Melione groaned as her senses started to come back to her. Her limbs felt heavy as she tried to move them. Panic flared in the back of her mind when she couldn't move her limbs. Her senses came back to her quickly as the alarm continued to grow. Her limbs were tied to a chair in a dark room. Melione took several deep breaths, working to control her breathing as she looked around the room. Once again, Melione was thankful that she was born in the Eclipse Sanctum, which gave her an incredible sight in the dark.

The breath was knocked out of her as her eyes settled on Grym. Grym was suspended in front of her, his feet barely touching the floor as his hands were tied to the ceiling above him. Tears threatened to fall out of her eyes as she searched his body for any signs of injury. The ancient words they had found on his chest in the village and underneath his house were carved into his skin. Blood dribbled out of the cuts and down his skin.

"Grym," she called out to him, her voice barely above a whisper. She prayed to whoever would listen to her that he was still alive. Melione couldn't imagine her life if she had to live without him. He had already consumed so much of her life that she needed him. She stared at his chest, willing it to move. A shaky breath fell out from between her lips when she saw his chest rise and fall slowly.

A bright light filled the room as the heavy door swung open. Five men clothed in long, black robes walked into the room. They each had silver devil masks on their faces, hiding their identities. Four men spread out in a circle around her, and the man in the middle began to laugh manically. The man turned to Grym and sighed impatiently.

"Wake him up," his voice was deep and distorted.

One of the men stepped forward, brandishing a long, sharp knife. The man sliced an extended cut along Grym's cheek. Grym's head snapped up, his eyes wide as he looked around. His eyes settled on the man who had ordered him to be woken up, his eyes dangerously dark.

"Grym," Melione croaked out.

Grym's eyes snapped to her face. "Melione," he breathed. His eyes searched her face and her body.

"We didn't touch her," the man who had deemed himself the group leader stated, annoyed. "As was our agreement."

Melione's eyebrows furrowed. "Agreement?"

The man turned to look at her. "Your partner here has agreed to take all of your pain." He chuckled darkly. "Although, I've gotten bored of him." He stepped closer to her, gripping her chin roughly, forcing her to look at him.

Grym growled behind him, jerking his body against his chains.

The man paid no attention to Grym as he stood before Melione. He kept his grip on her chin as he moved her face. "You are gorgeous, aren't you?"

"Get the fuck away from her!" Grym yelled.

The man shook his head. "I would want to do plenty of things with you." Grym cursed at him again, causing the man to growl impatiently. "Keep him quiet."

Melione couldn't see Grym but heard the sound of fist meeting skin. "What is it that you want?" she hissed at him.

The man shrugged as he let go of her chin, stepping away. "All I want is for my cult and my plan to succeed." He took a deep breath. "You both have been getting in the way."

"How are we getting in the way?" Melione questioned him. "You have still been committing murders. How have we been getting in your way?"

The man walked over to a table, dragging it to Melione's side. Melione resisted a shiver as her eyes moved over the knives and torture devices on the table. The man grabbed one of the long knives and twirled it. "You're causing too much attention to my cult."

Melione couldn't help the chuckle that fell out of her mouth. "I think you did that yourself, fucker. Did you not think that killing deities the way that you have would bring you attention?"

"We gained the wrong attention," the man growled loudly. He brought the knife down in front of her throat, barely touching her skin. "Neither one of you would be able to stop us now."

"What's your end game?" Melione continued. She worked hard to keep her body still so he wouldn't cut her.

The man shrugged as he pushed the knife into her skin. Melione flinched slightly at the prick of the blade cutting into her skin. "Who knows? I'll just keep killing until I'm content." The knife moved down her throat, cutting slightly into the collar of her shirt. The man pushed the knife over her forearm and began to cut runes into her arm.

Grym yelled at him to stop as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Melione tried not to have them fall, but the pain was beginning to be too much. The man was digging the tip of the knife deep enough into her skin that it was sure to leave her scars. "I will fucking kill you for touching my mate," Grym threatened.

The man suddenly stopped carving into her skin and stood straight. He threw the knife onto the table. "What did he say?" The man tore off his mask, causing them to gasp loudly. Standing in front of them, eyes wide in surprise, was Ryfon Sunblight.