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

1/8

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

erratic plink, plink–plink

voices are gone.

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

a mania of isolation and fear. I try to move again,

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142 Usa Chained

I scream, the sound

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

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

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

Plink. Plink–plink.

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 clouds

in a cell.

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

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

1. am.

Plink–plink–plink.

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

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 wolf or melt

weak and

I hate this.

Hated his grim

desperately that he was here to tell

his smugness over this any day of

How can he possibly find me when I don’t

142 143 Chalice)

where I

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 this world apart to

Can they really go up

know. I don’t know anything about this

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

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

maddening, the irregularity of it. I want to scream, to beg

and focus on the

342 LISA Chamed

have to believe that Kellan and Ava will find me. That Lucas and the Westwood pack will tear

have to believe that. Because the

around me, his voice in my ear telling

for a moment, just a moment, I almost believe it.

Plink.

fills my mind and I can’t

and the biting. Of how he wasn’t great at foreplay. Of