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?

whisper, but

plink–plink of something

voices are gone.

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

my mind, coiling around my heart and squeezing with a mania of isolation and fear. I

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142 Usa Chained

I scream, the

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

skin tearing, blood trickling down my forearms. Sobs wrack my body, each one tearing out of my throat. It’s useless.

I can barely stand, the shackles forcing me to hunch over. My muscles burn from the awkward position.

Plink. Plink–plink.

slowly 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 a moment later.

in a

A fucking cell..

142 Lika Chained

some vampire’s dungeon like a gothic romance heroine. Except there’s no dashing

1. am.

Plink–plink–plink.

website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of

I want to scream again, to rage against the unfairness

strength hidden deep inside.

weak and helpless against the supernatural.

I hate this.

I’d hated how he was always around. Hated his grim determination to keep

was here to tell me I told you

over this any day of the week.

how? How can he possibly find me when

142 143 Chalice)

where I am?

my eyes, hot and bitter. I let them fall, too tired to

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

Can they really

know. I don’t know anything about this

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

Plink.

Plink–plink.

Plink.

sound fills my head, driving out every other thought. It’s maddening, the irregularity of it. I want to scream, to

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

342 LISA Chamed

believe that Kellan and Ava will find me. That Lucas and the Westwood pack will tear this place

Because the

and picture Kellan’s face. I imagine his arms around me, his voice in my ear

moment, just a

Plink.

face fills my mind

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 to good sex.