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?

but there’s nothing.

erratic plink, plink–plink of something

the voices

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

squeezing with a mania of isolation and fear. I try to move

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142 Usa Chained

chest and I scream, the

into my wrists. Pain sears through my arms, but I

my skin tearing, blood trickling down my forearms. Sobs wrack my body, each one tearing

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

Plink. Plink–plink.

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

a cell.

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

up in some vampire’s dungeon like a gothic romance heroine.

1. am.

Plink–plink–plink.

dripping picks up pace, as if mocking my S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of

want to scream again, to rage against the unfairness of it all.

just a human. There’s no magic or super strength hidden deep inside. I can’t shift into a

Humans are weak and helpless against the

I hate this.

was always around. Hated his grim determination to keep us safe, at the

desperately that he was here to tell me

smugness over this any day of the

how? How can he possibly

142 143 Chalice)

where I

and bitter. I let

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

it be enough? Can they really

know anything about

I’m so fucking scared and

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

irregularity of it. I

blood and focus on the pain. It grounds me, keeps me from slipping

342 LISA Chamed

believe that Kellan and Ava will find me. That Lucas

have to believe that. Because the alternative is too terrifying

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

just a moment, I almost believe

Plink.

until Bren’s face fills my mind and I can’t stop thinking

how he wasn’t great at foreplay. Of the slightly–better–than mediocre sex and then the aphrodisiac that had elevated it to good sex.