As Hope and Promise Fade

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Marc didn’t know how to call upon his control for strength, not with this. He was frantic with panic. He had seen Ariana shift with his own eyes into a beautiful black panther with glowing yellow eyes he thought could only belong to a wolf. What a fool he had been. He thought he had it all figured out and then reality came and slapped him in the face.

There was no doubt after seeing her animal that she was apart of their supernatural world, a powerful shifter in her own right.

Sitting alone chained to a wall Marc had time to reflect. He thought over the last three and a half years to the day he first met Ariana Ellis. Nothing had ever seemed off about the girl, nothing other than what she put forth. Everything about her had always screamed human. Shy innocent human.

It killed him to know she was somewhere in this place locked up and suffering. He wanted to hope for her and Jax’s sake that the baby survived the shift and yet even as he tried to hope he knew better. Rarely in all his years had a pregnant shifter been able to keep their baby and give into the moon. Training was needed o deny the moon and shift at will when you decided. Her animal was new to the world.

After they got out of this place she’d be able to cope better and they could all figure out what was happening with her heritage and what came next in the long run. There was no more waiting or second chances; Hal Ellis needed to be taken out along with whoever else was running the show.

A heavy set door opened a few feet from the cell Marc was imprisoned in. Hal Ellis came to pay him a visit, how sweet. The hunter should be glad the chains they used were good and Marc couldn’t get up and grab him around the neck.

Hal stepped inside the cell and sat in a chair used for this very reason; to taunt the prison with something clearly out of his reach.

Marc demanded, “Where’s Ariana?”

“You love her don’t you? Of course you do, you’re mates but it’s more than that isn’t it? You love her enough to stay back.”

Marc felt his blood pumping harder beneath the thin layers of his skin. His muscles aching to extend in battle. “What’s with the shrink psycho bullshit?”

“I want to kill you.”

“Then come closer and try.”

“I’m not a savage beast like you are.”

“Could’ve fooled me and all the others you’ve hurt.”  

Hal let the comments bounce right off him with no impact like a cotton ball against a brick wall. “Humans and supernatural beings have been at war for a very long time. It’s my job to tip the scales in favor of my human race. My focus is with the animals ripping people apart for sport. The kind you belong to Marcus Reed. It’s only fitting you help me achieve my goal.”

“You sound deranged.”

Hal took that as a compliment and smiled. He was the picture of cool under pressure. “Ariana is healing pretty quickly now that she’s shifted and triggered her rapid regeneration. When she is up to it you and her are going to give me what I want.”

Marc didn’t like the sound of that; he needed to protect Ariana as much as possible until they could get free. “What does that mean?” he made sure to sound menacing and never scared.

“All in due time.” The bastard left the cell.

Ariana was up and pacing her small hospital style room when her father returned. She knew now the evil he was capable of but in her mind she still saw her father before she forced herself to remember the truth. He was a monster.