Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 242 Lisa: Waking in Comfort

LISA

Waking up in a bed is too comfortable.

My brain wants to wake, but my body wants to keep sleeping.

If this comfort is little more than an elaborate trap before I'm murdered, just take me away. At least I'll be going in bliss.

A sharp poke in my side jolts me from my half-asleep musings. I crack open an eye, squinting against the sudden brightness. A face swims into view, so close I can count every wrinkle etched into leathery skin.

"Up! Up, you lazy girl!"

The voice is shrill, grating against my eardrums. I blink, trying to focus on the owner of that voice. It's a woman, impossibly small, with a nose so red it could guide Santa's sleigh.

I open my mouth to speak, but my tongue feels like sandpaper. Before I can form words, a stinging slap lands on my calf. The pain is sharp, unexpected, and I jerk away, nearly tumbling off the bed.

"Ow! What the—"

"No time for your nonsense," the tiny woman interrupts, waving a hand in front of my face. Her fingers are gnarled, reminding me of tree roots. "You stink. Shower. Now."

I sit up, head spinning. The room tilts and sways around me. Where am I? How did I get here? The last thing I remember is... Darkness.

Cold. A strange man who brought me out of my personal hell.

The tiny woman's groan snaps me back to the present. "Look at this mess. Filthy! You've ruined the sheets."

I glance down at the bed. The once-white linens are stained with dirt and... is that blood? My stomach lurches at the sight of my wrists, raw and a little bloody.

tugs at my

feet? Ah. Clothes I don't recognize—a simple white night dress that is

I want to ask questions—so many questions—but they stick in my throat. There's something about her demeanor,

fear that it almost feels comforting to be afraid

going to need some serious therapy, if this tiny person isn't dragging me around

open, revealing a bathroom.

shoves me inside and slams the door

there, alone in the sudden quiet, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My face is pale, eyes wide with

And speaking of bones…

is gaunt. I've watched my fingers grow to little more than bony sticks, but my

God.

with some skin hanging off

Horrible.

hell is happening?" I whisper to my

mirror has no answers.

to

the grime I can feel coating

the shift dress. My body underneath is a map of bruises and scrapes. Some look fresh, angry red against my pale skin. Others are older, fading

Marisol didn't beat me.

a kidnapping victim, it wasn't

did do a lot of thrashing around, trying to escape my chains. That usually involved falling to the floor in various painful ways. And when it wasn't escape attempts, it was me trying to do basic stretches

surprised my wrists and ankles

it on, steam quickly filling the small space. I step under the spray, whimpering as the hot water hits my battered skin. But the pain fades, replaced by a blessed

of peace and cleanliness I haven't felt since…

a dingy gray, scrubbing at my skin as if I could wash away the

Still, I take my time washing it with shampoo and conditioner, leaving in

with my hand. The face that stares back at