The Missing Luna

Chapter 6: Hope’s POV

Trigger warning! This chapter contains explicit torture, gore, murder, and psychological torture. Material that can be sensible for certain readers.

Readers' discretion is advised.

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I woke up expecting to see Caelan, but there was a man in the same red robe as the woman. Who was he?

“Here,” he extended his hands; I looked at what he had.

“What is this?” I asked.

Were they trying to poison me?

“Water, drink quickly before he comes,” the man instructed and then looked behind his back.

Could I trust him? I wasn’t sure, but I had to.

I parted my lips, and he put the cup on them. I hadn’t had water for so long that I tried to move my hands so I could hold the cup, but that made me hiss in pain.

“Don’t move, and drink slowly. I will bring you more once he leaves,” he whispered.

I finished the cup and wanted more, but I knew that would be all I could get for a while.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

The man didn’t answer me; he quickly mopped the floor and left the room.

I guess they had to keep appearances; otherwise, Caelan might hurt them, too. So far, they have been the only ones who have shown me any kindness.

Maybe I could earn their trust and ask them to help me get out of here. Yeah, that seemed like a good plan.

A terrible one.

Not her again…

I decided to ignore her and appreciate that now I have two people helping me, even if it was only by giving me a cup of water.

Time passed, and he didn’t return, but no other demon or creature came either, so I could only rest.

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My days became very monotonous. They didn’t take me out of that chair, not even when I yelled for them to take me to the bathroom. They ignored my screams, and then when they realized I had done my business there, they would throw a couple of buckets of water over.

I took advantage of it and tried to drink as much as possible as the water poured over me. It wasn’t enough, but it was what I could do.

Caelan hadn’t returned either, and I don’t think he gave the demons any instructions because they haven’t bothered me.

Sometimes, the woman and the man feed me small things—a piece of meat, a couple of crackers—very tiny things they can hide and won’t raise suspicions.

I finally know their names. She is Elisa, and his name is Jona. They are not demons; apparently, they are vampires who were sent down here to pay some debt their houses had.

I couldn’t ask them for details, and I didn’t understand what the hell they meant by the house. That made me realize that I don’t know s**t about other species. Besides bears and wolves, if I ever get out, I should ask my dad to include a program to educate people about all the species.

Not if. When.

I need to change my way of thinking. I am going to escape this place sooner or later, but I am getting out. Caelan won’t be able to stop me, but I will make sure to do so.

I also learned that he has a last name, and I should figure it out if I want to reject him properly. I thought demons only had names, but I was wrong, making my decision to reject him more complicated.

I haven’t forgiven the Moon Goddess for pairing me up with such a jerk. She must have seen what he did; she could have changed her plan any time she wanted, but instead, she let me suffer.

Why does she make these bonds if she knows they will fail? It doesn’t make sense to me.

It doesn’t matter now. Even if Caelan begged me to accept him, which would not happen, I could never accept him as my mate.

Today has been a good day, though. I hadn’t seen him; the demons brought me some food and water; they had to feed it to me as my hands were still tied, but they didn’t complain.

I should have known, though, that I can’t ever feel safe because that is when he is going to attack.

“Hello, princess,” he said to me in a low voice.

I tensed when I heard him in the room. What the hell was he doing here?

He walked slowly, taunting me with each step, making sure that I became a mess before he even reached me.

He was playing with my fear.

Of course, I didn’t say anything to him. I didn’t want to, if he answered back then it meant that all was real, but if I stayed silent I could pretend this was a bad dream.

A nightmare.

But it wasn’t. It was my reality, and it became palpable when he gripped my chin harshly and made me look at him.

His piercing grey eyes bore into my green ones. I hated that whenever he looked at me, I felt my heart skip a beat. I didn’t want him; he knew that, but the mate bond was strong and pulled me closer to him any chance it could.

Stupid mate bond. I hate it.

He tilted my chin upward, forcing me to meet his gaze. His fingers dug into my skin, bruising and painful, but I refused to flinch. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He leaned closer, his breath warm against my face, sending an unwanted shiver down my spine. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from reacting; my lips pressed into a thin line.

"You're quiet today, princess," he murmured, his voice deceptively gentle, like a razor wrapped in silk. "Did you miss me?"

I wanted to spit in his face, to tell him that I wished he’d rot in hell, but I knew that would only amuse him. Caelan thrived on my resistance, on the fight I put up. He loved breaking me down, piece by piece, watching me struggle to hold on to my sanity. So, I stayed silent, hoping my lack of response would bore him, that he would tire of me and leave.

But I should’ve known better.

He chuckled, the sound low and dark, reverberating through the room. His thumb brushed my bottom lip almost tenderly before he dug his nails into the soft flesh. I hissed, the pain sharp, but still, I didn’t look away. I wouldn’t give him that power over me.

"I can see it in your eyes," he said, leaning closer until our noses nearly touched. "You’re waiting for a chance, any chance, to escape. But deep down, you know you’ll never outrun me. You’ll always belong to me, Hope."

In his dreams

I heard her voice again, and I agreed with her for once.

"I’ll make you see it," he whispered, his breath ghosting over my lips. "Soon enough, you’ll understand that there’s no escape. Not from me, not from this bond.”

He was disgusting. Yeah, I am his mate, but he must realize the age difference, right?

Well, what can I expect from a deranged man, right? He must think that one day, I will jump on him and accept whatever piece of love he wants to give me.

Well… he is undoubtedly mistaken.

"You’re a coward," I finally spat out, my voice rough from disuse. "You need to force me to stay because, you know, given the chance, I’d tear you apart."

His smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculating look. His grip on my chin became bruising, and I couldn’t help the wince that escaped me. "You still don’t understand, do you?" he said, his tone dangerously low. "You’re not the one in control here. I am. And I can make you do whatever I want."

He released my chin, and I slumped back, my muscles protesting after being held in place for so long. Caelan stepped away, his gaze never leaving mine as he reached for something just out of my sight. When he turned back, I saw the glint of a blade in his hand, the sharp edge catching the dim light.

I felt her presence again, and for once, I didn’t fight her. What she said was what I said; I didn’t contain her like I always do.

“You are going to use that?” Our voices echoed. Caelan couldn’t hear her, but I could. “Compared to what you have done, a simple knife is like a trip to the beach,” I laughed sarcastically.

He knelt before me, the blade hovering just above my skin. His eyes bored into mine, searching for any sign of weakness, but I held firm. If he wanted a show, he would have to work for it.

"I can carve my name into your skin," he said softly, the tip of the blade brushing against my collarbone. "Or maybe I’ll just remind you what happens when you defy me."

The blade pressed harder, slicing through the fabric of my shirt and biting into my flesh.

He looked at me intensely, as if he was waiting for me to hiss out in pain or trash to avoid feeling the blade.

But this… it didn’t hurt. I have endured so much that being cut didn’t hurt me anymore. I didn’t want him to carve his name on my skin, but that wasn’t because of the pain; it was because I didn’t want to have anything that belonged to him on me.

Blood welled up from the cut, trickling down my chest, warm and sticky. Caelan watched with a twisted satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with a sick pleasure.

However, I could see in his eyes the confusion of not understanding why I wasn’t reacting.

"You’re nothing," I said calmly. The fact that I had been tortured for years in such cruel ways let me endure much more pain than the one I could have handled before. "You’re just a pathetic creature who can’t handle the fact that someone might actually hate you." My voice came out strong, surprising him and me.

"We’ll see about that," he said, his voice dripping with malice.

I didn’t know what he would do, but it couldn’t be worse than what he had already done, right?

He turned around and left the room again, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I wondered, what the hell was he planning to break me?