Chapter 2 BITTEN BY A STRANGER

The witch hunters were here.

I took a step backwards, my eyes widened in shock. He gripped my arm tight, holding me in place.

“You can't leave, Nyksina.”

The truth of his betrayal slammed into me like icy water. Caspian had already revealed the truth of my identity to the witch hunters long ago.

My eyes stung, tears threatened to fall, and my knees wobbled as if the ground itself had betrayed me and a cold weight pressed against my chest, stealing my breath.

“Caspian…but I love you” Tears rolled down my cheeks. “How could you?”

He forced a smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Well, I don't love you. I only came close to you because of this and I was to leave your life once I was done. Family and duty first, Nyksina, but you” He scoffed. “You’re a threat to the kingdom.”

A shiver ran down my spine. Was it fear, or the ghost of the man I once loved?

My heart broke into a million pieces, the fragments unfixable. I stood rooted to the spot, the witch hunters quickly surrounding me.

In a split second, a loud crack hit the back of my skull, and everything went pitch black.

…

The pyre.

I was tied to the pyre, stripped of whatever dignity I had left, exposed, bound like a criminal who was on death roll.

Well, I was on the verge of death.

My eyes rolled in their sockets and my vision blurred as I stared at the villagers. Every one of them stared in disgust. Even the ones I healed for free.

“Nyksina Zharyn!” Feyre’s voice cut through the roars.

I turned my head slowly, struggling to look at her. She stood gallantly with her twin daughters, Amelia and Arkansas, standing beside her with a sneer on their faces.

“Yuh have been tried by the Council and found to be a witch,” she declared.

“I—I’m not a witch!” I cried. “Feyre, I’m not!”

“You lie!” she spat, the horsewhip in her hand thrashed on my back, blood spluttering out in an instant.

“Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!” I let out a scream so loud. She lowered her hand out my back again and the horsewhip thrashed my back again, more red marks and wounds forming on my skin.

“How do yuh explain the cave burning with bright light? How do yuh heal the worst illnesses in days? How do yuh tell someone is about to die? Yuh daughter of Belzeeber!” she questioned.

I closed my eyes and watched as tears streamed downwards. Even her accent didn't seem to bother me anymore.

I was bothered by my father who watched without doing a single thing — He watched as his daughter was accused of being a witch and burned on the pyre without doing a single thing.

Was I even his child? Was I even worth anything to him? Is there something I am not told?

I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me what my answer was.

She continued thrashing my back with the horsewhip, blood filling the pyre.

“Burn the witch!”

“Burn the witch!”

The peasants chanted in loud, furious roars.

My heartbeat slowed, each thud weaker than the last. Feyre grabbed a keg of kerosene and poured it around the pyre, lighting it up. Instantly, heat spread through my entire body.

“Argh!” A broken, throaty sob tore out of my chest.

I was in pain—terrible, searing pain, and all because of one foolish action. Heat clawed at my legs, blood dripped down my skin and my heartbeat faltered.

“ARGH!”

Fire tore into my flesh.

I had fallen in love with the wrong man, sold him my secret like it was free herbal tea…and paid the price.

As darkness pulled me under, a whisper echoed from the abyss. Then—my eyes flew open and I gasped violently for air. The memory of fire and smoke lingered on my skin, though I wasn’t burning anymore.

The pyre, the chains…gone. I was not burning, not bound, then where was I?

A cold hand seized my wrist and dragged me into the shadows. Then darkness swallowed me, and when I opened my eyes, I was somewhere else cold, damp, and alive.

I reached out blindly for something, anything to grasp onto but found only air.

Suddenly, I was shoved into a space and I paled. The air was damp, misty and cold. Mist and thick darkness swirled around me.

Cold shivers broke out on my skin and I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, taking slow, steady steps into the dark space.

“Hello?” I called out. “Is there anyone here?”

I heard nothing. Only the echoing of my own voice bounced back to me. Taking a few steps forwards, I tried using my magic to light up wherever dark hole I was in.

Human.

My legs froze and I turned backwards, dread filling me and adrenaline rushing through my veins.

Did someone just speak to me?

Come onto me, human girl.

I heard the voice again and I listened closer. The voice was low, lower than the abyss itself, dark, ethereal, enchanting.

I tried lighting the place again and my magic flickered. This time, a weak flame sprang to life in my palm.

“Thank the heavens…” I whispered.

My strength was draining fast. I stumbled forward and crashed into something — a door.

A hand yanked me backward, extinguishing the flame in my palm.

“Ah!” I screamed, spiraling into panic.

Icy, unreal water splashed across my face and light exploded through the room. I felt a stealth movement behind me, slow, deliberate and predatory as if to incite fear in me. My skin crawled and I turned slowly, almost too carefully.

A slightly opened coffin stared at me.

“Hah!” I gasped and stumbled backwards, my feet wobbling.

Instantly, a lifeless face shot upwards and pulled me onto the top of the coffin.

“Little human.” a dark, ethereal voice called. “You woke me.”

His hands grabbed my neck tight and as quick as lightning, sharp, elongated fangs pierced deep into my neck.