Bleeding, but unbroken!!…

*She is heart-broken because he lied!!...*

**Proserpina**
*Nightmare*
The scene around me looked like a bloody massacre. The floor was damp and painted in thick-acrid crimson-red liquid because of the hundreds of butchered limbs, heads, and torsos of dead animals littered everywhere. I was amid all the carnage, draped in white dress. I looked to the other side to ignore the grotesque scene. My eyes landed on a rusted, cracked mirror with broken edges, mirroring my reflection. I was on all fours like a canine, strapped and chained from the neck like a predatory animal. My limbs folded at an unnatural angle. The long, matted hair covered my face, making me look like a wild, disoriented animal. What scared me most was my face and expressions. I was continuously gritting my razor-sharp fangs while my neck rotated randomly on all sides in a quick, raunchy manner like a zombie, a possessed and provoked one. My eyes revolved continuously in all directions in deep sockets, giving out the whole shape of an eyeball. It felt like a dark entity had trapped and possessed my body.
A sharp movement captured my attention, and my red-fiery eyes landed on a figure. My eyeballs stopped moving, focussing on that person as if I had marked my prey. My lips parted, exposing the blackened, rotten fangs that extend right up to my chin. I snarled like an injured canine and leapt on that person to tear off the skin.
“GET OFF ME!” The person roared.

