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?

I whisper, but there’s nothing.

that erratic plink, plink–plink of something dripping.

voices are gone.

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

squeezing with a mania of isolation and fear.

17:36 – )

2/8

142 Usa Chained

scream, the sound raw and

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!”

Sobs wrack my body, each

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

Plink. Plink–plink.

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

strangled 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.

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

rage against the unfairness

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

weak and helpless

I hate this.

Hated his grim determination to keep us safe, at the expense of our freedom.

that he was here to tell me I told you so.

this any day of the

how? How can he possibly find me

142 143 Chalice)

where I am?

let them

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

know anything

I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared and I don’t

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

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

lip hard enough to taste blood and focus on

342 LISA Chamed

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

that. Because the alternative is too

imagine his arms around me, his voice

moment, just a

Plink.

mind and I can’t stop thinking about him.

how he wasn’t great at