Accidental Surrogate

#Chapter 179 — Bound Trigger warning — Assault (non-sexual)

Ella

"It’s all right, Ella."

The first priest says, approaching me as one might a skittish horse — with slow, measured movements and hands exposed to show he holds no weapon.

"We only want to protect you."

"Protect me from what?" I question shakily, my back flush against the locked door.

"You have a very powerful magic inside you, and if it's allowed to come out you’ll be exposed.We can’t let that happen." He explains, using a tone much too gentle to be trustworthy.

It’s as though he’s trying to trick me, to convince me he’s kind when he truly intends malice.

"I don’t have any magic." I insist, wishing that I did.

Maybe if I was magic I might be able to put a stop to the things happening here — to protect the others without bringing harm to myself.I was so preoccupied with this statement that I almost missed the second piece of information.

"Exposed to what?"

"You do, it just hasn't shown itself yet."

The second priest sighs, keeping his distance but watching me with sharp eyes.

"At least not in ways you understand.Tell me, have you never noticed how much stronger you are than your peers? That you can hear and smell things from much greater distances? That you can run faster, jump higher, suffer greater injuries with less pain?"

He inquires, his hawkish gaze searing into me, "do they not follow you? Gravitate to your side and obey you as a leader?"

My head spins, making me dizzy with the possibilities.He guesses correctly, but that can’t be because I have some sort of special power.It's just the way things are...isn’t it? "And exposed to a world you cannot yet join."

The first man adds.

"It must happen when the time is right - but that time is a very long way off."

"I don’t understand."

I squeak, a sense of pure dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

"We know, Ella."

The second man proclaims, "And I’m sorry that this must happen, it will not be pleasant, but it is necessary for the future of our people."I shake my head, fighting back tears.

Their words are triggering every alarm bell in my young mind.I know what men do to little girls under the guise of necessity, the pretense of helping or protecting.

And I know exactly how unpleasant things can get.

My blood runs cold, and my pulse races, triggering a strange new energy deep in my bones.

It pulses through me like a bolt of electricity, a wild thing writhes just beneath my skin, feral and rabid — begging to be free.

go away!" I hiss, my body

look at each other

timing was spot on — another

"I’m sorry, child."

first priest professes gravely, closing the

this if there

unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, takes over my

screaming at me to run, to get

men intend will be far worse than anything the doctor or dormitory matron have ever inflicted on

isn’t

bolted door at my back and two attackers far larger and stronger than I am bearing down on me.I

sink my teeth into his palm, but he

me away from the door,

grabs my legs, and

thrash violently against their hold, my screams muffled

blood seeps into my mouth, the metallic tang fanning

gagging, fighting for air and struggling to focus on my

or how to fight them — I’m powerless in their strong grips, and they seem

as well be a feather swaying in the wind for all the effort

keening pierces the

with grief and pain more complex than the sheer fright in

voice, tinged with concern,

"It’s too much."

"Just a little more."

floating above me,

"We're so close."

where these sounds are coming from, and the priests don’t

i’m nothing more than a pawn in

onto the floor and

first priest restrains my wrists while the other sits on

silk cloth, it’s pearlescent sheen glimmering

wrapping it around my body, it tightens around me with

enclose me in the fabric, winding it round

against my sides and

move a muscle in the fabric’s punishing grip, and soon they’re

falls over my mouth, the priest finally removes his hand from

half second of my scream escapes before the moonlight closes over my gaping lips, locking my

though

mind is awake

brain screaming at my nerve endings and muscles to move, to do something - anything! But nothing happens because this isn’t a dream from which I can wake, this is

the sounds: the clink of glass? The jostling of beads? novelebook A bottle uncorking? For

nose is filled with some pungent, herbaceous fragrance a moment before drops of moisture

are laid over my body, stones or crystals placed

that foreign electricity in my

I’m running out of time, but I refuse to give up hope

chant then, speaking

around the small room, carrying