Atherian Tales: The Blood Slave

Chapter Twenty Three

☆ caution!!! Mature content!!☆

I followed Jerric to the barracks. Upon crossing the threshold, I noticed a large group of my guardsmen huddled near the forest line. To my surprise, that same area was exactly where Jerric was leading me to. Once we arrived at the pack of men, they split like the red sea to let me through. The scene that laid before me was unsettling at the least.

At me feet laid a mangled corpse. Each limb looked as of it was only held on by a few fleshy strings that somehow still remained attached to the body. The clothes on the figure were torn to shreds and underneath the torn rags, the skin was brutally burnt and ripped at. Bones were protruding from underneath the fleshy mess and blood saturated every possible inch of the fabric and skin. It was hard to decipher what part was what and where it belonged.

Looking around the group of men, some held their eyes to the bloodied body, unable to peel them away. Others took a quick glance through their fingers. Even though they were soldiers, the state this poor soul was left in was almost too hard to stomach for anyone.

I knelt down to study the creature. Out of the blood,  broken bones, and limbs, one eye was left open. It was pitch black. Whoever this creature was, it was one of us. I closed my eyes and dropped my head, saying a quick word for a fallen brother. As I finished my silent prayer, Jerric jolted me back to the situation at hand.

"The body must have been tossed here last night after everyone retired for the day. This note was tucked into its mouth."

Jerric handed me a crumpled, blood stained note. Upon opening the letter, my heart sank to my stomache as I read the few little words scribbled on the paper.

Your heart beats again..... now hers will stop.

It only took those few words for me to dash back to the castle and straight to my chambers. I ran without stopping until I flung myself through the door and into my room.

I didn't immediately see Amily. The bed was empty where she once slept. I looked around the bedroom, even searching under the bed and looking out the window to the garden below, there was nothing. He's taken her from me, how? My heart broke at the thought of never seeing her again. I retraced my steps, checking each location a second time but still she wasn't under the bed or down in the garden.

Just as my panic set in further, the creaking of the washroom door made me spin around where I stood with such force, I was sure to dig a hole in the stone with my heel.

To my relief, Amily casually strolled from the washroom, wrapped in a towel. Her hair hung wet against her bare shoulders and her body had small droplets of  water that formed on her flesh. I hurried myself to stand directly in front of her, moving so fast that my feet could hardly keep up. My hands unconsciously reached for her, catching her slightly off guard and causing her to take a step back.

"What is the mat......"

I interrupted her question as my lips crashed onto hers. I devoured her lips, barely let her or myself recoil for breath. I needed her now. The thought that Grim could have taken her from me, harm her right under my nose, had my senses going haywire and left my craving for her unchecked. The fear that ran through as I thought she was gone, left me in a world without her in it and it wasn't a world worth living in.

She didn't hold back either as I deepened the kiss. I cupped the nape of her neck with my left hand and as she wrapped her arms around my neck, I used my free hand to dispose of her towel. I stepped back to admire her naked form, taking in every inch, every curve, and every asset of her beautiful body. I saw her whole body blush crimson at my stare and the bond mimicked her pounding heart in my chest, creating its melodic rhythm against the flatness of my own heart. I couldn't stand the distance between us any longer and closed the gap.