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.

my arm

feet. Bare feet? Ah. Clothes I don't recognize—a simple

me across the room, muttering under her breath. I want to ask questions—so many questions—but they stick in my throat. There's

time in fear that it almost feels comforting to be afraid of someone like

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

open, revealing

shoves me inside and slams

at my reflection in the mirror. My face is pale, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Dark circles underneath them speak of exhaustion I can feel in my

And speaking of bones…

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

God.

like a skeleton with some skin hanging

Horrible.

is happening?"

in the mirror has no answers. She looks as

to march over and slam open the door, demanding answers to all

away the grime I can feel coating my skin, and

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.

kidnapping victim, it wasn't technically all that

in various painful ways. And when it wasn't escape attempts, it was me trying to do basic stretches and exercises to keep up my muscle mass—hard to do with heavy chains weighing me

surprised my wrists and ankles

the hot water hits my battered skin. But the pain fades, replaced by a blessed warmth that seems to seep into my

with a sense of peace and cleanliness

until it turns in a dingy gray, scrubbing at my skin as if I could wash away the memories

a tangled mess. I'm not even sure it's possible to brush it out. Still, I take my time washing it with shampoo and conditioner, leaving in a layer of conditioner in hopes it will help

Steam clouds the mirror, and I wipe it away with my hand. The face that stares back at me is familiar, but strange. There's a hardness in