Taming the Devil

Chapter three

ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW

A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE

I woke up, my eyes fluttering open with the harsh light of morning seeping through the trees. Weakness flooded through me, and my body felt as if it had been torn apart.

My gaze fixated on the bush beneath me, and seeing the amount of blood I'd lost, doubt started creeping in.

What if I never made it alive?

“Consider it doing you a favor from my misery and killing two birds with one stone—you’ll be off my case, and I’ll finally get some good sleep.” Dante mocking snarls echoed in my ear and then bullets tearing through me.

“Promise me Elena…that you'd fight…Serve justice... no matter what” my father's dying face flashed in her face.

I couldn’t allow myself to dwell on my pain or weakness, I'd have to fight!. I couldn’t allow myself to break down.

Taking a shaky breath, I forced myself to rise. The effort took every ounce of strength I had, and my legs wobbled beneath me like they were made of jelly. But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t die here in this forest, alone. I stumbled forward, clinging to whatever tree or rock I could find to steady myself.

Finally, I made it to the edge of the forest, looking around, I couldn't see anyone around nor any car, I could wave at. I couldn't find any source of help, just an empty road.

I sank to a rock, feeling the weight of my nakedness, weakness, and heaviness in my heart crushing me. I couldn't look at myself in the reflection of the trees, could barely recognize the blood-soaked, half-conscious woman I had become. But I had to survive. I had to.

Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as I lifted my gaze to the sky. “Please, Dad,” I whispered hoarsely. “Send someone... Please help me.”

My vision blurred, the world around me tilting and I knew my feet couldn't hold me much longer. I tried standing, tried to force myself to keep moving, but my legs betrayed me. I stumbled, and in that moment, a pair of strong arms caught me.

I turned my head, hoping for salvation, only to freeze as the stranger stared at me. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of me, maybe because I was completely naked or bloodied, and barely hanging on to life.

“Help me” I choked out. She stared at me and before I could say another word, she slammed me back into unconsciousness.

__________________________________

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open, it wasn’t the familiar sting of pain that greeted me. Instead, I felt...better, with a strange calm washed over me.

As I shifted in bed, I realized I was dressed in black, fitted clothes that felt almost like a second skin. It was so sleek and tight.

Immediately I recognized it as a black ninja uniform. How had that happened? I didn’t remember anyone dressing me.

I tried to sit up, still feeling weak, but the steady sound of movements outside caught my attention. Curious, I peeked out from the makeshift shelter I was in and saw her—the girl—the one who had saved me.

She was dressed in the same uniform, moving as she waved a staff in a beautiful flow, her body swaying with the staff through swift movements like a dancer, her face focused and calm. It was clear she was training.

I hesitated, unsure if I should approach or stay hidden. But then, she saw me. Her gaze flicked toward me, and she walked over, her face serious.

“How are you feeling?” she asked bluntly.

I blinked, confused. “Good… I think,” I murmured, unsure of how to respond. “But…how did I end up in these clothes? And…” I

“You better be feeling good,” she cut me off. Her tone was sharp, but there was no malice in her words. “Time to train.”

“Train?” I repeated, confusion flooding my system. “Train for what?”

“To bring down Dante,” she said with conviction, tossing me a staff as if it were nothing but a common tool. “If you want justice, if you want revenge, you need to be a trained fighter. Without that, you’ll lose before you even begin.”

My breath caught. Dante?

How did she know about my involvement with Dante?

How does she know me?

“How do you kn…ow?” I asked before I could stop myself. My voice shook with disbelief.

She gave me a smirk, a flash of something dark behind her eyes. “You should be asking me who I am,” she said, her voice dripping with something I couldn’t quite place.

She stood taller then, as if taking pride in the fact that she was about to reveal something important. “I’m Zoey,” she said, her gaze never leaving mine. “And Dante is my sworn enemy”

“He took something precious from me…Nope, everything precious from me and that was something that made me a target. He r***d me, dumped me and then stole my daughter, after ending my life. But I survived and now, I train. Because I’m going to take him down.”

My stomach churned as I listened to her story. How could someone— How could anyone be that evil?

Zoey’s face twisted in pain as she continued, her voice cracking slightly.

“After he r***d me, I found out weeks later that I was pregnant, and immediately, I knew I had to hide. Not just to save myself, but to protect my child…protect her from a deadly man like Dante, from fear he would get me to abort her or take her away from me after birth. But Dante found out”

“I gave birth to her in hiding, and for a while, we were safe. But Dante showed up one day, took her, and shot me. He murdered me and dumped me just like he did to my entire family. He stole my baby!”

I clasped my hand over my mouth, unable to stop the wave of grief that flooded me. Zoey had lost her child, her family—everything. Dante was a monster!!

Zoey wiped away the tears that had begun to gather in her eyes. “So,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Are you going to learn how to fight and help me bring him down, or are you going to stand there and do nothing?”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. I could feel the fire igniting inside of me. “I’ll bring him to justice,” I said, my voice steady despite the weight of everything. I grabbed the staff from her hands, my fingers curling around it with newfound resolve.

Zoey smiled, a flicker of approval crossing her face. “I hope you’re a fast learner,” she said, her tone turning serious again. “Because we’ve got one week to train. After that, Dante will be hiring new bodyguards, we need to be there with undercovers and be ready to take him down.”

A smile tugged at my lips despite myself. One week was all I had, but it would be enough, because I'd make the most of it.

With a deep breath, I raised the staff, ready to start.

This was my chance for revenge and I wasn’t going to waste it.