Page 48

CELINE

C old.

Waking up in a daze, that’s my immediate thought.

My body shivers against a hard, frigid surface.

What the hell? Am I stuffed in a refrigerator?

I blink and try to clear the haze from my brain, but a pounding in the side of my skull makes it hard to focus. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to blink them open again hoping that will help things come into better focus.

Gingerly touching my head at the source of the pain, a hiss rips out of my throat. Tender and throbbing I can feel the goose egg forming on my skull. My fingers come away wet, and I find both dried and fresh blood crusting my hair.

What the hell happened?

I rest a hand against the floor and push up to sitting as quickly as I dare with my head throbbing. It takes me a couple tries since the pain is so debilitating, but I manage to hoist up my torso. Cradling my head in my hands I drag my legs into a criss-cross to sit.

“Fuck me,” I groan and once again the area around me blinks lazily to focus. It feels like my body has been put through a meat grinder. What did those vampires do with me after I was knocked out? It feels like they played hacky sack with my unconscious body.

Once I feel more in control, I scan my surroundings, but it’s so dark and dank it’s hard to make anything out.

Underneath my legs there's old stone flooring. I squint and see cell bars in front of my face. I run a finger along the metal and rust comes away.

My hearts beats rapidly in my chest as I realize the predicament I’m in.

I have no clue where I am, presumably the vampire that kidnapped me is still around, and I’m a sitting duck.

I might have training in taking down perps, but I’m still very much human against at least two vampires and my gut tells me there are more.

Will Zav come find me?

He has to. He’s more tuned into me than anyone, and with his vampire senses and lack of patience it can’t take him long to realize I’ve been taken. Knowing him, he probably started following me shortly after I left. I can’t imagine he was far behind.

I try to calm my heart and take a few slow breaths. He’s coming for me. I just have to be patient and figure out what’s going on.

As my eyes slowly adjust, I try to make out what I can, but it’s so dark I can’t see much beyond my cell.

The only light source is a few flickering candlelit flames set into sconces on the walls outside my cell.

It smells old and musty. I have to wonder if we’re somehow beneath the city.

I don’t think they would’ve taken me out of Chicago.

Hobbling to my feet, my muscles scream in protest and my entire body aches from the treatment I received in coming here. I’m sure the vamp knocked me out and threw me in here without much care.

I grip the bars of my cell and push and pull to test the strength.

They’re rusty but unfortunately still sturdy.

One side of my cell is flush to the stone wall and the other is connected to another cell.

The padlock on the door I could potentially pick if I had any kind of instrument, but at the moment I’m out of luck.

Mustering up a semblance of strength, I attempt to kick at my cell door, but it doesn’t budge. A scream of frustration wells in my throat and I tilt my head toward the ceiling.

“Conserve your strength,” a raspy voice echoes nearby.

I yelp at the unexpected sound and look toward the neighboring cell.

It’s shrouded in shadow and at first, I think I’m going crazy hearing things in my head, but after staring, I see movement in the darkness.

“Hello?” I question warily.

A groan and chains scrape against the stone floor. A shadowy form starts to make itself apparent until a man drags himself over to our shared wall of bars.

At first, he keeps his head tilted down and I can’t see his face.

From what I can see, he has long dark hair which falls in a raggedy curtain.

Dressed in a tunic like shirt and pants they look like they’ve seen much better days.

Blood speckles stain the fabric and it’s torn and holey in many places.

I’m shocked it’s staying on his body at all.

Long, elegant fingers clutch the bars in front of him. His nails are broken at odd angles and caked with dirt and dried blood. Where his skin is visible, I can tell he’s emaciated and closely resembling skin and bones instead of a healthy human being.

How long has he been here? Who is he?

Something about him reminds me of a frightened animal and I remain silent, waiting for him to speak again. He lets out a long sigh and drops his arms to his sides where he leans now against the bars.

“Don’t expel your energy unnecessarily,” he finally croaks out, and I cringe a little at the growly rasp in his tone. It’s the kind of sound when someone wakes up after sleeping for too long and they need to clear their throat.

“What’s your name?” I can’t help but ask.

The man is quiet for a while, and I sit with him in silence once more. I get the impression he doesn’t talk much at all. Who knows how long he’s been down here looking at the state he’s in.

“Nobody has asked me that for quite a long time,” he replies with pain behind his words.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“Valen,” he finally whispers after a moment.

“Hi, Valen. I’m Celine,” I reply and his intake of breath when I say his name tells me it’s been even longer since someone said his name.

“Celine,” Valen parrots. “I’m sorry for what’s about to happen to you.”

“What do you mean?” I’m once again reminded of the situation I’m in. Valen distracted me temporarily.

His curtain of dark hair shifting, I finally get a glimpse at Valen’s face.

He keeps his eyes cast downward but candlelight dances across his features.

In flickers I’m able to take in his heavily bearded jaw, aristocratic nose, and deep-set eyebrows.

For someone so frail and sad looking he still gives off an air of power and maturity.

I’m also able to see the shiny, wrinkled skin of old scars littering his entire body. He’s absolutely beautiful in a way I’ve never seen before—downright ethereal—but this poor man has been reduced to a shell of who he must’ve been.

“I’ve tried everything that’s already run through your mind.” Valen stops to cough after grating out the words. “There’s no escaping them.”

“Who’s they and what are they going to do to me? Why are they targeting me?” I shiver at his words.

Valen looks up and I meet his eyes, so dark they almost look black. If the fire reflecting in them didn’t show the slightest hue of brown, I’d believe they were leeched of all color. The devastation and hopelessness staring back at me show a broken man.

Blowing out a long breath, he slumps down even further.

“I don’t know why they want you, specifically, but anyone else that’s been down here hasn’t lasted the night.”