Bonds

Chapter Izo

-Maya’s POV-

My head felt like a hollow shell, devoid of any thoughts or memories. The very concept of death, something I’d always pushed to the back of my mind, was now a terrifying reality I couldn’t escape.

Would it be like this?

My soul leaving my body, a helpless observer as my physical form grew cold and lifeless?

The inside of my skull was a vast emptiness, yet a searing pain pulsed through my body, so intense it threatened to consume me whole.

Was this it?

Was this what death felt like?

Had I finally received the answer to a question I hadn’t dared to ask myself before?

Then, a noxious stench, sharp and acrid, invaded my senses, snapping me back to a semblance of awareness. It filled the void in my mind, forcing reality back into focus. The hospital. The drive to the airport. The sickening crunch of metal as our car collided with another. The concrete wall looming impossibly close… and then, darkness.

My eyes flew open, a scream tearing from my throat. “Ivy! Nate!

Panic surged through me as I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t obey. I was strapped tightly to a rickety wooden chair, my arms and legs secured with rough rope that bit into my skin. Fear, cold and primal, clawed at my throat.

Where was I?

What was happening?

I renewed my struggles, desperate to break free. But with each strained movement, a wave of weakness washed over me. My breath hitched in my throat, and I screamed again, my voice hoarse and raw. “Ivy! Nate! Someone please! Who’s there? Where are my children? Let me go!”

room, the air thick with the stench of sewage and decay.

and fat, moisture–laden spiders scuttled across them, their movements jerky and unsettling. Exposed pipes snaked along the walls, dripping with condensation that

of heavy shackles. The room was an absolute nightmare, a place reeking of

Who had taken me? Most importantly, where were the twins? The thought of them alone, lost and frightened, sent a fresh wave of terror

to get out of here, I reached out with my mind. But the familiar presence was numb. She was

the stone walls, a pathetic sound swallowed by the oppressive

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Chapter 128

answer, no sound except for the dripping water and the frantic

me jump. “Will you please shut up?

towards the sound, and in the flickering light and I saw Adrian standing in the shadows,

the fear that had me paralyzed. “You fucking bastard! Let me go right now! Where are my children? I swear on the Moon Goddess, if you’ve laid a finger

dismissed my threats with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Stop the

go, Adrian! Whatever twisted game this is to get

it is. The good old Alex finally gets a mention. How’s my dear old friend doing these days? Public enemy

my mind. “It was you!

as ever, aren’t we?” he mocked. “I told you I’d expose Alex to the world. You were too busy chasing

fear and

You’re not that important for me to blackmail. Alex is the

me? Where are the twins?” My mind raced, desperately

fascinating specimen. “I can’t believe you still love him. After everything he did to you, to us. You’re

you have some sick

you here, Amaya. I’m just here to enjoy the show,” he added with a theatrical flourish, “Besides I always give credit where credit

raw with a mixture of terror and fury. “Screw you and screw whatever this is all about! Let me go right now! I’m supposed to be at the airport with my children! Take me

lips stretched into a smile that sent shivers down my spine. It wasn’t a friendly smile, it was a smile filled with a chilling amusement, a promise of something dark and twisted. He held my gaze for a moment, a long, unsettling moment that stretched on and on until I felt like