Seraphina’s Revenge Novel – The Price Of Revenge The cage was barely large enough to sit in, so she just lay there in a fetal position. Her legs had long since stopped cramping, and now, they just felt numb. Her arms hung like dead weight where she had them wrapped around her knees. Her shoulders raw where the metal collar chafed her neck. The air was thick with blood and chemicals, sharp enough to sting her nose every time she dared to breathe in too deeply. The only good thing was that there was no more screaming—not from her, and not from the others. The worst part was the quiet. It was somehow even worse even than the hunger. Because it wasn’t just the ache in her stomach. It was deeper. Gnawing.
Eternal. She had eaten one of the meal bars yesterday—maybe the day before—but her body hadn’t stopped crying out since. Human food did nothing. It rotted in her mouth. Her stomach burned with need, but not for bread. Not for vegetables. Not for anything that counted as human food. And the thing inside her knew it. It was always moving now, twisting and coiling like dark smoke behind her ribs. Some days it felt like oil, thick and sludging through her veins. Other days it was more like teeth. Hungry. Aware. It had a shape—shifting, slick, inky black—and it pulsed behind her heart with every shallow breath.
It didn’t speak, not in words. But it wanted. It wanted out. And it was growing stronger. Seraphina blinked slowly, her lashes crusted with grime. The corners of her eyes burned. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, and every inhale felt like breathing glass. She didn’t bother trying to call for help. Not anymore. Help didn’t come here. Only the scalpel. Only Adam. She would kill him, if she got the chance. If she ever got out of the cage. The thought stirred something in her. The blackness inside curled, pleased. Her pulse quickened, and the hunger pressed tighter against her bones. No. Not like this.
She pressed her forehead against the bars, letting the cold bite into her skin. Her muscles trembled with exhaustion, but she kept her breathing steady. Or tried to. She could still feel herself unraveling. Cell by cell, inch by inch. Not human. Not anymore. Then… footsteps. Soft. Not Adam. Not the guards. Her vision blurred as the door opened—not to the cage, but to the hallway beyond—and someone stepped through. One second, she was alone, and the next, a woman was crouched in front of her cage. Tall. Strange. Pale eyes glint