Tangled

142 Lisa: Chained

The sound of water dripping is the first thing to break through the darkness of my mind.

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

It’s an erratic rhythm that leaves me uncomfortable.

The voices come next, soft, sibilant whispers. Evil. Whoever they are, they’d be the villains in any story.

Eventually, I realize the darkness is really just pain. Pain that throbs and aches in half my face. But why?

Vampires.

That’s why.

My eyes fly open when I finally remember, and I struggle to sit up, blinking into the darkness.

I can’t see anything.

Are my eyes open?

My hands won’t reach my face, yanking against

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142 Lisa: Chained

something cold and hard around my wrists.

Manacles?

Swiping my hands around, I can feel the heavy, rusted chains holding me down, bolted to the floor.

Fuck.

This is…

Really not good.

Ava. Is Ava here?

whisper, but there’s nothing.

erratic plink, plink–plink of

voices

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

squeezing with a mania of isolation and fear. I try to move again, the chains rattling like mocking

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142 Usa Chained

and I scream, the sound

my wrists. Pain sears through my arms, but I don’t care. I have to get out. I have to find Ava.

and twist, my skin tearing, blood trickling down my forearms. Sobs wrack my body, each one tearing out of my throat. It’s useless. The chains

fight draining out of me. I can barely stand, the shackles

Plink. Plink–plink.

from the inky blackness. Rough stone walls, a small window high above my head. The barest hint of moonlight filters through, only to be swallowed by clouds a moment later.

in a cell.

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

like a gothic romance heroine. Except there’s no

1. am.

Plink–plink–plink.

if mocking my S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access

scream again, to rage against

strength hidden deep inside. I can’t shift into a wolf or melt

Humans are weak and helpless

I hate this.

hated how he was always around. Hated his grim determination to

I wish desperately that he was here to

his smugness over this

he possibly

142 143 Chalice)

where

and bitter. I let them fall, too tired to fight them.

of her fierce determination and unwavering loyalty. She won’t give up on me. She’ll tear this world apart to find

Can they really go up against vampires

I don’t know

so fucking scared

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

every other thought. It’s maddening, the irregularity of

don’t. I bite my lip hard enough to taste blood and focus on the pain. It grounds me, keeps me from slipping into despair.

342 LISA Chamed

find me. That Lucas and the Westwood pack will tear this place apart stone by stone until they

believe that. Because the alternative is

eyes and picture Kellan’s face. I imagine his arms around me, his voice in my ear telling me it’s going to

for a moment, just a moment, I

Plink.

fills my mind and I

biting. Of how he wasn’t great at foreplay. Of the slightly–better–than mediocre sex