Mated to the Alpha Don

Chapter 6

Evelina's POV

The rhythmic hum of the road beneath me nudged me out of slumber, and my eyes fluttered open to darkness. Confusion fogged my mind momentarily as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The realization hit me like a freight train—I was in the backseat of a car. Gabriel was at the wheel, his silhouette illuminated by the soft glow of the dashboard lights. A woman with dark hair, Gabriel kept referring to her as Amaya, sat shotgun, her presence a palpable force in this confined space. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was the witch he kept referring to.

I steadied my breathing, trying not to alert the two of my wakefulness. Instead, I focused on the subtle details around me—the faint scent of leather, the gentle sway of the car as it cruised along the road. We were somewhere in Texas, judging by the signs whizzing by that I could just barely make out from my reclined position in the back seat. The landscape rolled by in shadowy patches beyond the windows.

As I listened to my kidnappers conversing up front, their voices carried in muted tones with a mixture of urgency and frustration. The two were discussing business—a meeting from the sound of it. I strained to catch every word, piecing together fragments of their conversation. Hoping for information which might help me escape.

“They’re insistent. Refused to negotiate unless….well …they want to speak to you directly.” Amaya’s voice cut through the air, shaky yet discernible.

Gabriel’s response was curt, tinged with irritation. “Damn witches. Always complicating things.”

I tensed. What business did these two have with witches? I noticed how Gabriel’s frustration seemed to only increase the closer we approached to our destination. The car slowed, and through my half-closed eyes, I could see the looming silhouette of caves against the night sky. My eyes could make out Gabriel’s back tensing, a silent testament to his ire.

As we pulled up to the caves, my heartbeat quickened its pace. Whatever business awaited here seemed to weigh heavily on Gabriel’s shoulders. He did not want to be here. I swallowed hard, steeling myself for whatever lay ahead. This was no ordinary meeting—it was a negotiation with witches who most obviously resided in the caves, unlike normal witches who had proper Coven headquarters that were most definitely not located in the middle of nowhere. If Gabriel’s attitude was anything to go by, the stakes were undoubtedly high. Hopefully, this would give me an opening to escape.

I remained as still as possible, my breath shallow, hoping beyond hope that they would forget my presence in the backseat. But Gabriel’s concern shattered that hope like a jackhammer pounding over fragile glass.

“I don’t feel comfortable leaving Evelina unconscious back here. What if she wakes up?” My mate’s voice cut through the tense silence.

Amaya’s response was cool and calculated. “The sedative will keep her out for another hour at least. This will be a quick meeting.”

Her words offered me little comfort. A quick meeting meant even less time for me to escape, if Gabriel decided to leave me here. My heart hammered in my chest as Gabriel pondered Amaya’s words. Finally, he reluctantly acquiesced, his displeasure evident in the way he cursed under his breath. With a sharp exhale, he swung open the car door and stepped out into the night, the sound of his boots crunching against the debris ,on the dirt path ,echoing in the stillness.

The door slammed shut behind him, and I felt a rush of panic mixed with euphoria. I was still a little groggy from the sedative but now was the time to shake it off like a big girl and run. Gabriel had locked the doors, sealing me inside the car with only the faint glow of the dashboard for company. My fingers curled around the door handle, eager to escape. I made sure to lay unnaturally still, desperate to attempt to break free from the suffocating confines of this vehicle.

Through the fogged windows, I watched as Gabriel and Amaya disappeared into the caverns, their forms swallowed by darkness. This was my chance. With a surge of adrenaline, I unlocked the car and pushed open the door. A sigh of relief escaped my lips once I slipped out into the cool night air, my heart pounding in my ears.

Freedom was within my grasp. f**k you asshole. You thought you could take me by force. I wasn’t staying another minute anywhere near him or his stupid witch.

I cast one last glance at the caves, a silent prayer that they wouldn’t notice my absence until it was too late. Then, without looking back, I broke into a sprint, the darkness of the night swallowing me whole as I raced towards freedom.

My heart was pounding a mile a minute as I scrambled in the opposite direction that Gabriel and Amaya went. Somehow, I’d escaped. Though it felt as if there was nothing for miles and miles but barren land and sparse vegetation. No wonder Gabriel left me in the car. There really was nowhere for me to run. But by the goddess, I would not stay in his clutches another minute longer. The man had killed Robert. Then he’d drugged me and kidnapped me! Was he delusional enough to think I’d actually be a willing mate? The pit of my stomach dropped at the sinister thought that maybe he just didn’t care if I was willing or not. Maybe he planned to force himself on me to complete the mating bond. He was a ruthless killer, capable of many atrocities. A voice in the back of my head spoke up feebly that Gabriel may kill in cold blood, but he did not seem like the type of man who would commit rape. I shut that voice up quick. Gabriel was an evil man through and through. He might do anything as long as it meant more power.

Of it’s own accord, my body found itself teetering at the edge of a strange cave. My mind had been on autopilot; I’d been running aimlessly. Cautiously, I stepped into the mouth of the cave, wondering if I could hide here for the night. A shiver ran down my spine as I sensed the air thicken with an oppressive energy inside this dark cavern. There was a suffocating darkness that screamed of malicious intent. Warning bells were ringing in my mind, but I found myself inexorably drawn forward, as if some unseen force guided my every step.

