Tormented

Tormented THE BINDING CHRONICLES BOOK TWO ELAYNA R. GALLEA This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by Elayna R. Gallea All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected] Map designed by Daniela A. Mera Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7388342-7-3 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7388342-8-0 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-7388342-9-7 Created with Vellum To everyone who has dreamed about their own vampire prince… keep reading. Map of Eleyta, as drawn by Luna FOR A LARGER VERSION, PLEASE GO TO: HTTPS://WWW.ELAYNARGALLEA.COM/MAPS Pronunciation Guide Hello dear readers, Welcome back to Eleyta! This is part of a fantasy world, and I have included this pronunciation guide in case you find it useful. (But as always, please feel free to ignore me and pronounce the words as you see fit.) After all, the beauty of reading is that we all create worlds in our minds. Names: Kinthani: Kin-tha-nee Marguerite: Mar-grr-ee-te Estrella: Es-trey-uh Ciro: See-row Montquartier: Mon-kar-tee-yay Triboulet: Tree-boo-leh Rhain: Rain Phyrra: Fie-rah Brollet: Bro-leh Zephyra: Ze-fie-ra Émile: Ay-meel Hycian: Hy-uh-sin Niala: Nigh-ah-la Gods: Kydona: Key-doh-na Ithiar: Ih-thigh-ar Isvana: Is-vah-nah Places: Ithenmyr: Ih-thin-meer Ipotha: Ih-poh-tha Eleyta: Ill-ee-tah Contents Author’s note Previously on The Binding Chronicles 1. What’s Happening to Me? 2. Numbness and Scientific Inquiry 3. I Needed Her 4. Hungry Vampires and Holistic Views 5. A Tiny Grain of Hope 6. Choices and Regrets 7. I’ll Stand by You 8. Trust Issues and Blood Peaks 9. Cumbersome Developments and a Summons 10. All’s Well that Ends Well 11. I Haven’t Told You the Best Part 12. Death Disguised as Beauty 13. Twin Signs of Great Power 14. Focus on Me 15. One of Flames, One of Shadows 16. Cryptic Messages and Political Ambushes 17. A Very Distracting Lesson 18. Curses, Blessings, and Blood-Red Gowns 19. A Captive Audience 20. Let the Games Begin 21. The Hunt is On 22. Shifting Loyalties 23. They Will Pay 24. She’d Always Been Mine 25. The Sunwalker 26. Prophecies and Riddles 27. Wit and Cunning 28. Wrong Answers, Wooden Stakes, and Hallucinations 29. Hypotheses and Probabilities 30. The Taste of Death 31. Can I Touch Your Wings? 32. A Rigorous Scientific Experiment 33. Feasts and Threats 34. Spies and Paranoia 35. Death Hung in the Air 36. The Dance of Death 37. Time was Running Out 38. Do Not Lie to Me 39. Let Her Come Treasured Of Earth and Flame Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Elayna R. Gallea Author’s note Welcome to Eleyta! Tormented takes place in a high fantasy setting that contains violence in several different forms. It also contains language, death, assault, sexism, blood, and mature situations. Previously on The Binding Chronicles It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Let me catch you up on what happened in Tethered. (Of course, please feel free to skip this part and jump right in if you’d like. I promise you won’t hurt my feelings.) Ciro, the priest who married Luna and Sebastian, Bound and Tethered them together against their wishes. Through many challenges and despite the circumstances that brought them together, the pair found love in their arranged marriage. They were investigating Julieta’s murder, which led them to Ravenwood Dungeon. Little did they know it was a trap. The People of the Night abducted them, and they both nearly died. Well… Perhaps we should leave the dying question for a little later. The point is, things were dire. But they survived. Onto other things. Marius, Luna’s brother, is sick with the Wasting Illness. This is, understandably, a concerning matter for our heroine. In order to save Luna, Sebastian made a promise to Queen Marguerite in exchange for Luna’s life. That might be important to keep in the back of your mind. That’s it, shall we get to it? What’s Happening to Me? LUNA The steady, distant sound of a singular, slow-beating heart drew me out of the murky blackness where I resided. Waves of pain coursed through me like the never-ending lapping of water against the lake shore. A throbbing, pulsing ache started in my head and it made its way down to my toes. My lungs hurt and my jaw ached. My throat was strangely dry, and a peculiar, metallic taste coated the inside of my mouth. A moan escaped me, and I licked my lips. That was absolutely the wrong move. Now, the pain was worse. My eyes refused to open, but maybe that was for the better. Thank Kydona, I was alive. That was good. But for the life of me, I couldn’t remember why all of me hurt so badly. A ragged, unsteady breath came from above me. “Luna?” That voice. I knew that voice. It spoke to the darkest, innermost part of me I shared with only one person. A twinge ran through me at the particular tenor that belonged to Sebastian. Prince of Darkness, Master of the Shadows, and… my husband. The mark on my arm that signified our Binding and Tethering tingled, sending jolts of awareness through me. “Yes,” I rasped. Dry as a desert, my throat felt like I had been screaming for hours, but I had no recollection of such a thing ever happening. “Don’t move,” Sebastian said. Relief tinged his voice, along with something else I couldn’t place. Keeping still would not be a problem. My head pounded at the mere thought of moving. But opening my eyes… I could probably do that. Drawing them open was an act that required intense concentration, but I managed it. Blinking, my lips twitched as my vampire’s face came into view. “Hi,” I whispered hoarsely. He returned the greeting, his form cast in violet from a single orb hanging nearby. Worry and pain filled