“Hades?!” I jolted out of my nightmare, screaming and scratching Hades' face.
“Kora?” Hades held me tight in his grip.
“I...I had a bad dream.” My voice still panting due to fear.
“Kora...its okay...I got you.” He tried to comfort me by firmly holding my hand and forcing my wincing body to calm down. He braced me in the warmth of his body for a long time.
Once I got to my senses, I couldn’t help but feel in the sexy body of him. Especially seeing as he was wearing only loose trousers, exposing his endless delicious muscle line. His beautifully raw yet healed scars were on show, blood dripping like inky cogs. Had I not been angry with him, I might have tried to reach out and kiss them. Still, instead, I scanned through the healed bruises while slowly caressing my fingers through the scars, exploring the ridges of his perfect muscles. I was very near to him, close to his heart, and his lips almost touching me. This was when I swallowed hard as the realization hit me that we had another man’s attention.
Vlad was glaring at us, and there was no mistaking the furious lines on his face and his glowing eyes that were focused on one place…My fingers. His eyes then scrutinized me with hunger, and it was difficult to tell whether it was rage or lust. His muscles were tensed, and a shadow of pain crossed his face. His deep crimson eyes gleamed with a menacing aura. He was trying too hard to act indifferent, but his insecurities were obvious. He gave a killer look to Hades. I gripped Hades' arm tightly as if that would protect him from every damned thing in this cruel world.
“I was seriously doubting your useless vampire Jericho, but he is indeed useful,” Vlad spoke.
“I never betrayed Kora, and nor did Jericho betray me!” Hades barked back at Vlad, but I couldn't help shuddering at the thought of Mira in this mad prince's clutches.
“Oh really? Then why did you come to Transylvania with her instead of running away when you had a chance?" Vlad smirked, and I knew that he had a point.
"I just wanted to free you from your nightmares," Hades was too desperate to make me understand his point.
"How? Handing me over to the source of my nightmares? Whatever your intentions, now it's my turn to save my friend." I replied and started to turn away.
I couldn’t stop the flow of tears dripping down my cheeks. The betrayal was not from my enemy but from someone whom I trusted more than myself, and its sting cleaved through my soul. My heart cracked into a thousand pieces, and the pain was unbearable.
“No! Wait! You can’t go away,” He almost cried.
“And why is it so? Who is going to stop me? Don’t give me a lame reason that I love you and can never betray you. Well! I can’t deny that I also loved you, unfortunately, but now I hate you," I scowled at him because his presence disgusted me.
"No!" His eyes darkened. He acted on impulse, taking my dagger and tossing it at Vlad. Belladonna was quick enough to grab it before it pierced Vlad's chest.
“If you both are done, then we need to get over this shit before the mother gets the wind of it. You both have already wasted a lot of my time." Belladonna said with a yawn. She then turned to Justina, “Stop sneering at me, you bitch!” she said, looking at her in disgust. She then walked over to us, kicking a rock which was on her way.
She was beautiful with pale white skin, a perfect nose, and gloomy red lips like a rose. She had the face of an angel with a badass attitude. Her dark-jade eyes brightened upon seeing Hades.
“Hades, you too need to come with us,” Belladonna spoke, but Hades' eyes found mine with too many questions. I look away with raw rage. The saddest part of life is when you start hating the person you wished to love eternally. I was so disappointed in him that I had no words to say at that moment.
“Don’t do this, Kora." Hades' pleaded.
“Beautiful women are a hot-blooded piece of meat!” Vlad scoffed with humour.
“You seemed too desperate to unite with your female friends Harpies in hell. I will grant you that wish soon,” Hades' voice turned dangerously calm, while his eyes turned predatory dark when he faced Vlad with a murderous rage.
“He is too handsome to die,” Belladonna protested to Hades before turning her gaze at Vlad, “So now I understood the curious case of missing harpies. I would have loved to keep them as my pet for the experiments.” Belladonna spoke, folding her arms and looking suspiciously at Vlad.
"Whatever," Vlad said, rolling his eyes, before turning his sharp gaze on me, "If you are done with your boyfriend, then get your ass moving because I am already running out of time as well as patience. And I don't like it if things don't go my way." He warned me.
"Stop talking to her!" Hades roared at Vlad.
"I don't need to if you stop your emotional shit. Useless lover boy!" Vlad chuckled.
“Don’t be so harsh on him,” Belladonna told Vlad. She smiled warmly and grabbed my elbow, "Come, let's go!"
“She will stay with me!” Vlad growled, pushing Belladonna aside, and with a painful force, gripped my elbow, scratching my skin, and with a forceful tug, yanked me hard, dragging me along the way.
"And what about me?" Belladonna asked.
"You have wings!" Vlad snapped, then looked over Hades. "And tell this fucker brother of yours he will accompany succubus!"
A look of pure, unwavering fury settled across Hades' visage. “And tell this fucker brother of yours, if he has the balls, then face me in the ring rather than using lies!” Hades roared, followed by spitting. I thought he would calm down after venting his anger, but that was not the case. He gritted his teeth, further narrowing his frown. His muscles started snapping as if ready for shifting, “You know what, fuck the ring, I am going to kill you right now,” He growled in anger, ready to take on a leap.
“Hades, stop! This is stupidity,” Belladonna intervened to stop him. "If you act right now, you will die before facing him. Trust me; you don’t want to die before knowing the truth that you are searching for twenty-eight years." Belladonna tried to knock some sense into his grumpy brain, but he was so absorbed in rage and fury he hardly heard. He must control the aggressive animal lurking beneath him, or Vlad can harm Mira. So, I had no other option than to close the distance between us. I extended one of my arms and placed my thumb on his forehead while my other arm snaked around his back, forming a pattern of goosebumps throughout his bare skin. He gave me a bewildered look and struggled to part his lips to say something. I trailed my fingers sideways from his forehead to his lips.
I pressed my fingers on his lips, “Ssh…Close your eye…calm down!” I muttered, trailing my finger from his lips through his neck and shoulders, venturing through his muscles and towards his broad chest, drawing the circles in soothing round motions. I didn’t know how or why, but this seemed to work as his wildly pacing heart rate began to drop.
I don’t know how long we remained in that position; it may be for only a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity.
Vlad held me by my shoulders, digging his fingers deep into my skin and jerking me away from Hades. He looked shocked and chaotic. His muscles constricted and showed aggression while his eyes were raged with jealousy.
“Don’t you dare do this again, or I will make sure you never see the face of your friend,” He warned me with a sharp glare and then turned to Hades, "If you love your heads, then stay away from her, or I will bury you alive with this Succubus!" Vlad threatened Hades while beckoning his guards to come forward. They looked like the humanoids with the face of a bat. Their blood-red eyes gazed at Hades, watching and observing his every movement. Their claws were pointed in Hades' direction so that any action on his part would trigger them to attack.
"If something happens to Mira, I swear you will never see me again," I warned Hades before he thought of doing anything stupid. His shoulders slumped in defeat, and he stretched out his arm. The guards checked him to ensure he carried no weapons. They hand-cuffed him with the shackles, which looked like they were made up of some weird glassy metal. He growled in sharp pain as shackles touched him, and his body jerked as if air whooshed out from his lungs.
"Vlad, please! This is inhumane!" Belladonna objected as if feeling Hades' pain.
"Then he shouldn't have double-crossed me!"
"He's clean." One of the guards spoke. Hades was fiddling in pain due to those shackles digging into his skin. But that didn't suppress his urge to attack. Vlad understood Hades' intentions. He grinned, showing his sharp incisors and extended claws. My blood ran cold in fear, so I decided to do something before they fought again. I took Vlad's hand in mine. His fierce and dominating eyes pierced mine as if failing to understand if this was a dream. I can't interpret what he was thinking. I guess he is a master of concealing emotions, but the way his frown disappeared, and his stiff muscles relaxed, I can feel soft love.
'Fuck! What am I even thinking?' I thought, closing my teary eyes and taking a deep breath. Then, before Hades says anything and the situation goes out of control, I turn to Vlad and snap, "Let's go!"

*He is heart-broken because she left!!...*