CHAPTER 9 — LEONA: CHAINS AND SHADOWS
Leona slumped to the cold stone floor of her cell, her arms wrapped around her knees, trying to keep the shivering in check. The silence pressed against her like a living thing, every heartbeat echoing in the empty stone chamber. She felt exhausted, hollow, on the verge of breaking—but she refused to cry. Not yet. Not in front of anyone.
I have to stay strong… I have to survive.
A faint shuffle caught her attention. Her head snapped toward the shadows in the corner, and she froze. A man—messy hair, wide, slightly wild eyes—was crouched there, smiling at her in a way that made her skin crawl.
"You're awake," he said, voice low and unsteady, teetering on the edge of madness. "Finally awake. Good… good."
Leona frowned. "Who… who are you?" Her voice trembled slightly.
The man chuckled softly, leaning back against the wall. "Names? Names don't matter. They're just chains. I am… here. Just like you. Watching. Waiting. Smelling the fear. Feeling it. Delicious."
Leona pressed her knees tighter. "Are you… mad?" she asked, half in disbelief, half terrified. "Are you seriously… crazy?"
He grinned, tilting his head. "Mad? Perhaps. Maybe. But sane? Sane is boring. Sane bends, obeys, trembles. Here, mad is alive."
Her stomach twisted. "Why… why are you here? Did the Vampire King—" She swallowed. "Did he capture you too?"
"Ah…" he whispered, leaning forward, eyes glinting in the torchlight. "The King… yes. He's ruthless, precise. Takes humans for his people. Needs them. Doesn't care. Never cared. And you? You're just food. Fear. Obedience."
Leona's hands clenched. Her heart raced. She felt a mix of despair and anger. So he doesn't care about me. He never will. He only wants what he wants… for them.
The man rocked slightly, humming to himself, muttering fragments of words that made no sense, then laughed softly. "But you… you're interesting. Strong. Fighting the chains. Hiding the cracks. Good… very good."
Leona stared at him. "You're… insane. You talk like a madman."
"Mad? Or… awake? You'll see. The King… he takes what he wants. But we… we see. We feel. We survive." He tilted his head, studying her as if he could see through every thought. "You… you're not broken yet. But will you stay strong? Or will you snap?"
Leona swallowed hard, forcing herself to breathe. Tears threatened, but she blinked them back. "I won't break. I… I have to survive. I can't… I won't give him the satisfaction."
The man laughed again, low and slightly unsettling. "Yes… good. Stay alive, little human. Watch the shadows. They move faster than you think. And the King… oh, the King does not love. He does not care. He only takes, because he must. Remember that. Remember it well."
Leona pressed her forehead to her knees, letting the shivering pass through her. Her body ached, her spirit trembled, but she whispered fiercely to herself: I will survive. I cannot let him break me. Not here. Not now.
From the corridor outside, the faint sound of footsteps echoed. The cell door rattled slightly. Leona's pulse thundered. The man beside her whispered, almost gleeful: "Ah… she comes for you."
Leona's breath caught. Her stomach twisted. She pressed herself against the wall, chains clinking softly, heart hammering. Whoever it was, it was clear: the fortress was alive with danger, and her survival depended on staying alert—on staying stronger than the King, his soldiers, and even the shadows themselves.
The torchlight flickered, casting long, shifting shadows across the stone walls. Leona clenched her fists. Her eyes burned with a mixture of fear and determination. She would not break. She would endure. She would survive.
And somewhere in the fortress, the Vampire King waited, ruthless, indifferent, his hunger for humans undiminished, his need for power absolute.