Chapter One:

 

DELPHI’S POV:

THREE WEEKS IN THE FUTURE

 

My body threatens to give away as I force it to charge faster and faster down the hallway. The darkness consumes my surroundings, but I have meticulously remembered every single twist and turn in this wicked house. A banging sound echoes around me, though I am not sure if it’s the monster’s footsteps behind me or the pounding of my heart.

I lurch around the corner with lightning precision. The rough carpeted floor sinks its teeth into my bare feet, making me wince, but I do not give it another thought. I cannot afford to give it another thought.

Faster, further. I continue my escape.

Eventually, a towering room with a golden staircase greets me, dimly lit up by the floating lamps. The stench of bleach fills my nose, slithering up my nostrils like tiny snakes, suffocating me. My lungs burn fiercely and my eyes stream at the pain. But it’s better than the metallic twang of blood that usually swarms around the mansion. His home. My prison.

I thrust my hand out into the centre of the room and the scarlet-coloured pixels shoot out of my palm. Like fire licking my fingers, the pixels burn me, turning my pale skin red. I wince at the uncomfortable feeling but force more pixels out. I must escape! I must escape- no matter the cost!

Hope starts to brim in my stomach as they form a circle and race around like cars on a track. Faster and faster, but not fast enough! They should be creating a portal to get me out of here, but instead, the sparkles now lamely fall to the floor.

I throw my other hand out to try again. Nothing.

With a grunt, I hoist up my weighted dress and continue running. I rub the sweat out of my eyes with my elbow. It is not safe for me to remain still for long, he’s close behind. I can feel him. I can smell him: warm, musky, and furious.

“Great Goddess of the world,” I pant as I charge up the stairs. Despite the majority of the dress being bundled into my arms, the length still catches me up. I stumble and fall. My hands shoot out, narrowly saving myself from face planting the oak stairs. My now bruised knees and palms scream out instead.

“Of Heaven and Earth, and everything in between. Of life, death, and purgatory. Of the past, present, and future.” I chant my curse as I scramble to my feet to continue my ascent. A nagging feeling in the back of my mind begs me to look back to see if he is catching me. But I know better than that. Never look back. Never give the Predator that satisfaction of seeing the fear in your eyes.

“Of…”

My foggy mind thumps in my head as I desperately try to remember the words. It has been over nine hundred centuries since I last had to speak my magic into existence. Usually, my fingers remember the wicked dance of a curse. But they have snatched my magic from me; they have made my body weak, magicless. I am defenceless against the monster hunting me. It is all their fucking fault!

“Of something and something else.” I grunt, “Life and death? No, fuck, I’ve said that already!”

I skid to a halt and tear my gaze to the three metal doors in front of me. A deafening boom rips out from behind me as the monster advances closer and closer. The door does not budge as I yank on the handle. I try the other two quickly, but my fate is the same. All three doors are locked. They all bend to his wishes- to keep me captured. Cornered. Helpless.

“Delphi!” The beast’s roar echoes around the room, sending shivers through my body. The sound is like no other. Everything shakes and for a moment it feels as though the walls and ceilings might give way. At least that would be a quick death. Much quicker than the one he has in store for me.

“Delphi!” He hollers again. This time, a strangled cry of frustration leaves my lips and I yank on the handle again, pleading for it to open. But it’s no use. I can now feel him in the room with me. Frightened, I spin around and peer down the stairs. If I can just maintain this distance between us, perhaps I’ll be safe. Maybe I can escape?

All thoughts of hope escape from me when those black eyes sink into mine. His body heaves as he pants, and his suit threatens to explode from the assault of his expanding muscles. Raven-coloured hair tumbles into his eyes but it does not matter, I can feel those dark orbs trailing up my body, taking in every inch of me. Those fucking eyes never miss a single spot.

His lip twitches upward as he growls.

“What is the next line, darling?”

My heart leaps in my chest. Desperately, I throw my palms out in hope of my magic returning. Now more than ever I need protection. Again, the pixels miserably tumble to the ground. Shit!

“Stay away from me!” I shriek, and my voice cracks. It’s a pathetic sound, like the noise a baby deer makes before the lion closes its teeth around its neck. His head cocks to the side and if possible, his expression darkens.

“I mean it!” I try again weakly but I stumble to a halt before I can spit out any insult or threat. What can I really do to protect myself from the God of Power? He controls everything, and soon he will control me.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, witch!” He snaps. Suddenly, he is no longer standing still at the bottom of the stairs, silently seething. Now, he is taking the stairs in twos.

The cry leaves my lips before I can stop myself, “No! No! Get away!”

He ignores it and quickly ascends closer toward me. Mortified, I stumble backward until my back is firmly pressed up against the middle door. The coldness seeps through the thin mesh material of my dress and I shiver. My mind races as I silently pray for it to swallow me up, to save me from the monster’s advances.

“What is the…”

“I- I don’t know!” I half whimper, half yell before he can finish. Amused by my reaction, his lip twitches. It isn’t a smile, but it isn’t a frown either. The only thing I can liken it to is a lion’s mouth twitching as it readies itself for the kill. With a huff, I lurch left to jump around him, but he is much faster.

Suddenly, his mighty grip fastens my wrists together and he slams me up against the door. I flinch as the sound almost deafens me. A hungry look courses through his eyes. His tongue shoots out and he licks his lips, desperately trying to taste my fear in the air between us. I can’t tear my gaze away from the fangs which slightly protrude now.

“Let go! Let go! For fuck sake Power, please let me go!” I beg, but it’s no use. If I have learnt anything about Power, it’s that once he sets his mind on something, he does it. My anxious thoughts do nothing to calm me down. He is going to kill me. He is going to eat me alive. After all, he is Power incarnate and I’m his lowly Priestess. His Prisoner. His sacrifice.

“Luckily, I do.” He tells me smugly. I feel his hot, teasing breath taunt the skin between my neck and ear. A shiver takes a hold of me. The sensation promises so much pain.

“Oh, high Priestess, of pain and…” He begins. The colour drains from my face. I know the next line.

“Go on.” He nudges me, “Tell me, what is the next word?”

The whimper is small and desperate as it falls from my lips, “Submission.”

“Exactly.” He bares his teeth in a wicked smirk, “And that is why you will not be leaving. I own you. And you will be my sacrifice.”

I frantically try to think of the next line of my curse, to call my magic back, but the lyrics are like granules of sand racing through my fingers. I can’t seem to grasp the slippery fuckers! He wraps those malicious arms around me and yanks me flush against his body. Then, I feel his sharp fangs scrape against my neck.

“Ah, so close to escaping, sweet Delphi.” He grunts. The sound is tense and almost desperate, like he can’t tell whether he wants to fuck me or kill me. That malicious smile spreads across his face when I gulp. He continues his sentence, much to my fear.

“So close and yet so far.”