Sacrifice of Darkness - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,8

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“What happened?”

Terra concentrated on the feel of Cyra’s warm touch. The Serafs could not only heal the body but also the mind.

“Less than a day after I ran from the temple, I was captured by a band of trolls,” she admitted.

Cyra gasped. “Oh no.”

It’d been terrifying. Terra’s smug belief that she could easily survive on her own had been shattered as she sought shelter in a small glade. One minute she’d been heading toward the narrow stream of water. The next, she was being crammed into an iron box with three other nymphs.

Terra glanced toward the gardens, her mouth dry. “I feared they were going to kill me and drink my blood.”

Cyra gave Terra’s fingers another squeeze before releasing her hand. “What did they do?”

“They held me prisoner for months. Eventually, they sold me to a vampire named Vynom.” Her jaw tightened, an ancient fury flowing through her blood. “He ran a fighting pit in Athens.”

Cyra looked confused. “You were put in the fights?”

“No, I wouldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds.” A feeling of sickness rolled through her belly. She’d spent her life sequestered among a tribe that was devoted to peace. The sight of the demons savagely trying to tear each other to bloody shreds had been a shocking introduction to the real world. “They were vicious.”

“What did the vampire want from you?”

“My skills as a healer.”

Cyra tilted her head to the side. “I don’t understand. Our healing powers don’t work on vampires.”

“I was used to heal the other demon fighters,” Terra explained. “Or at least I healed the ones who could afford the obscene fees demanded by Vynom. It allowed them to keep fighting even after their opponent had gained the upper hand.”

“That doesn’t seem fair.”

Terra released a humorless laugh. The abuse of her healing powers had been the least horrid thing that had happened during those dreadful nights.

“There was nothing fair about that place. It catered to the most violent monsters to walk this Earth.” Sickness continued to churn in her belly. “Most matches were to the death. And at the end…” The words stuck in her throat as images of mutilated demons gasping in the center of the pit assaulted her.

“Terra?”

Terra cleared her throat. She wanted to be done with her explanation so she could shove the memories back where they belonged. In the past.

“At the end of the night, the winner of the most bouts had the opportunity to face Javad,” she said.

Cyra nodded toward the necklace that was clutched in Terra’s hand. “The Javad who held your medallion?”

“Yes.”

“He was a warrior?”

Terra slowly shook her head. The moment she caught sight of Javad entering the fighting cage, she’d known he was different. It wasn’t just because his dark beauty had stolen her breath. No, her gift of healing allowed her to sense his soul. There was none of the savage lust that lay like a shroud of malice over the other demons.

Her instinct had been proven right when, just a night later, he’d brutally beaten a goblin who’d been pressing her against the wall with the intent of raping her. The violent display had kept away any other demon who might think she was easy prey.

“Against his will,” she told her companion. “Javad was a victim. Like me.”

Pity darkened Cyra’s eyes. “He was forced to fight?”

Terra nodded. “His sire, Vynom, was a nasty, cruel vampire who treated Javad like a dog.” Terra clenched her hands into tight fists. Just the thought of Vynom was enough to send a toxic brew of emotions bubbling through her. “No, he treated him worse than a dog. The vampire didn’t care whether Javad lived or died as long as the monsters would pay to watch him fight. And worse, he used Javad’s own need to please his sire to hold him captive.”

“Oh, Terra,” Cyra breathed. “You must have been terrified.”

Terra swallowed a lump in her throat. She could almost smell the blood and fury and death that soaked into the dark pits beneath the streets of Athens.

“At first, I wanted to curl into a ball and die,” she admitted with brutal honesty. “It was only the stolen moments I could spend with Javad that allowed me to maintain my sanity. Eventually, not even that was enough. I became angry. So angry with the violence and blood. And needless death.” With effort, she forced her hands to unclench. “That’s when Javad appeared like a guardian angel to help me escape. I think he sensed I’d reached a point