Kill Me, My Love

Chapter 36

Everything was already prepared for the ritual. On the floor, chalk had been used to draw a symbol: two inverted triangles that connected, forming a hexagram. At the tip of each ray, the men placed various objects. A bird feather, a black stone, a candle, a bowl of regular water, a bowl of water that contained Sam's blood, and a large hunting knife.

– Now you undress too, – Samael’s mother ordered.

– And why? – Lina was astonished.

She didn’t want such a large number of strangers to see her naked.

– Listen, too many stupid questions. You agreed to the ritual yourself. Did I tell you it would be pleasant? That butterflies would flutter around, and a golden glow would shimmer? No. I warned you right away: it will hurt, it will be unpleasant. So endure and do as I say. Preferably, in silence.

Lina swallowed the lump of hurt that lodged in her throat and slowly began to undress. The clothes that Sam had given her after the bathing procedures just the night before now lay in a neat pile on the floor.

– Lie on top.

The girl barely restrained herself from asking again, "Why?" However, Olivia could read it in the expression of her frightened face anyway.

– Lie on your back. So that you both have a hundred percent contact: head to head, hand to hand, foot to foot. You have to become one whole, but not in the literal sense of the word.

Lina nodded and stepped into the center of the drawing. She felt extremely uncomfortable. The conquered stared at her, and Sam’s mother also bore a piercing gaze...

She realized that there was no choice, so she did what was commanded. She lay on top, matching the contours of his body. Hand to hand, foot to foot.

As soon as she did so, tendrils that looked like vines emerged from the floor, wrapping around their bodies, connecting them together. She felt eerie. And then the light immediately went out, leaving only the lit candles in the hands of the conquered as the sole sources of illumination.

Olivia took the knife and, whispering some words, made three cuts on Lina's body. On her right wrist, on her left, and on her abdomen.

A sharp, searing pain pierced her skin. The knife was sharp, like a razor blade, cutting deep into her body. Everything disappeared. Fear, confusion... Only those hellish sensations and blood that dripped onto Samael remained. She struggled not to scream, begging for help. She clenched her teeth and, like a mantra, repeated the thought in her head: "All this is for Sam. Only for Sam. This will help him."

Meanwhile, Olivia shouted barely intelligible phrases. Something terrible began to happen around. The doors rumbled, the room filled with the smell of sulfur, and the girl felt her blood flowing from her transforming into dark energy seeping into Samael.

Lina became a donor. Her blood became his blood, her strength — his strength. And the louder the woman recited the incantations, the more pain the girl felt. Soon it began to seem as if she was being cut alive, her chest ripped open and her insides turned out...

The boundaries of reality disappeared. Everything swam before her eyes. Only a massive bloody stain filled with suffering remained. Was this – death? Is it how people die? The world slipped away, and Lina was ready to greet the end with a smile on her lips when everything abruptly stopped.

Olivia fell silent, and something stirred below.

– What’s happening? – Samael mumbled, but the girl had lost her senses.

* * *

She woke up to the sounds of an argument.

Olivia was yelling at Sam, and Sam at Olivia.

– How could you! This is barbarism! Last century!

– This last century saved you from painful and prolonged regeneration.

– I don’t care; you should have found another way instead of making her go through torture.

– You’d think, torture. Well, it hurt for a few minutes. So what? Throw a tragedy? Besides, she agreed herself.

– Are you kidding? She didn’t understand what she was agreeing to! – the man’s voice had risen to a shout.

– Sam, – she whispered softly, hoping the argument would stop.

– I’m here, sweetheart, – the dark one immediately responded.

The girl felt his warm palm on her hand. She opened her eyes. She was still in the same hall, only now lying on a bed, dressed, and all the lights were on around her. Olivia stood nearby, her arms crossed over her chest in displeasure.

– Don’t fight, I really agreed myself.

– Well, there, – the woman clapped her hands. – That’s what needed to be proved.

– Mom! – Samael growled.

– What, mom? I helped you, and in return, not a word of gratitude, my son. I sheltered fugitives at my own risk! – she paced irritably across the hall, continuing her tirade. – I think you realize that Leonard will return very soon. And what should I do? Defend the castle from the onslaught of the dark?

– You won’t have to defend against anyone; we will leave from here, and father will be left empty-handed.

– And where will you go?

– There’s one idea, – the dark one replied tersely, not taking his eyes off Lina’s face.

So exhausted, her eyes burning as if with fever. And though her wounds had healed, the girl’s condition left much to be desired.

– What idea?

– Abaddon.

– What? Into the wolf's jaws? – the woman’s eyes bulged. – Who will let you in? The gatekeepers will immediately report to Lucifer, and that’s it, Finita la commedia. You’ll be thrown into prison, and Lina will be dropped into the mouth of a volcano.

– I need a prophet, and if there’s no other way to communicate with him, then we will go there. We will be careful. We’ll hide our identities. You see, this is the perfect option! No one will look for us there. All the dark ones are risking being out in the open, so right now, Abaddon is the safest place.

Olivia pondered; there was a grain of truth in Sam’s words. Moreover, he knew his way around inside quite well, as he had held a high position in the dark hierarchy for a long time and had excellent connections.

– Maybe you’re right, – the woman finally agreed. – But how will you get there? It’s dangerous to use the word of power. The hounds will immediately sniff out the intrusion.

– We don’t need the word of power, – Samael confidently said, and releasing Lina's hand, he approached his mother. – You’ll open the passage for us. Go downstairs. I remember you used to pull such tricks frequently so that lovers could secretly enter the chambers.

– No! – Olivia said sharply.

It was obvious she didn’t know that Sam possessed this information.

– Why not? – the man pressed.

– There are many reasons.

– Name at least one.

– Opening a passage from the bottom up is one thing, but from the top down is another. I haven’t done that for a long time.

– Then maybe it’s time to recall lost skills?

But the woman didn’t have time to respond when, somewhere in the castle yard, an explosion rang out. Immediately the alarms blared, and Lina sensed the aroma of trouble in the air.

– They’ve arrived without warning, – Olivia yelled. – I think we have a few minutes left.

– Mom, I beg you, help us, – Sam exclaimed sincerely. – They will leave you alone if they don’t find us. You’ll say we escaped. Let them look for the wind in the field.

– Alright, – the woman relented. – You’ve won.

Another explosion erupted. This time closer. The walls shook from it...

Olivia grabbed the chalk and began feverishly drawing something on the floor. Samael, for his part, carefully lifted Lina into his arms. The girl didn’t say anything, dazedly watching what was happening around her. She hadn’t yet recovered from the ritual, so now she just blinked, staring into the tense face of the man.

Samael's mother finished her artistic endeavors, and a pattern appeared on the floor. It outlined something like a snake biting its tail. The woman fell to her knees and touched her forehead to the head of the snake, murmuring some mysterious words once again.

In the distance of the corridor, footsteps and sounds of struggle echoed. The conquered clashed with the dark ones. Olivia’s voice rose to a scream, her nails clawing into the floor, leaving characteristic scratches. And when hope seemed lost, as if just a few seconds more and the enemies would catch them, everything came together.

A passage appeared, the floor opened up, revealing a long staircase leading down, surrounded by darkness and flames.

– Faster, – she hissed through gritted teeth.

– Thank you, mom, – Samael shouted as he stepped onto the stairs.

Taking a few steps down, the ceiling began to close in fast. The last thing they saw before the darkness swallowed everything was Olivia’s terrified face and blood streaming from her eyes like thin rivulets.