Hellbound Heart

But there was something different, something terrifying about him. There was just something... something beyond his unreal good looks that made her shiver with fear just by looking at him. The air around him was shrouded with an ominous energy that was indescribable, and she felt as though she was in the presence of a force beyond human comprehension. He definitely did not come across as human.

A chill ran down Elle's spine as she gazed at the man before her. There was an otherworldly aura emanating from him, making her feel like she was in the presence of a creature not meant for this world. Every inch of him seemed to radiate a palpable sense of inhumanity, as if he were some kind of malevolent force that had taken on the outer coating of a human form. It was as though a condensed form of a wild power had been compressed and harnessed into the shell of a human. Elle could not shake the feeling that there was no trace of humanity in him, no shred of empathy or compassion. It was as if he was a being of pure darkness, with nothing to connect him to the world of the mortals.

A disapproving sound echoed from the other male, pulling Elle's attention from the man next to her.

"Did you slip and end up killing them?" the terrifying man asked, his eyes fixed on the other man across from him.

"They fainted on their own. I didn't even do anything yet," the other man teasingly defended himself from his partner's accusation. Elle's eyes widened hearing the banter between these two godlike or demonlike persons before her. She could not believe it. That voice. She has heard that voice before! I know this voice! She did not know how or why, but she just knew that she knew it!

Suddenly, Elle's mind was flooded with memories of a man sitting with her in his lap, the book of choice in her own lap while he was reading her a story when she was younger. Though she could not quite see his face, the sound of his voice was unmistakable. It was the same voice she had just heard. Could it be...?

"I'm certain you did something." The man next to Elle chuckled darkly. "You just failed to notice what it was that you had done."

With a jolt, Elle's body lurched forward and she lifted herself up, leaning on her elbow. It was as though a surge of adrenaline had shot through her veins, giving her a brief moment of strength. But as she steadied herself, her hands trembled uncontrollably, her weakened body struggling to maintain her balance on the cold stone altar beneath her.

The man beside her made a move to help, but someone else's hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him in his tracks.

"I just told you not to touch her, Gav." The man with the familiar voice said firmly.

But the man named Gav smirked mischievously in response to his partner, an elegant brow arched up in question.

"It's instinct, Zeke." He replied with a shrug.

Elle shrank back. Her mind was screaming in disbelief after hearing that particular name.

Zeke?! Ezekiel?! The owner of this voice was Ezekiel?!

She turned her face slowly.

The man named Zeke was... Elle was speechless.

It was like looking at the painting of a god, his features perfectly chiseled and sharp. He was utterly otherworldly. It was as if he had been crafted by some divine hand, sculpted out of marble and brought to life by some dark magic. His looks were just unreal!

"P-prince Ez...Ezekiel?!" Elle stammered. She knew at that moment that this man was no other than Ezekiel, her ex-brother-in-law, so to speak. He is Sebastian's brother and Alicia's husband! He was the missing prince!

Elle was in shock, her mind reeling with the revelation that the man standing before her was the long-lost prince.

"You've grown." He replied after a few moments of silence and Elle found herself unable to speak. It was just two words but why did those words tug at something within her? In that moment, Elle's mind was flooded with flashes of memories, like a sudden storm. Memories that seemed to have been erased from her mind for so long. She remembered a man in a black suit reading her a story and then she remembered the same man wearing a surgeon's clothes. He wore a blank, unfathomable expression the entire time, but she saw her younger self smiling so happily at him.

"You're... un... uncle Zeke!" her eyes were wide circles. The man named Gav chuckled. "Did this girl just call the almighty Zeke as her uncle?"

Zeke simply glanced at the chuckling man before returning his gaze back to Elle. "Apologies, but I cannot help you to sit up. Neither of the two of us can touch you." Zeke explained.

"Why?" Elle was taken aback by her own audacity in asking a question, but she could not help it.

Despite recognizing Zeke, he seemed somewhat different from the 'him' in her memories. Elle could not help but feel confused and bewildered by the memories and the man before her who was nothing like she remembered. But despite the shock, she found herself brazenly asking him questions. His face looked different, and his demeanor was unrecognizable from what she recalled. He seemed to be no different from the man named Gav, except for the fact that every time Zeke looked at her, she could still see a glimmer of humanity in his eyes that was completely absent in Gav's.

"Here's what happens when we touch living beings from another world." Gav spoke as he touched the masked man's arm. The masked man's skin blackened and cracked, as if being consumed by an invisible fire. The pungent smell of burning flesh filled the air, and the man writhed and screamed silently in agony. Elle shuddered at the thought that Gav had nearly touched her. If Zeke had not stopped him in time...