The Mercenaries Dark Desires (ICS Book Three)

Chapter Four - Dishonor

AN: There may be some triggers in this chapter.

Dishonor

Alexandria tugged on the chains around her wrists. The hard metal rubbed into her skin, leaving painful abrasions. Blood dripped down her pale arms, causing her mouth to water. She was so starved her own blood made her thirst. She gritted her teeth, expending the last of her strength in a desperate attempt to break the chains that bound her.

It was no use.

Her body was too weak. Panting she sagged against the stone wall of her cell. Her wrists were chained above her head, taking her weight as her legs buckled. The position only intensified the pain, putting pressure on the aching joints.

She pursed her lips, fighting back the wetness in her eyes. She refused to cry like some damn babe.

Even as she thought the words a tear slipped down her cheek.

Damn it!

She was stronger than this, a warrior!

Right now she felt anything but. She was chained in a tiny cell in what she guessed was deep underground. The dungeon was dark and cold, the air heavy. There were no windows, no source of light within her cell. Even her vampire eyes couldn't see through the pitch black. It was deafening, the total darkness that surrounded her. When she first awoke Alexandria feared she'd been sent to the Void, never to return. She had no concept of time, no way of knowing how long she'd been a prisoner.

All she knew was the darkness.

And pain.

Unimaginable pain.

Occasionally, she would hear the screams of other prisoners. It made her feel guilty but Alexandria almost enjoyed the sounds just to know that others were out there, that she wasn't alone in this hell.

Swallowing she winced as her parched throat burned. Her skin had turned a sickly pale grey from starvation, her body no longer able to retain heat. She shook uncontrollably from the chill air, stripped down to just her panties. Her skin was covered in grime and her own blood. She felt exposed and vulnerable.

Helpless.

She felt so helpless.

It was killing her that she couldn't fight. It was unnatural to her. Unfathomable.

How much longer must she suffer?

Each day brought a new torture. Or maybe it was each week, each month...each hour. She had no way of knowing.

It was driving her mad. She could feel it creeping into her mind, eating away at her. Before she barely fought off the madness but now...now she was starved and tormented. Without her connection to Damian there was no purchase to stop her from falling, no one to pull her back.

That thought scared her more than anything. She didn't want to go crazy. She didn't want to fall into the abyss. One never came back. Never.

Don't lose your mind. Don't fall over the edge.

Closing her eyes, she pictured her home. She could almost smell the clean air, could feel the warmth of a fire burning in the main hearth. She could visualize each elegant room, feel the softness of her bed. Her heart twisted with longing. She missed her home, her family.

Most of all she missed Damian. Never had they gone so long apart. Before she all but cursed their connection, now she yearned for it.

The last time she saw her brother they fought over her leaving. She knew he only acted the way he did because he cared. She wanted to apologize, to tell Damian she loved him.