Rez
Waking up in the dreamscape is jarring this time around because I’m not sure if what I’m seeing is real. The room is the same, but Lynx is sleeping. His breathing looks shallow, like he’s in pain. Walking to his side, I kneel down to look at him more closely. The first thing I notice is the bags under his eyes, and tiny blue vessels visible through his eyelids. Sweat drips down his forehead, and his clothes are soaked through as if he’s been running a fever while tiny shivers wrack his body. He looks like he’s wasting away, as if his suffering is slowly draining the life from him.
Following a path down his body, there’s worn patches through his jeans where dried blood is caked like he’s been made to crawl around. He’s still chained to the bed, but the metal is looser around his ankle, like he’s lost weight, but the skin underneath is chafed and bleeding. It’s as if days have gone by since I’ve seen him instead of one night. What is going on?
“Here to feed me more poison, warden?” Lynx’s weak voice comes out in a snarl.
I turn and expect to see his bright turquoise eyes open and looking at the door, but instead he’s staring in my direction.
‘Lynx?’I hesitantly ask through our bond.
He shakes his head and a bright smile fills his face, but somehow it doesn’t reach his eyes. ‘Rezzi-bear! Come tell daddy all about your sexual escapades,” he says, thrusting his hips which gets him the desired effect he was going for.
Though it’s strained, I laugh and sit down by his side, catching him up on what’s happened recently. If I can’t help him here the way I wish I can, I’m willing to at least give him anything he asks of me. My eyes are glued to his face for any signs of—I don’t even know what to look for. My gut is telling me something is wrong, but unless Lynx can tell me or I spot it, I’m shit out of luck.Was I right in thinking they’ve been draining him of power for blood magic?
‘A knot? On his dick? I wonder if that’s what I have? I never got around to having that type of talk with Dad. All I had was the sex talk with your mom,’ Lynx admits, looking off in the distance as if recalling a memory.
My heart skips a beat at the thought of my mother. I’m still torn between hating what she did to me and still loving her because she was my mom. I thought I had buried those emotions years ago.
‘Lynx? Have you seen any sign of Zeke here with you?’The surprise on his face is answer enough, my shoulders slumping at his answer. ‘Have you seen or heard any more about where they’re keeping you?’I hate asking again. The look in his eyes when he has to admit defeat breaks me everytime, but I have to know.
Desar said that this place wasn’t really a ‘Dreamscape,’ but that’s what I’m going to call it so it makes sense to my mind. But I wish I was in a ‘real’ one and had a stronger connection to Zeke. That way, I would be able to know what was going on with him and make sure he was okay. We still have no clue if he’s hurt, captured, or even still alive. I hate being in this perpetual state of limbo of not knowing.
Without breaking his far off look, he slowly shakes his head, and I close my eyes to push back the tears of frustration before he can see them.
Lynx starts coughing and pulls me out of my musings.
‘Lynx?’I yell in shock.
He rolls onto his side, facing me and coughs so hard, blood dribbles out of the side of his mouth.
‘Lynx! What’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong?’I demand, reaching out to comfort him. I’m actually able to touch him without causing myself pain this time and find his skin cold and clammy. I push his hair out of his eyes and once he finishes coughing, he wipes his mouth with the back of his shaky hand.
“Who are you?” He asks through a raspy whisper, looking at me with confusion.
‘Lynx? You know who I am. What are they doing to you? Are they giving you something to drink? Please tell me,’I beg through our link as he gives me a pained stare. I don’t understand what’s happening, but I refuse to let our connection be lost.
“I don’t remember what they gave me. But they give me a lot. I’m sorry,”he admits as tears start filling his eyes.‘I’m so sorry, Rezzi. I’ve failed you.’
Shaking my head vehemently, I disagree as tears stream down my face at his pain. ‘No! You have never failed me, Lynx! You’ve only loved me.’I smile through my tears and lean in to kiss him—when he screams and claws at his chest.
Ripping at his shirt, I help open it only to pause as I see words in a different language and symbols being carved into his skin by an invisible force.
‘NO!’I scream, fruitlessly trying to stop the carving, cleaning the blood away from his mutilated skin as it continues to shred in front of me.
Small candles light up around the room and from a quick glance around, I see it—the deep grooves in the ground—in the small shape of a pentagram on the floor and Lynx is right over it. Lynx’s wide panicked eyes meet my own as soon as I realize that this is just the beginning of something worse for him.
‘No. Please, no.’
I reach for his face, all thoughts of my safety, gone. But before I can kiss him, I fall into blackness once again.
I jerk awake and search around in the early morning light.Alone. I’m all alone!After frantically wiping my hair away from my face, I realize I have blood on my hands. Lynx’s blood.What are they doing to him? How can I find him?I feel like time is running out and I don’t know how to find him. The memories of Lynx resurface, and knowing I need a few moments alone to decompress, I crawl out of bed and run to the bathroom, turning on the music to drown my thoughts as I go.
I don’t know how long I stay in the shower, but it’s long enough that my tears have run dry and my body starts to prune. I have to pull myself together and continue on though. Moni left a note stuck on my closet reminding me it’s Wednesday and another training day.Ugh, she might as well maim me. I’m over it.
I wonder if I can have my closet make me padded clothes this time around. Opening it up to get my outfit, the answer is no. Quickly changing into my clothes, I opt for leggings with pockets and a long sleeve shirt. I finally remember to put on my magical bracelet where I’ve attached the water gem JP gave me the night he made c.u.m for our dinner, and I head out to get some food.
Sitting at the counter, I find Knots, JP, Moni, and the blond man from the other day. This time he’s dressed, thankfully. “Morning,” I say, and I’m greeted with a round of greetings. Unenthused still, I walk to the fridge and help myself to some fruit.
