“Sin, please don’t!” I pleaded, terror clawing at my chest.
Sin’s fists clenched, jaw tight. I glanced at the pool—bodies floated, the water the color of blood. The warlock was too powerful, even for Sin.
Sin charged, roaring with grief and rage. “NOOOOOO!” I shrieked. The warlock caught him by the throat, slamming him into the earth, never loosening his grip on my cage. I reached through the bars, desperate to help, but my hand fell short.
“Get your fighting skills up, playboy. Let that anger sizzle and marinate—let it resonate through your body. I’m teaching you something your daddy never would. I see your flaws, and you’ve failed your people and your mate. Thank your ancestors for seeing another day!” the warlock hissed.
He punched Sin in the face, knocking him out cold. “I’ll be back!” he barked.
I caught the terrified stares of my people—mothers clutching their children, hiding behind shattered trees. At least they were alive. The only dead female I saw was Dove. Was it personal?
A portal spun open, gears whirring, and the warlock stepped through, dragging me with him. The energy from the portal hit me like a tidal wave, and darkness swallowed me whole.
Iopened my eyes to a blurred vision. From what I could make out, I was in a room filled with tall plants, birds, and glass cases lining the walls, full of weapons. My throat was dry, my head was throbbing, and everything felt like a dream.
This isn’t Charmden!
Something heavy hung around my neck—a chain. I traced the chain to its source: a glowing globe sitting on four brass legs, the color of fire.
“Noooooooooo!” I sobbed.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up in a brick-walled bedroom with huge windows. Still groggy, I stared outside—and gasped. The world beyond was alive with enchantment: the sky shifted from deep blue to vibrant green, casting a strange glow over floating gears that turned in perfect harmony above. Machine towers, pulsing with ancient, glowing symbols, drifted weightlessly, their radiant glyphs lighting winding, maze-like paths. Heavy chains bridged the gaps between islands of intricate machinery suspended in the air.
From my high vantage point, I saw a colossal machine at the city’s heart, its spinning gears and glowing runes pulsing with the energy that sustained this realm. There was no nature here—just a seamless blend of technology and sorcery. Below, through a swirling portal, Baltimore blurred like a distant memory, while warlocks glided between islands on mechanical hoverboards. I once thought Charmden was magical, but this place was magic itself.
The wooden doors of the room opened, and he walked in: the warlock who had taken me prisoner. It all came flooding back to me. I had been captured by a demonic warlock who tormented my village.
“I didn’t think you’d wake up,” he said.
“Fuck you!” I yelled. I grabbed a plant next to me and hurled it at him. He held up his hand, and the plant froze in place before floating onto a table in the corner of the room, next to a pile of books.
“Feisty lil’ muthafucka,” he said.
“Just kill me and get it over with!” I screamed.
He walked over to me, dressed only in a pair of gray sweatpants and socks. The diamond chain around his neck sparkled as he towered over me.
“I thought about it, but I can’t let something so beautiful die painfully just yet,” he replied. His eyes landed on my chest and his lips curved into a devilish grin.
I looked down at myself and realized I was completely naked. There was no telling what that sick bastard did to me while I was asleep. I sat on the floor with my back against the wall, pulling my knees to my chest. Alone… naked… scared… those were the emotions I was going through, but I wouldn’t dare let a warlock see me sweat.
“Can your perverted ass at least give me a blanket?” I asked him.
He snatched me up by the arm. My human form was about five feet even, and he seemed like a giant towering over me. “This isn’t your magical realm anymore, this my world. You don’t request nothing! I’m the one who gives order! You’re my pussy fairy, Eboenia. That’s the only purpose you serve which means you don’t wear nothing!”he seethed.
He violently gripped my chin. “You shouldn’t have intruded into our world and kidnapped me. I belong to someone else!”
“No, you belongs to me. The difference between me and that ugly stick figure muthafucka, Hoax, is I don’t have to take it. I can feel the heat radiating off your body, and it makes you uncomfortable that someone who killed your people is making your pussy wet,” he said, his voice low and taunting, every word scraping against my nerves.
He was like a demon, feeding off my pain—he could sense it, savoring every flicker of fear in my eyes. My deepest desires, the ones I tried to bury, were in the hands of my capturer. I tensed up when he cupped my chin, pressing me harder against the wall. His cologne was rich, suffocating, and his intoxicatingly handsome face made me sick to look at. I hated how my body betrayed me, how his presence twisted something inside me.
I clawed at his arm as his touch invaded my mind—I despised him! Rage and shame tangled in my chest, burning hot and raw. I was unable to use my magic because of the collar around my neck, which inhibited my powers—I was helpless, trapped in his hold. He dropped me on the floor, leaving me clutching my jaw, my whole body shaking.
“Why not just kill me?” I cried, my voice cracking with mixed emotions.
“Because you’re my most prized possession,” he replied, his words dripping with twisted affection, his eyes never leaving mine.
He grabbed my arm, pulling me up from the floor. He dragged me out of the double doors and into a hallway with marble floors. “Where are you taking me?” I asked.
