Breath Of Darkness Down Your Spine Novels & Stories

K A I D A The first thing I feel is the ache in my spine. Then the sting in my lungs. I suck in a breath like I’ve been drowning and just hit the surface—shaky, desperate, dry. The air is cold. Heavy. Tainted with iron and dust. I blink against the dark, my vision slow to clear. My limbs feel heavier than they should. My fingertips tingle like they’ve been asleep too long. Something’s wrong.

Belle’s POV Darkness has a sound. Nobody tells you that. People think darkness is silent. It isn’t. It breathes. It remembers. And beneath my house— it whispered. The moment the lights died, the world disappeared with them. No walls. No staircase. No Ethan. No Mason. Just blackness swallowing everything so completely it felt alive. Then came the breathing. Not one. Many. Slow. Ancient. Surrounding me from every direction. My pulse hammered violently inside my chest.

The wolfsbane is coursing through my veins, dragging me closer to unconsciousness with every passing moment, and I know—if I give in now, it’s over. When I finally come to a stop at the bottom of the embankment, my body sprawled awkwardly across the forest floor, I’m gasping for breath, each inhale like shards of ice ripping through my lungs. The cold air burns, but it’s nothing compared to the searing pain that radiates from every part of me. My head throbs with a relentless ache, and I can feel the darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision, threatening to pull me under. But I can’t let it. Not yet. Not like this.

A pressurized feeling propels on his back which forces his muscles to tighten. The force alone is something that he can handle but what happens next has a look of a dead man crossing his features. Butcher’s ribcage propels out of his body, armor and all shattering like glass. His eyes widen once he sees his own body part fling from his flesh like he is nothing more then the hounds he crafted from for battle. That helmet comes off of him, blood spoils everything else that is connected to him but he collapses down on his knees. For some reason, he is still alive still breathing but the pain is unimaginable. Both of his hands slide down onto the dark surface but as he touches this unknown found

Slowed. One more breath. One more— Darkness.

AVA Darkness. That's all I see. It's everywhere, swallowing the ground beneath me, pressing into my chest like a damn weight. My legs wobble as I stumble forward blindly. There's a sound. Not particularly a sound, I feel a weird presence. Wind howls through the cave, so violent and cold that I squint my eyes shut, instinctively wrapping my arms around myself. My skin stings. My lungs can't seem to pull in a full breath. It's like the air itself doesn't want me here.

His voice is a growl, low, commanding, vibrating through my skin. The words lash me. My body spasms, a violent shudder racing through me. At the command, the darkness claws its way back into me, spreading fast. It seeps into my blood, curling hot and heavy through every nerve until I can’t think. Until I can’t breathe. A broken moan tears from my throat. My teeth clamp hard on my lip to muffle the sound, but it’s useless. The groans keep coming. My arms fly upward, palms scrambling over the tiles, desperate for something to brace against. My fingers drag, frantic, leaving streaks of condensation as I fight to hold myself together. But there’s nothing to hold on to.

The dungeon is unlike anything I expect. It's a cave-like structure with endless staircases spiraling downward into darkness. Torches line the walls, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows that stretch and contort. I wonder how they stay lit—if someone has to come down here each day to light them. The air is thick and suffocating, reeking of rot and stale sweat that stings my nose. I press into Braden's side, seeking comfort as we descend yet another staircase. My heart pounds erratically, each beat echoing in my ears. I can’t understand why we’re going so far down. What kind of surprise could possibly be waiting here that I would want?

The darkness screamed, the visions twisting, clawing at me to stay down. “I…” Another knee. My legs were trembling, but I was up. My spine uncoiled inch by inch. My chest burned, my lungs felt like glass, but I dragged the air in anyway. “I…” My head rose, eyes burning, throat raw. “Am not…” I stood. Fully. Shaking, bloody, trembling like a newborn deer, but upright. “YOURS…” My voice rose, breaking into a snarl, echoing against the darkness. “To break!!!”

I tried desperately to breathe, but no air could get in. "I asked you a question!" he screamed, furious as if I were lying. I gasped for oxygen as the edges of my vision faded, and my feet stretched out, searching for the ground. I tried to loosen his grip with my hands, but I was too weak, especially as I had seen spots. He lifted me higher. I used what little strength I had to shake my head, hoping he would get the hint; I had no idea what he was talking about. Just as I started to black out, he let go, and I crashed to the floor with a loud gasp. I touched my neck gingerly and felt it throb beneath my fingers, gasping for breath.