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

17:36

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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?

I whisper, but

plink–plink of

the voices

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

into my mind, coiling around my heart and squeezing with a mania of isolation and

17:36 – )

2/8

142 Usa Chained

the

yank at the manacles, the metal biting into my wrists. Pain sears through my arms, but I don’t care. I have to get out. I have to find Ava. “You can’t

Sobs wrack my body, each one tearing out of my

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

Plink. Plink–plink.

darkness. Shapes slowly emerge 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

in a cell.

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

in a strangled laugh. I’m chained up in some vampire’s dungeon like a gothic romance heroine. Except there’s no dashing hero

1. am.

Plink–plink–plink.

mocking my S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Findɴovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and

I want to scream again, to rage against the unfairness of

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

Humans are weak and helpless against

I hate this.

thoughts drift to Kellan. I’d hated how he was always around. Hated his grim determination to keep

wish desperately that he was here to tell me

this any day of the

can he possibly find

142 143 Chalice)

know where

bitter. I let them

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

be enough? Can they really go up against vampires

don’t know. I don’t know anything about this world.

know is that I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared and I

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

It’s maddening, the irregularity of it. I want to scream, to beg for it to

hard enough to taste blood and focus

342 LISA Chamed

hold on. I have to believe that Kellan and Ava will find me. That Lucas and the Westwood pack will tear this place apart stone by

to believe that. Because the alternative

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

moment, just a moment, I almost believe it.

Plink.

Bren’s face fills my mind and I can’t stop thinking about him.

a while ago was his weird breeding kink and the biting. Of how he wasn’t great at foreplay.