Bound To You

Chapter 3

Areven

Ice cold water stole his breath and shocked him into consciousness. He flinched awake and coughed up water, shivering on the hard, cold ground beneath him.

''Fuck,'' He groaned as the pain came back in a harsh wave, making him grit his teeth to bare it. He took a few minutes to lie as still as possible and control his breathing enough to bear through the pain until he could open his eyes.

''Fuck me.'' The curse flew out of his mouth. A prison. He was in a fucking prison. Underground. In a fucking cell with nothing in it but a bucket in the corner.

Twelve cells, six on each side with a walkway in the middle made up the underground space. A break on the other side of the cells held a roaring fire with a rickety table and two chairs. Dim torches sputtered on walls, leaving many of the cells cased in darkness. A prominent chill filled the air, permanent for Areven to know it was not just the chill from being soaking wet.

A screech of un-oiled metal caught his attention and his head snapped to the noise.

Guards opened the cell to the right of his, going directly for a small heap of a figure in the corner. They were completely covered by a ratty cloak, and Areven couldn't even make out their gender, but their form was humanoid and their tiny feet were bare and dirty.

He almost thought it was a child, but dismissed the thought. No one would be fucked up enough to keep a child down here.

''Yes, bring the creature.'' A vaguely familiar voice said, the fat Lord was right outside his cell. "Jude,'' He snapped and a tall male materialized.

"Yes, Lord Victor?''

"Where is this new initiate you recently brought on?''

Jude snapped his fingers and a gangly boy appeared, barely into his manhood. He was wide-eyed and stood ram-rod straight. "Tom is the new recruit, my Lord.''

Victor grunted. "You've seen the creature work their magic yet, lad?''

Tom swallowed and shook his head. ''No, my Lord."'

''Ah, I thought not. This will be your first look.'' He nodded to the other man who was holding the creature. ''Take off the cuffs.''

They removed something from the creature's wrists, Areven couldn't quite make out from it with a line of iron bars right in his line of sight and he couldn't move unless he wanted to pass out in pain again.

As much as he should probably want that option and spend most of the healing time for his foot unconscious, there was an instinct that drove him to watch.

The guard held the creature still as the Lord approached them. He stretched a hand out to touch the creature but it flinched back, cowering away with a soft gasp, clearly afraid of the Lord's touch.

The fat fuck only chuckled. ''That's right.'' He glanced at the boy, watching with fascination. ''You never have to fear this one, lad. The others, I wouldn't dare turn your back to.'' His hand shot out and this time he made contact with the creature, holding onto what was likely their chin in a bruising grip.

They tried to flinch away, writhing in the grasp of the guard, but they were much too weak to fight back and only ended up gasping in hitching breaths of fear before they finally surrendered and stopped fighting.

The Lords' eyes practically glowed at this creature's forced submission. ''You know what to do.'' He said to it and finally let go, jerking his head towards Areven's cell. The guard, Jude, pried the door open and the one holding the creature shoved it into his cell before closing the door.

Areven tensed at the intruder in his cell, dreading what this thing was going to do to him, though he supposed he couldn't be in anymore pain that he was already in.

''Stay the fuck away from me,'' He gritted out, trying to inch back further into his cell, but only bringing on a fresh wave of pain.

The creature slowly pushed themselves up from the ground, but remained in a crouch. They studied him for a long while. A feral little animal debating if it should approach a human.

With how Areven was scowling at the cloaked figure, even when he was in no shape to defend himself, he wasn't surprised. He was nearly twice their size and the ratty cloak did nothing to hide their malnourishment. Areven was muscled enough to crush their bones even if he was half dead.

Crack!

One of the guards whammed a metal baton on the bars, scaring the shit out of the creature as it jumped with a gasp.

''Stop stalling.'' The Lord growled, making the creature flinch again. This time, they hesitantly came closer to him, but with a resolve. Areven was pretty sure that if this creature didn't do what the Lord wanted, they'd be punished.

So he eased off the scowl and didn't move when they came close enough to touch him. A small, slender hand emerged from the folds of their cloak and reached for his right shin, just above his mangled ankle. He didn't have the nerve to check before, but he likely thought that he had some broken bones in his foot.

Their hand was cool on his skin, but soft, uncalloused. Areven tensed, prepared for pain, for anything, for various worst-case scenarios his mind had conjured of what this creature could do to him.

It did the last thing he expected.

Their hand warmed on his skin and the creature inhaled sharply. Areven gaped as a pure white light emitted from their palm, illuminating the dim cell.

He gasped, and so did someone on the other side of the bars as the mangled and torn flesh on his ankle and foot began to knit itself back together.

Areven's breath came in shaky gasps as his chest heaved, eyes wide, as he watched himself be healed and practically felt all of the invisible hurts he didn't know he had on the rest of his body vanish as well, fading until it was like it had never happened.

''What are you?'' He whispered. He'd never heard of a creature that could heal flesh with their touch. He knew they were likely repairing his bones in his foot as well, as the light continued even when all of his outward wounds were gone.

"Impossible,'' A different voice breathed and Areven knew it to be the young boy who was watching every moment. The lad was fucking right. This was impossible.

The light of the creature's palm dimmed and they yanked their hand back, staggering away from him as they caught their breath, sagging in exhaustion.

''Fucking hell.'' Areven sat up with no pain, completely at ease. A minute ago he was blacking out at the slightest movement. Now he didn't even feel the effects of the massive amount of blood he'd lost.

The cell door screeched open and the same burly guard came in to drag the exhausted creature out of his cell. Areven was too stunned to speak, he couldn't take his eyes off the small cloaked figure. The need to see who was under that hood burned inside him.

The Lord watched as black wrist cuffs were put on the creature. The tension didn't go out of his shoulders until they were on and the creature was back in their cell, curling into themselves on the floor.

Lord Victor slapped the boy on the back and chuckled. ''You'll be even more surprised when you see it's face.'' The creature shivered. "It's quite a sight, but the hood keeps all you fools from succumbing to temptation.''

A round of grumbles went up and the Lord left without preamble, only taking a moment to pause and study Areven with a narrowed gaze. ''I want everything from him.''

''Yes, sire.'' They chorused.

Well fuck.

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A/N:

Next chapter is from a different character's POV! Guess who?