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

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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 there’s nothing.

plink–plink of something

voices are

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

around my heart and squeezing with a mania of isolation and fear. I try to

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142 Usa Chained

scream, the sound raw and

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

wrack my body, each one tearing out of my throat. It’s

can barely stand, the shackles forcing me to hunch over.

Plink. Plink–plink.

from the inky blackness. Rough stone walls, a small window high above

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

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 early and

to scream again, to rage against the

or super strength hidden deep inside.

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 us

desperately that he was here to tell me I

this any day of the week.

he possibly find me when

142 143 Chalice)

know where I

eyes, hot and bitter. I let

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

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

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

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

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

fills my head, driving out every other thought. It’s maddening, the irregularity of it.

and focus on the pain. It grounds me, keeps me from slipping into

342 LISA Chamed

and Ava will find me. That Lucas and the Westwood pack will tear

believe that. Because the alternative

his arms around me, his voice in my ear telling me it’s

for a moment, just a moment, I almost believe

Plink.

until Bren’s face fills my mind

breeding kink and the biting. Of how he wasn’t