Their Hidden Princess (Zora) novel Chapter 157

**Zora**

The world began to seep back into my consciousness, starting with the faintest sounds. First, my hearing returned, like the gentle flicker of a candle igniting in the dark. Next, I felt a tingling sensation in my fingers and toes, a reminder that I was still alive, albeit in a state of torment. A slow, steady drip of something warm slid down my inner thigh, a similar trickle making its way down my neck, pooling in the hollow of my chest. The air was thick with a cacophony of low groans, the clanking of chains echoing in my ears, mingled with snickers and hushed whispers that danced around me like shadows.

And then, the pain surged through me like a tidal wave.

My head throbbed mercilessly, a relentless drumbeat that threatened to split my skull. My arms felt numb, twisted behind me in an unforgiving position, yet they were heavy with an ache that pulsed like a heartbeat. My legs hung in a disorienting freefall, as if gravity had forgotten them. But the worst of it all was the agony in my neck. It felt as if a dull blade had pierced through my flesh, tearing at my carotid artery, leaving me gasping for breath.

A soft moan escaped my lips as I slowly peeled my eyes open.

At first, the darkness enveloped me like a thick fog, but gradually, I acclimated to the dim surroundings. I could hear the wind whispering through the trees, a haunting melody that confirmed I was still trapped within the forest. As my vision adjusted, the silhouettes of leaves and branches began to emerge from the shadows. It was then that I noticed the figures standing ominously below me.

Three figures, to be precise, their skin so pale that they seemed to radiate an eerie glow under the moonlight. They all bore a masculine presence, with two of them sporting long, scraggly brown hair that danced in the night breeze. The third, however, had hair as dark as the void, and he commanded attention with an air of authority, barking hushed orders at his companions.

“I told you to stop being so greedy!” he snapped, his voice cutting through the stillness.

“Gareth, you said we could have some!” one of the brown-haired men whined, his tone laced with a mix of defiance and desperation. “Why you lyin’?”

“I’m not,” Gareth replied, his voice low but firm. “But we have a job to do. If you want to get paid, we finish the job.”

“Job said unharmed,” the third man grunted, his voice thick with irritation.

A sharp crack echoed in the air, sounding like flesh meeting flesh. I winced as I watched the third man stumble beneath me, the impact reverberating through my own body.

“Stop being a cunt,” Gareth said dismissively. “You’ll get some of her blood when we finish.”

My blood? The realization sent a chill racing down my spine. Ignoring the pain that shot through my neck, I rolled my head to get a better look. The liquid dripping from my feet splattered into a bucket below, and my heart raced as I recognized the color—it was red, not black.

They were collecting my blood in a bucket.

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