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.

of isolation

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142 Usa Chained

and I scream, the sound raw and

arms, but I don’t care. I

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

of me. I can barely stand, the shackles

Plink. Plink–plink.

the darkness. Shapes slowly emerge from the inky blackness. Rough stone walls, a small window high above my head. The barest hint

a cell.

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

throat, 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

1. am.

Plink–plink–plink.

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

to scream again, to rage

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

are weak and helpless against

I hate this.

how he was always around. Hated his

he was here to tell me I told you so.

take his smugness over this any

How can he possibly find me when

142 143 Chalice)

where I

let them fall, too

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

they really go up against vampires and win?

don’t know anything about

scared. I’m so fucking scared and I don’t know what to

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

irregularity

enough to taste blood and focus on

342 LISA Chamed

will find me. That Lucas and the Westwood

that. Because the alternative is too terrifying to

arms around me, his voice

a moment, I almost believe

Plink.

Bren’s face fills my mind and

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