“It was just a dream,” a deep voice states.
I jolt back as I look across the room. Those amber eyes pin me from the shadows, the only light coming from the fire burning in the fireplace. Thatwasn’t lit earlier.
“Wha… How?” I stutter, trying to get a hold on the fear, unable to form the words for the mountain of questions that are gnawing inside of me.
He stands, taking slow, tentative steps toward me. Instinctively, I scramble back. I’ve seen him discard a life like it was nothing. I don’t want to be next on the list.
“I…” He pauses, closing his mouth, not continuing.
I swallow, forcing myself to speak. “Those sounds,” I choke, still hearing them now. I don’t think I’ll ever forget them.
He merely stares at me, his lips pressed tightly together.
I swallow. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” I rasp, my throat dry.
He continues to look at me, A flicker of sadness dancing across his eyes. “Rest. I will make sure food and drink are brought to you,” he says, then turns and walks toward the door.
“That’s it?” I blurt out, confused. “You’re not going to kill me?”
His hand pauses on the handle, his back rigid. “I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to,” he answers before walking out, closing the door and locking it behind him, leaving me sitting there, still terrified, still utterly confused.
Day Four: Four days of no communication. One of them brings my food, places it down, and walks away, leaving me alone in this small, basic room. The only saving grace is that I have a toilet.If I thought they were treating me like a prisoner before, I was wrong. Before, there were glimmers of kindness. I had a sliver of hope. But now, now I face the same four walls with no one to talk to as that small sliver of hope I was clinging to slowly dissipates.
Day Five: With no hope comes acceptance. Acceptance of the fact that I will never return home. They bring the food, but with the loss of hope, I’ve lost my desire to eat. I lie on the bed, curled under the blanket, my back to the door. If I keep my eyes closed, then at least I can dream that I am anywhere but here.
Day Six, I think: “Is she sick?” I hear one of them ask.
“I don’t fucking know. Just leave the food there. She’ll eat it if she gets hungry,” another answers.
I don’t move, staying curled up under the blanket, staring at the wall in front of me. I only close my eyes when I hear the sound of the door closing behind me.
Day Seven or Eight?: I drink some water, use the bathroom, then climb back into bed, too weak to want to do anything else other than sleep. I glance down at the tray of food, and my stomach rumbles loudly. I force myself back into bed. I don’t want to live out my days here. I can’t. If I am a burden, weak and of no use, then I welcome their bullets. I welcome death.
CHAPTER NINE
LUCIAN
“How long hasshe been like this?” I ask as I scoop her fragile form into my arms. Her cheeks are sunken, and dark circles bruise the skin beneath her eyes. I can feel her ribs beneath my touch.
“She started leaving her food sometime last week,” Silas informs me.
My gaze snaps to him. “And you just left her?” I snap.
“Respectfully, she’s dead weight. We no longer need her, and we have more important, dangerous things going on. We don’t need her as a distraction,” he points out.
“So, you left her to die. Have you forgotten ourcode? Our laws?” I seethe as I march past him, down the hall to my room. Silas follows right behind me.
“None of us has touched her or harmed her. We gave her food. She refused. No laws were broken,” he defends.
I gently lay her on my bed, my fingers delicately brushing the hair from her face, then I launch myself at Silas. My hand wraps around his throat as I slam him so hard against the stone wall, and a loud crack splits the air.
“You may not have harmed her directly, but you stood back and watched her suffer. You watched as she faded away. It is not for you to decide who or what is an asset to us. It is not for you to decide who or what is a distraction,” I fume, pure rage flooding my veins as I bare my fangs.
“I merely thought it would make things easier,” he wheezes as my hand tightens around his neck.
I exhale a low growl and release him, turning my attention back to her. “Get me Talon,” I order.
“Lucian, we only did what we thought was best for you. For the coven.”
