I winced in pain, the sour taste of blood and vomit filling my mouth as I slowly regained consciousness.
I was enveloped in darkness- the kind that makes you wonder if you've lost your sight or you were dead.
I wasn't dead.
I could still feel pain, the throbbing of the cuts on my back and the sting of the chains tightly wrapped around my arms and legs.
The smell of rotting flesh and blood wafted through the air, it was hard to breathe in without gagging.
"Are you done taking a nap?" Dassy's voice cut through the silence.
"Dassy?"
"I told you to burn it to the ground, you argued. Now look at you, tied up like a skinned hog," she said, her voice rising in anger.
"I'm sorry," I whispered under my breath. "I didn't know things would turn out this way."
"Of course," Dassy scoffed. "Time is ticking,Dahlia, no more excuses," she warned before vanishing.
"Dahlia?" Karina's voice sounded from the entrance of the cellar.
"Your name is Dahlia?" She asked as she descended from the stairs.
"Are you some kind of witch or demon?" She asked as she stepped closer to me.
"My name is Marcella," I lied confidently.
"I know what I heard," Karina argued. "You were talking to someone and she called you Dahlia," she said, refusing to back down.
"You heard wrong," I answered dismissively.
"What even is this place?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Father's torture cellar," she shrugged. "For people who disobey him or make mama angry."
"It smells horribly in here," I said, scrunching my nose to block out some of the smell.
"Oh! That's just Liam, my older brother," Karina answered casually.
"What the hell!" I screamed. "What the hell does that even mean?"
"Father said he had special powers and he was head strong. Keeping him locked up here tamed his spirit. Unfortunately, he died of a cold couple of months ago," Karina explained.
"What the hell?" I muttered.
"His spirit haunts this farm and father harnesses its powers," Karina whispered..
These people were beyond insane. I sensed some kind of evil the moment I stepped foot in their home but I rubbed it off and assumed it was because of their father's involvement with the Sorcerers Council.
"Let's get you out of here," Karina as she began to unlock the chains.
"What about your father?" I asked, concerned that she might put herself in more trouble.
"I begged him," she said bluntly, tugging away the last part of the chain.
She put her arms around my torso and pulled me to my feet. We climbed out of the cellar and into her parents bedroom.
From the look on Nadia's face, it was obvious she had no part in the decision to free me. Her eyes followed us until we were out of their bedroom and slammed the door shut.
"A lot of judgement coming from a woman who sleeps above the rotting flesh of her son," I muttered.
"He's not her son," Karina scoffed. "Only Feliz and Maude are her children."
"What about you?" I asked, confused by the sudden revelation.
"My mother is rotting in that cellar with my brother," she frowned. "Their spirits will never rest as long as they remain in there," she sighed in defeat.
"I'm sorry," I consoled her, wrapping my fingers tightly around hers.
"I should be the one saying sorry," she laughed. "You took a beating for me."
"It was still kind of my fault too," I responded.
"Don't do that," she chuckled, helping me out of my tattered clothes.
I winced as the cold air hit my exposed wounds.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
Karina helped prepare a bath for me. She had infused the warm water with herbs and medicine to cleanse my wounds.
"I shouldn't have let them do this to you," she sighed as she cleaned my back with a small towel.
"I didn't want them to hurt you," I replied casually.
"I'm used to the pain, I've been hit a million times," she shrugged.
I groaned in pain as she carefully applied medicine to my wounds. The stinging sensation was enough to make you pass out but Karina swore by it so I had to endure.
"Thank you for sticking out for me," Karina said, her eyes glossy with tears.
"Liam was the only one that cared about me," she sobbed.
"Well you have me now, and I'll always be there for you no matter what," I promised, my heart breaking as the words left my mouth.
I didn't want to be involved with her, I didn't want him to kill her because of my stupid emotions.
The feeling of Karina's soft lips against mine snapped me back to reality. Her mouth was warm and her lips tasted like wine.
Her kiss was needy and passionate, like she had been starved for years.
She pulled away quickly and looked away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" she tried to explain but I pulled her back in and claimed her lips, deepening our kiss and letting her realise that I wanted her just as much as she wanted me.