34 Chapter 34 The Sacred Gift

Katrina's POV

I feel myself beginning to wake up and a part of me doesn't want to as I fear where I will be. The Dark Order took me, they actually got me and I couldn't escape them. I tried. But they got me and I couldn't escape Damian and his bloody grip. I was just trying to heal Loki and he got me from behind. Bloody bastard and he knocked me out. Bastard and the worse bit is that I don't even know if Loki is ok. I believe he is, he has to be as he has this habit of escaping death. But still… he took that grenade for me and was badly hurt. I just got to hope that he is ok and that he will come for me. Save me from Damian before he… before I find out the reason he took me and possibly… hurts me… I can't think about it.

Slowly I force myself to open my eyes and I'm surprised to find myself laying in a silk queen size bed in a room, not in a cell for once. I sit up to see my wrists are handcuffed and chained to the bed but it's long so I can move around and the cuffs are not too tight so that's something. Considering the last time they tried to restrain me, they made the ropes so tight that it made my wrists bleed. So that's something at least but I can't get them off and I can't feel my magic. Anti-magic, I'm defenceless but still, I want to see if I can work out where I am.

So I turn my attention to the rest of the bedroom but it's barely a bedroom. It's just a bed and a private bathroom, nothing else here. However it's not just the room that has caught my eye, the walls off the room appear to be frozen black ice and I notice a barred window. I wonder…

I scramble out of bed and over to it so I can see where I am and quickly realise why this place seems to be made of ice and why it's so cold. I seem to be in an ice palace in a tower and the whole palace is surrounded by a moat of water. But the water is strange and I notice as the sun slowly goes down, the water turning to ice and making a safe passage over it. What a strange place.

God knows where I am but I suspect it's Jotunheim or maybe one of its moons. I'm not sure but despite the cold and the fact I am being held prisoner against my will, it's still rather beautiful. But I'm soon distracted as I hear someone coming up the stairs and I turn to the door as it unlocks and Damian comes in.

He smirks as he comes in the room, holding a strange electric rod and I move back, not liking where this is going.

"The beautiful princess Katrina is awake." He says with evil smile, "Sleep well?"

I glare at him, moving away from him, "What do you want with me Damian? You finally got me so I want to know why you took me? Why? Why all this bloodshed just for me?"

He smirks, "I guess I should tell you, you will find out anyway in a moment." He moves closer, "Marlowe's royal family are born half Asgardian and half Goddess as you know. But due to their goddess side, they have a rare gift."

"What rare gift?" I ask him, wanting answers.

Then he finally tells me, "They have wings, angel wings."

My eyes widen in shock and I feel my jaw drop, "What? That's… I don't have wings."

This makes him chuckle as he moves closer to me and I move back but end up slamming back into the wall. I struggle against the cuffs, wishing I could move away from him as he stops in front of me, playing with the rod in his hands. It makes me shiver, fearing he is going to hurt me and yet all I can think about is his words…wings… I can't possibly have wings. I would know if I had angel wings. Surely they would have come out at some point when I used my magic or been taken or tortured or something. He must be lying. He has to be.

I shake my head, "You're lying. I don't have wings."

He smirks, "Oh but you do. It's a sacred gift that runs through your family and it's the reason I have been after you. I wanted your wings, they are priceless. Hence why I killed your parents to get them."

"Then why haven't they appeared?" I ask him, "I have lived for years, surely they should have shown?"

He shakes his head, "Goddess teach their children how to access their wings by will but you were never taught. So much they have been locked in your back dying to be set free." He holds up the rod, "And now, with this special rod, I shall unlock your beautiful wings and take them for myself."

I cringe, knowing where this is going, "Please don't do this..."

He chuckles, "Oh but I want to. So I'm afraid princess, this is going to hurt."

Before I can even move, he activates the rod and shocks me in the chest. I scream, the electricity shooting through my body and making me wither in pain. It's excruciating, like every nerve in my body is being fried and he doesn't stop. He just won't stop and it hurts so much. God it hurts.

My legs become wobbly and I lose my balance and fall to my knees, clutching my chest. I feel tears spilling out of my eyes as he keeps going, moving the rod to my back. It hurts even more now as he is pressing it against my spine and I can't stop screaming, I can't stop crying. It hurts so much and I can't take much more. It's too much. I'm in agony.

"Please…. Please stop!!" I beg, the pain immense.

He chuckles at my pain, "I'm not stopping until your wings come out or you die, whatever is first. We are nearly there anyway, I can tell, can't you feel it?"

