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?

whisper, but there’s

plink–plink of

the voices are

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

isolation and fear. I try to

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142 Usa Chained

scream, the sound

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 keep me here!” a

forearms. Sobs wrack my body, each one tearing out

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

Plink. Plink–plink.

hard, I try to force my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Shapes slowly emerge from the inky blackness. Rough stone walls, a small window high above my head. The

a

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

laugh. I’m chained up in some vampire’s dungeon like a gothic romance heroine. Except there’s no dashing hero coming to save me. No one even knows

1. am.

Plink–plink–plink.

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

rage against

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

weak and

I hate this.

thoughts drift to Kellan. I’d hated how he was always around. Hated his grim determination to keep us safe, at the

that he was here to tell

his smugness over this any day

How can he possibly find me when

142 143 Chalice)

know where I

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

fierce determination and unwavering loyalty. She won’t give up on me. She’ll tear

will it be enough? Can they really go up against vampires and win?

don’t know. I don’t know anything

that I’m scared. I’m so fucking

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

driving out every other thought. It’s maddening, the irregularity of it. I want to scream, to beg for

I 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

have to believe that. Because the alternative is too terrifying

around me,

for a moment, just a moment,

Plink.

Bren’s face fills my mind and I

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