My Hunted Mate
Chapter Fourty Seven

Corinna

As I begin to gain consciousness, I can't help but flinch at the sharp andheavy pounding in my head. Why the hell am I always either beingknocked or falling unconscious?

When I eventually manage to force my eyes open, I scan them aroundthe cold basement with chipped brick walls, wooden beams, the greyfloor is full of old water stains near a washer and dry is sitting in thecorner, and an old, torn orange sofa sits under the wooden stairs.

A light bulb hangs from one of the wooden beams on the ceiling butit's off, the only light is coming from a door with chipped light greenpaint at the top of the staircase. The smell of stale cigarette smokehangs heavy in the air, my eyes dart back over to the sofa and when Inotice a few cigarette burns, I know that's where the source of the smellis.

I look down at my wrists that are cuffed onto either side of the radiatoragainst my back, I'm suddenly extremely grateful for the hoodie that isgiving me some protection from the heat, I cringe heavily when I noticemy body is on top of a dirty old mattress, that probably used to bewhite but is now grey and covered in stains and also has one too manycigarette burns.

Eyeballing the handcuffs again, I can't help but snort before ripping myhands free. " Seriously? That was easy. " I mumble, scrambling off themattress and onto the cold floor.

After very awkwardly pushing myself to my feet, I look around andrealise that this was easy, too easy. Why was it so easy? Clenching myteeth, I decide that I need to just go for it and attempt to make myescape, I need to get myself and my baby out of this.

Rushing over to the stairs, I take them as quickly and as quietly aspossible, when I reach the top, I push the unlocked door open.Confusion and suspicion hits me heavier than before and I note thesilence in the house but I brush it off, bolting straight down the hallwayand to the front door, that is also unlocked and swings open with ease.My foot doesn't even get through the threshold, before I'm knockedback by an force of energy, I land on the ground with a soft whimper,immediately cupping my stomach in worry.

"I'm sorry baby, please be okay. " I whisper to my bump, running myhands over it affectionately.

" Aw, how cute. But you didn't think it was going to be that easy didyou? * A familiar voice calls.

"1 should have known you'd come back and bite me in the ass. "Igrumble, looking up to replace Josephine leaning against the staircaseleading to the upstairs of the house.

" You probably should have known not to trust Olive too, she is mysister after all. I mean how stupid can you get? " Josephine laughs,picking at her finger nails, amusement clear in her eyes.

" She's awake? " Olive walks in from what seems to be the living room,she avoids making eye contact with me, instead her eyes are fixed onher sister who pushes herself off the staircase with a sigh.

Hurrying to get myself off of my place on the hard wood floor, I swipemy hand in the direction of the two sisters, muttering a chant, until theyboth go flying across the air in opposite directions, crashing roughlyagainst the walls of the house.

Not wasting a second, I bolt for the door, but same as before I getknocked back and land on the floor. I growl in frustration and confusionas I realise that there's a magic border that I can't cross around thehouse. How would they ever get a witch to help them?Suddenly a handis in my hair, sending sharp, burning sensations through my scalp. I cryout as Josephine begins dragging me across the room, past a glaringOlive and toward the basement.

Just as I go to use my gifts, a tall, slim, pale man with a shaved headwhich is decorated in colourful tattoos, enters the room chantingloudly. His gold eyes, never break away from my figure. In his hand heis holding out a piece of crystal toward me, I let out a loud scream as Ifeel as though something is being ripped from me.

My gifts, he's taking my gifts from me. Once the man has finished, anempty feeling courses through me and I swear for a moment I see aflash of pity in his eyes, but it vanishes again within seconds and isreplaced with a hard look, as he turns and walks up the stairs.Josephine continues to drag me back into the basement and down thesteps without a care, she roughly throws me down onto the dirtymattress. Olive follows her into the room seconds later, almosthesitantly, in her hand she's holding a needle full of blue liquid.

"You only give her it in quarters or it could harm the baby. " Olivemumbles to her sister, who grabs the needle from her.

"1 don't give a shit about their hybrid spawn. " Josephine hisses,moving toward me.

Olive's eyes widen. "You said you weren't gonna harm the baby, thatyou'd kill her when the kid was born! You promised me! *

" Wow, at least you kind of have morals? " I snort, glaring at her.Josephine shrugs carelessly at her sister, then she jams the needle fullof wolfsbane into my neck. " Now that I've seen her, I realise I might notbe able to put up with her that long. "

My eyes begin to get heavy as I watch the sisters argue, my hearingbecomes distorted and everything begins to melt, my body begins tosweat and my stomach churns repeatedly as nausea washes over meintensely.

Trying desperately to fight the feeling the wolfsbane is forcing over me,but I end up falling slack on the mattress. I replace I'm unable to move orthink, the world around me fades in and out aggressively, making meblink my eyes with force to try and focus myself.

Again, I fail in doing so. My breathing becomes shallow and I barelyprocess the two sisters marching back up the stairs, slamming the doorbehind them and leaving me alone in the darkness until they're alreadygone.