As if I’d believe any of that. Why hadn’t he just left me down there? He must have something even worse in store for me if he saved me from that pit.
Now I was wishing I’d just died there.
“You gonna stay here or do you wanna come with me?”
I wasn’t going to play into whatever game this was. I didn’t move a muscle, just stared at him, hoping he’d go away without chaining me up again so I could figure out how to escape.
He scratched his head and said, “Alright, just stay here, I’ll come get you when it’s ready. I’ll bring you something to eat, too.”
He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
I listened for any kind of lock sliding into place but only heard his heavy steps as he walked away. He said something, maybe speaking to that animal, but it was too muffled.
I let out a harsh, explosive breath, then slumped to the floor. It had taken the last of my energy to stay upright and alert.
Everything hurt. Everything was on fire. My lungs, my chest, my ankle, my skin, my head. Even my eyes felt like they were burning.
I squeezed them shut, willing myself to get up and find a way out of here. Maybe there was a tool of some kind in here that I could use to pick open the lock of my muzzle and collar.
My eyes flew open when I heard a noise, and I sat up. A sharp pain in my shoulder flared down my arm, but I tried to ignore it, using the couch to get to my feet.
My left ankle was really messed up. I wasn’t sure if it was broken or sprained or what, but it hurt to put any kind of weight on it. That was fine, I still had one good foot.
I swayed when I got to my feet, blinking hard through the sudden clouding of my vision.
I needed to get my shit together.
I could fall apart as soon as I was out of here—but right now I needed to concentrate.
I shook my head, trying to get rid of the dizziness, then regretted moving it so quickly when it started throbbing. I dug my fingernails into my palms and looked around the room. There had to be something in here I could use.
My eyes landed on a large wooden structure that looked similar to something Hunter and Hayes had. If it was the same thing, then those were drawers, and there could be something useful in those drawers.
I put all my weight on my right foot, then started hopping toward it. My leg gave out on the second hop, and I fell to the floor with a frustrated cry.
Fine. I would just crawl.
I dragged myself along the floor until I made it to the wooden structure, then leaned back against it to catch my breath. The room was spinning, and my face felt like it was on fire. My eyes fluttered shut. I rolled them open, then slapped my cheek.
He could come back at any moment, and I was taking too long. I needed to snap out of it.
I reached toward the closest drawer next to my shoulder and tugged it open.
I really wasn’t sure what I was looking at.
There were a bunch of little glass balls that had weird colorful things attached to the bottom and equally strange things inside them.
I picked one up and brought it closer. There was a little tiny house inside with little tiny trees surrounding it. When I tilted it, white things abruptly drifted up from the bottom and there wasa loud tinkling sound that came from inside. It surprised me so much that I dropped it.
The glass shattered between my legs, spraying me in some kind of liquid, and those white things went everywhere.
Were these some kind of…bombs? Was this liquid a chemical that would kill me if it touched me? If I inhaled it?
I looked around for something to wipe it off, and the shirt on the couch caught my eye.
Before I could even move, the door swung open and the giant walked back into the room.
“Okay, I put Luna in the bedroom for now and—” His brows rose as he searched for me, and when those dark eyes landed on mine, I picked up one of the glass shards and held it up. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was all I had.
