Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(57)

Though I screamed the words, I would be better off getting my point across in a silent horror film. I couldn't even hear my breath, and I began to hyperventilate.

Why bring me here? Where were my friends? Shouldn't I be dead? The thoughts reeling through my mind were enough to drown out the worries of my own fate. I had finally began to calm down and sort through possible answers, when I felt a hand clamp around my calf and I was being dragged towards the middle of the floor.

I was alone in the room, but something was forcing me away from the white walls. Whatever it was, I tried to fight against it, clawing at the tiles beneath me. I reached for something to grab onto, anything that would prevent this unusual control over my body. Crying, I begged for it to stop. Hurricane-like cramps carried through my tears and bore into my midsection. What was happening to me?

The dragging stopped. Two hands grabbed me to force me onto my back. I whimpered, knowing my words would do little if my attacker couldn't hear me. Tightening began at my chest, descending towards my middle, hefting me upwards as though braced against this new cruelty. I tore my arm free and shoved my elbow backwards into the hidden enemy.

"Ow! Savannah, stop it!"

The light room was sucked away and I was back in the midst of the battle, held against Griffin's chest. "What?" Dazedly, I looked around and saw that bodies seemed to have exploded from the ground. There were a few skirmishes far away, but they might have been vultures picking at the new meat for all I could see.

We had been pushed into a corner. Only Liam stood between us and certain death. Painfully, Griffin dragged me closer, shielding me from the approaching demons which were surrounding our tiny group.

Griffin's words made their way through the poison quicksand. "It's going to be okay. We'll get you out of here." They were meant to comfort but were less effective when paired with the blood dripping from his lower lip.

With one hand, Liam held Griffin's spear, impaling demons before they made it within arm's reach, and disarming others. With his other hand, he used the talon, performing maneuvers that made me queasy as I watched. He annihilated the closer targets until a pyre of bodies stood as a buffer to the slaughter making its way to us. In life, the demons had sought our death, but now their shells had been forced to trade sides.

"Just hold on! I've got this!" Liam shouted, as if we were awaiting a chariot that would be here in moments to fly us away from here.

Griffin shook me, jolting my eyes back open. "Stay awake."

"Why?" We wouldn't survive, Liam was tiring quickly and help wasn't coming. "Why hold onto false hope? We're all dead anyways."

Personally, I would rather have yielded to the poison and given way to the part that sleeping beauty would have played had her prince never arrived. My prince would never come. I wasn't a princess asleep in an ivory tower, and my life had already required too many sacrifices.

My eyes drifted shut, allowing my loved ones to come into view. This was peace. I just needed to allow myself to be carried away on memories of them. If I held onto their faces, the clashing of weapons would fade away and I would follow.

Suddenly, my cheek stung and ringing clamored through to banish my haven. I was torn from the mercy of drifting away.

"Damn it, Savannah! Stop being selfish! I thought you were better than that!"

My eyes snapped open. Griffin's hand was still poised to deliver another message, but lowered when my eyes narrowed in anger.

He pointed towards Liam, who was losing more ground. "We might not live through this, but are you really ready to give up on him?"

I groaned. "What am I supposed to do? What can you do? Neither of us can fight. We're a liability to him now."

Griffin coughed, an ocean of red velvet declared the truth behind my words. "Then we get help."

I lifted my quaking hand to smooth away Griffin's fresh blood before the poison weighed me down once more. "How? Who could possibly help us?"

"I don't know, but maybe we can send out a signal that we're still here and need help? There were guards helping others cross through the battle before. Maybe some of them are still around?" Talking was too hard on him, he was losing his fight to loss of blood.

"Okay." What else could I say? This could be Griffin's last wish; how could I deny him? "We just need to get someone's attention, right?"

He nodded and sagged with relief.

Liam was thrown to the ground at our feet, stalked by what could have been the twin of the giant from earlier. However, this one seemed angrier, and more dangerous. Its lips were stitched shut, its biceps as thick around as my waist, its fist larger than Liam's head. The other demons backed away, waiting with wicked smiles for Liam's death.

Liam rolled over, narrowly avoiding the boot that crashed down where he had lain moments ago. His breathing was unstable as he jumped to his feet and held the spear in front of him.

Trails of dread found their way to me and I realized that the connection from our circle was still tentatively open. If only I knew how I could use that to help us. I turned to ask Griffin what we should do, but he was succumbing to his wound; his pulse was barely perceptible. The poison was working through my system and I too was fading. Soon I would be forced back to the white room, and if I gave in to it, we would all die.

Eyes open, I focused on the circle, sensing Isis. I could tell she was safe and unaware that my consciousness had sought her out. Before I could falter, I tore strength from her. My will overpowered her when she tried to fight back. Ordinarily, I would never resort to these methods, but this was a matter of life or death. Her strength was absorbed into my aura, fueling me with power and anger.