Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 149 Lisa: Enthralled (I)

LISA

When moonlight fades and the sun rises, I can see my cell with more clarity.

Rust clings to my wrists and ankles, the metal biting into my skin with every trembling movement. Chains rattle against stone, a sound that mocks my rising panic. No matter how I strain and yank, they hold fast, ignoring the blood that streams down my arms when my skin breaks under the pressure.

This cell, this prison, is a nightmare made manifest. Cold, damp air seeps into my bones, and the stench of decay fills my nostrils. No comfort of a bed greets me, only the unforgiving hardness of the floor beneath my body.

A single, rotting bucket sits in the far corner, a cruel taunt of basic needs denied.

My eyes dart around, desperate for some sign of escape, but the walls offer no salvation. Rough-hewn stone and brick, marred by the telltale stains of suffering, mock my desperation. Those dark splatters, rust-brown and eerie in the dim light filtering through the tiny window above, speak of horrors I can't begin to imagine.

But I don't need to imagine, do I? I'm living it now.

Why? The question pounds in my head. Why me? What does my captor want?

I grasp at my memories, trying to make sense of the jumbled pieces. The party, the laughter, the punch that made my head swim. Bren. The vampire.

But nothing else.

Tears sting my eyes, hot and bitter as they slip down my cheeks.

I want to scream, to yell until my voice gives out, but some instinct warns me against it. Don't let them know you're awake. Don't give them a reason to come.

been peaceful so far,

oh, how I want to

night, and no one

no one came to

on myself as much as the chains allow, trying to make myself small, trying to disappear. But there's nowhere to hide, nowhere to go but

in my mind, the questions swirl, dark and insidious. What do they want with me? Why go through the trouble of taking me, of keeping me alive? The possible answers terrify me, each more gruesome than the

whispers pierce the silence, dragging me

more, to understand what's happening beyond my cell. It's only then that I realize the odd dripping sound, the one that had been my constant companion, disappeared

on edge and causes my head to ache. The whispers, too, become more distinct, though I can't make out the

to go, nowhere to run, because I'm chained to

for a moment, there's only silence. Heavy, oppressive, making it hard to

as part of the wall slides into itself, revealing a dark passageway. A

vampire from

as I remember, all pale skin and dark hair, with eyes that gleam with a predatory light. His lips curve into a smile, but

purrs, his voice like silk

allow, despite the pain in my wrists, bleeding and swollen from many attempts

My voice is tremulous, despite

that echoes off the walls and makes me flinch. "Oh, we'll get to that," he says, taking a step closer. "But first, let's have a little

steps slow and measured as he approaches. I can't look away, can't move, can't breathe. It's

me, close enough that I can feel the chill emanating from his skin. Close enough that I can see the hunger in his eyes, the way they seem to darken as

you?" he murmurs, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my face. His touch is like ice, and I jerk my face away.

it comes out more like a plea. Not the demand I wish I could throw out,

fingers trailing down my cheek, my jaw, my neck. "You're not in a position to make demands,