no," Newt pressed his forehead against the bars as a ragged sob bubbled up his chest.

Their life.

Their Hope...was gone.

"You could do much better, Newt," Syliva smirked as she opened the door to the cage. Looking over, his breath shuddering, he was now staring down the tip of her wand. "Come on then," she said to Albus, "out you go. You're coming with us. Refuse and poor Newt will meet the same fate as that bothersome hybrid."

Without hesitating, Newt latched onto Albus' arm. "Don't..." he pleaded, meeting his blue gaze. "I'm not worth what they could get from you."

Albus looked at him, tears staining his cheeks, before looking at Hope. "I won't allow you to be lost too." He murmured, but his voice was lifeless as if he'd spent an evening with a Dementor. Albus turned to look at him once more and took his cheek into his palm, leaning forward. "My freedom will never be worth more than your life..." he looked at Hope's body again, and fresh tears rolled down his face. "Her life."

Then, Albus pressed a soft kiss to Newt's lips and turned, letting Syliva close the door behind him.

Newt watched with a trembling lip as Albus was escorted past Hope's body, and when he thought he might simply walk by, he tried to bend down to reach for her, but Syliva shoved him forward. Making him stumble on, barely missing Hope's head with his shoe.

Holding the bars with tight fists, Newt watched Albus glance over his shoulder again at her and then at him before disappearing. The rest of the impersonating Aurors followed, using their bodies to shield Albus and prevent escape.

Hope was dead, and he and Albus had no magic from the blasted cuffs. Newt looked down at his wrists and immediately tried to pry them off. If he could just slip a joint or two out of place, maybe he could...a noise disturbed his thoughts, making Newt look up. He stared at Hope's unmoving body and then over at Theseus, who was on his feet and walking his way.

"I thought you were knocked out," Newt muttered dryly as he continued trying to get the cuffs off.

Theseus nodded as he unlocked and opened the cage door. "I was. For a moment."

Newt paused, staring at him, searching him with careful eyes. "How long were you out?"

They shared a look.

Dread wrapped around Newt's throat like a noose. He knew, then. Theseus knew that he and Albus were intimate. He parted his lips to speak first, but nothing close to a word came out. Only a strange, exasperated sigh.

"You love him," Theseus murmured and swallowed tightly, "You loved them both. It's-it's okay." He finally nodded. "It's...unexpected, but I...I just want you to be happy."

More heat touched Newt's eyes as he slowly nodded, his gaze shifting to stare at Hope over his shoulder.

"Doesn't matter anymore," Newt whispered, voice devoid of life. He'd lost the two people he loved most in the world in a few hours. How could he live life after this? What was he to do? Return to Hogwarts alone and spend all his days in solitary with his creatures?

It was the only life he could see himself leading.

"It'll always matter." Theseus squeezed his shoulder.

Newt looked at him once more and swallowed hard to stop himself from sobbing as another wave of tears closed in on him. Crawling out of the cage, he stood, wanting to walk to Hope. To pick her up in his arms.

But he couldn't.

His feet refused to move.

"I can't," his voice got louder as panic set in, "I can't do this. I can't..."

A wild gasp broke the surface tension that enveloped the room.

Newt and Theseus froze as they stared with wide eyes as Hope suddenly sat up, breathing in gulping lungfuls of air.

Blinking wildly, Newt stopped breathing for a moment. Impossible, this couldn't be true. He couldn't be seeing this right now. This was some elaborate illusion to torture him, he was sure.

Hope turned to stare at them, eyes set into a severe glare. A glowing fire in her eyes Newt had never seen before.

Something ancient.

Something powerful.

"Newt..." Her voice broke his spell, and in a quick lurch, he sprinted to her, tripping over his feet as he fell at her side, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Hope, you...this can't be real. You...you died. I watched you die."

A slow smirk curved her full lips. The smirk Newt never thought he'd see again.

"I remember, Newt," Hope murmured, fastening her intense gaze on him that was starting to shift into a haunting amber that chilled his bones.

Swallowing, he slowly shook his head. "You remember?" Newt furrowed his brow. "What do you remember?"

"Everything."