I'm about to ask what he means but he has pressed the rod harder against my spine, making me scream out more. It's past the point of excruciating and I'm not even sure how to describe this pain anymore, I can barely focus. I'm in agony, so much pain and I feel like I'm being stabbed over and over again. And then I feel it, a different pain and I feel like I'm being ripped apart from the inside and out. Like something is trying to rip out of my body. In seconds I feel something shooting out of my back, tearing my flesh apart and I scream as I collapse on the floor.

He finally stops electrocuting me and I take deep breaths, withering in pain. I'm so relieved he has stopped but my body is killing me and I'm so weak. I don't think I can move but I force myself to sit up, still trying to get my breath back as the pain begins to subside. God that was agony and yet the pain I felt at the end, was different to him shocking me. It was like something was ripping out of my back and then it hits me. He said he wouldn't stop unless I die or… my wings came out.

Sitting up properly, I look behind me to see much to my amazement and shock, a pair of white angelic wings have sprung out of my back. They are beautiful and positively glowing, feathers shimming in the light. I find myself reaching my handcuffed hands towards them so I can feel them and it makes my wings flinch. It makes me flinch. They are a part of me and I can't believe I have wings. I can't help but feel them, so soft and yet they are strong. I really do have wings and they are beautiful. It was almost worth that unbearable agony and yet, he wants to take them from me.

Damian moves closer to me and touches my wings, making me flinch. I don't want him touching my wings, taking them considering it was agony just getting them. I imagine if he tries removing them… oh god… would it kill me?

He smirks, stroking my wings, "Beautiful."

I glare at him, my body still killing me, "Don't touch them."

He chuckles as he removes his hand and moves to stand in front of me, forcing me to look up at him considering I can't stand. I feel my body killing me and I end up clutching my chest, my body still vibrating with pain and adapting to having wings. At least the pain is slowly subsiding but I'm still weak and need time to recover.

"You like your wings princess?" He chuckles, "I admit they are more beautiful than your parents, more angelic."

I nod, "Yeah I do. They are my wings and now I'm guessing you are going to rip them from my back and kill me?"

He shakes his head as he knees in front of me, "Not yet. Your body needs a few days to adjust to having wings and strength your bones. If I took them right now, they would crumble in a matter of days and be worthless." He smirks, "And then yes, I will cut them out of your back and it will kill you, I assure you of that."

"You really are a monster." I remark, struggling against the handcuffs.

"Oh I know." He gets to his feet, "In the meantime you will stay here as my not so willingly guest and after a few days, your wings will be mine and you will be dead."

I gulp but shake my head, "That won't happen. Loki will find me."

He chuckles, "Will he? He seemed to be in an awfully bad state when we left him, soaked in blood." My face goes pale at his words, "I doubt he survived. But even if did and does come after you, tries to save you, it will be too late. He won't find you here in time so don't hold your breath."

"He is coming for me and I assure you, he will make you suffer for hurting me."

He seems pale but forces a smirk as he turns away from me and leaves, taking the rod of pain with him. The door shuts and locks before I hear his footsteps going down the tower stairs and I listen until I hear he is gone.

I take a breath, relieved he is gone and I feel my body relax. The pain in my body has gone now but my body still aches and I feel weak from the amount of electricity he shocked me with. But I am ok and even though he tortured me with that electric rod, it was worth it for these beautiful wings. I just hope I can escape or Loki can save me before he takes them from me and kills me doing it. I don't want to lose them and I don't want to die. At least maybe with my body not hurting as much that maybe I can get off this cold floor and onto the bed. I have to try.

So carefully I get to my feet, using the wall to help me get my balance before I stagger over to the bed, my legs a bit wobbly. It's a relief when I sit down and I lay back on the bed, stretching my wings on the soft material. Luckily, it doesn't hurt me laying on them so I just look at them, putting my handcuffed wrists above them so I can feel them.

It does feel strange how I now have angelic wings, resting on my back which flutter and move slightly. It will be cool when I can learn how to use them, how to fly and I wonder if they have to stay out all the time? Or can I control when they come out of my back? I guess so but for now they will have to stay out until my body adjusts and until I learn how to do it. Not like I mind, they are beautiful and they need to settle. Even now I can feel the bones hardening, adjusting to having my wings out and my back getting used to them being there. It does feel strange and yet it feels right, natural.

They are just beautiful and to think I could have had them all my life, if I had known. They weren't even mentioned in that book I got from Frigga about my kingdom. I guess it was a secret my parents kept hidden and considering what happened to them with Damian and his Dark Order, I see why. I just hope I can escape this so I can learn to use them and enjoy them properly.