Walking deeper, I stumbled upon a carving that sent a jolt of fear coursing through me—a grotesque visage of a demon, its twisted features contorted in a grimace of eternal torment. Horns spiraled from his skull, framing the nightmarish countenance. Flames were carved around the skull, implying that the fires of hell burned around the demon. My gasp of horror echoed and bounced off the cave walls. I tried to move back. To get out. Because something told me that this was the last place I should be. But for some inexplicable reason, my feet moved forward. Like a moth to a flame, my body kept pressing forward, drawn deeper into the heart of the suffocating darkness swirling around me.

My feet shuffled forward of their own accord until I stood in a clearing and saw it. There, bathed in an otherworldly red glow of a column of fire, was a wooden box. The unnatural flames held the wooden box suspended in mid-air. Despite the searing heat that radiated from the fire, it remained untouched, a silent sentinel in the infernal glow that seemed to pulse with a sinister darkness that I’d never seen. I had trained with my Tia. I had been exposed to magic before. But this…was something completely foreign to me. This darkness…the malevolence that permeated from every crevice of this cave seemed to be calling to me. Drawing me deeper into…something.

I approached cautiously, my hand trembling as it reached out towards the flames. I couldn’t help it. It was almost as if some external energy was dictating my actions. I braced myself, waiting for my hand to burn upon contact with the flames. But instead, the heat seemed to part around me, leaving my skin unscathed. I frantically grasped the box. The minute my fingers brushed against its weathered surface, a chill swept through me, sending more shivers down my spine.

And then, a voice—a cacophony of whispers and wails—seemed to emanate from the very depths of the earth. It grated against my senses, filling me with a primal dread that clawed at the edges of my consciousness. What was going on? Why had I even reached for this damned box? What was I doing here? It felt as if I was momentarily hypnotized, unable to resist the inexorable pull I had felt to this place.

“Who dares to disturb the slumber of the damned?” A voice hissed, its words dripping with venom and malice. “Speak, mortal, and face the consequences of your folly.”

More voices surrounded me, a cacophony of laughter and hissing that seemed to seep into the very marrow of my bones. Frozen in place, I stood transfixed by the pulsating flames, their unnaturally red glow casting grotesque shadows that danced along the walls of the cavern. Shadows of winged men, and hunched over women who seemed to be inching closer to me as the inferno of hellfire raged on before me.

“She is no mortal.” Another voice resonated amongst the malevolent whispers.

I found myself clutching the weathered wooden box tighter to my chest. My lips trembled. What had I just done?

“Come closer,” the first voice, louder now, taunted. “Come, my child. It is time to embrace the darkness within you. Embrace your destiny. For you are the one we have been waiting for…” Those words, like tendrils of darkness, coiled around my mind. “Embrace the darkness within you….. Embrace…. your destiny. The Queen of darkness will rise.”

A sliver of something passed through me, like a gentle caress. A promise. It nearly sent me to my knees. A whispered promise of unimaginable power. But at what cost? For a millisecond, I yearned to succumb—to surrender to the allure of this darkness seducing me into a dark web of power. The flames beckoned, their whispers like sweet poison in my ears, tempting me to take that final step. The voices wanted me to step into the fire. And then what? I blinked, taking a step back with great effort. But the magnetic pull drawing me towards the flames only grew stronger. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I attempted to fight it. A cry if pain escaped my lips. It physically hurt to resist!

“You there! What are you doing here? Who are you?”

Whatever force had been trying to overpower me suddenly dissipated. The feeling was almost like binding shackles wrapped around my body finally falling away. I was free again.

The sound of a masculine and angry voice made me turn in surprise.

I turned, my eyes landing on a cloaked figure. Oh s**t. I shouldn’t be here. The hood of his cloak fell back to reveal an angry young man who was looking at me as if he’d like nothing more than to kill me. He was probably already planning it from the look in his eyes.

His dark harsh gaze suddenly went to the box I still clutched to my chest and his eyes widened in shock.

“How did you withdraw that from the fires of hell?” His eyes met mine, eyebrows snapping together. “Who are you?” he repeated, taking a step forward ominously.

Unconsciously, I took a step back. The heat of the fire behind me reminded me that I risked being burned. Last time, I had been lucky. What if I wasn’t this time? My hesitation was all he needed to pounce. In the blink of an eye, his hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me towards him.

“Hey stop!” I exclaimed, trying to wrench my wrist out of his grasp.

He only tightened his hold, and I winced. My skin didn’t bruise easily, but this man was going to leave marks for sure on my wrist. The box fell from my hands and landed with a thud on the floor.

“Who sent you?” He asked again, eyes promising a swift death. “You, a mere human girl. How did you, a mere human girl, manage to extract that which can only be accessed by a direct descendant of Sybl’s bloodline?”

The pit of my stomach dropped. Sybl. The dark witch who had tried to summon a prince of hell. Sybl was my late grandmother. s**t!

I attempted to pull away from his grip and I couldn’t help the cry of pain that escaped my lips when he twisted my wrist in his hand. If he kept up the pressure, I'd have a broken wrist pretty soon. Asshole.

“Let me go!” I grit out, panic flaring inside me.

“Don’t touch my mate chingado,” Gabriel’s voice echoed in the clearing with barely restrained fury.

The look on Gabriel's face was one of pure unadulterated rage and it made me realize that I’d rather take my chances with the demons. At least they’d kill me quick.

A/N: DUN DUN DUN. Don't tell me you heard 'Texas' and 'dark witches'and immediately NOT think of Sybl? I am having a huge paperback release party in Ruby's Reading Room June 22/23/24. 12 authors and some exciting giveaways. Please come join in on the fun.