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?

whisper, but there’s

that erratic plink, plink–plink of something

voices are gone.

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

a mania of isolation and fear. I try to move again, the chains rattling like mocking laughter. Frustration

17:36 – )

2/8

142 Usa Chained

chest and I scream, the

my wrists. Pain sears through my arms, but I don’t care.

trickling down my forearms. Sobs wrack my body,

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

Plink. Plink–plink.

to the 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

in a cell.

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

some vampire’s dungeon like a gothic romance heroine. Except there’s no dashing hero coming to save me. No one

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 novels

scream again, to rage against

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

and helpless against the

I hate this.

hated how he was always around. Hated his grim determination to keep us safe, at the expense of

was here to

over this any day of

how? How can he possibly find

142 143 Chalice)

where I

bitter. I let them fall, too tired to fight

unwavering loyalty. She won’t give up on me. She’ll tear this world apart

enough? Can they really go up against

don’t know anything

scared. I’m so fucking scared and I

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

maddening, the irregularity of it. I want to

bite my lip hard enough to taste blood and focus

342 LISA Chamed

that Kellan and Ava will find me. That Lucas and the Westwood pack will tear this place apart stone by stone until they bring

that. Because the alternative is too terrifying to

I close my eyes and picture Kellan’s face. I imagine his arms around

for a moment, just a moment, I almost believe

Plink.

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

a while ago was his weird breeding kink and the biting. Of how he wasn’t great at foreplay. Of the slightly–better–than mediocre sex and then the aphrodisiac that had elevated it