Silence.
My ears ring with the deafening sound of it. Every now and again, I’d hear muffled voices, but that’s it. They were always so far away. I grew tired of my screams, and over time, I had to listen to my voice to make sure I wasn’t going deaf. Much to my dismay, something has changed. I can feel the dark abyss that surrounded me disappear, only to be replaced by more darkness. For the first time in I don’t know how long, I can feel things. My body is weak and cold, my skin dry and rough to the touch. I sit up and feel the thin mattress beneath me. I can’t see anything, but it’s the size of a cot. My feet are bare, and the concrete floor is smooth and frigid against my skin. Shivering, I cross my arms over my chest. Being a shifter, you never feel the elements of the weather. Unfortunately, that’s not the case now. I reach inside for my wolf, and I grasp at nothing; she’s so far away. I remember seeing the blue haze leave my body and disappear into the black void. Then, it all makes sense. I left one hell for another. The sleeping spell has worn off, and now I’m back.
I can’t see a fucking thing, and when I take a step, my legs give out beneath me. My knee scrapes against the concrete, and the sting shoots up my leg. “Son of a bitch,” I growl, carefully touching my knee. My teeth chatter and my body shakes with not only being cold but from fury. I’ve never been weak like this before. I’m also starving. My stomach feels as if it’s burning and twisting into tight knots.
The weight of the bracelet is heavy on my wrist, and I grip it as hard as I can, pulling until my muscles begin to shake. “Dammit,” I shout, knocking myself off balance. I reach out into the darkness, grabbing onto the first thing I can to stop my fall. Bottles clank together as I grip the shelf and take a deep breath. Slowly, I reach out to touch the bottles, wishing like hell I could use my wolf sight to see. I remember Chase saying that’s where he was going to keep me … in his wine cellar. Bastard.
“Chase!” I shout as loud as I can. Fumbling through the dark, I feel around the walls until I find the staircase. I’m not staying in the goddamned cellar any longer. I start up the stairs, and there’s a sliver of light at the bottom crack of the door.
“Chase!” I shout, balling my fist tight and banging on the wood. Pain shoots up my arm, and I curse under my breath. If I had my strength, I’d break down the damn door. “So help me,” I scream, beating the door even harder, “if you don’t open up this fucking door, I’m going to destroy every single bottle of wine you have down here.” A few seconds pass, and nothing. “Chase!” Huffing, I grip onto the handrail and start down into the dark. “All right, here I go, asshole!” The door swings open, filling the staircase with the brightest light I’ve ever seen. “What the hell?” I hiss, turning my face away. I blink a few times until my eyes adjust. When I look up at the top of the stairs, Chase is there with an enormous, shit-eating grin on his face. “You’re not going to be smiling like that for long.”
Chase rears his head back and laughs. “Oh yeah? And how are you going to stop me?”
Growling, I storm up the stairs and lift my hand to smack him, but when I try to connect, it’s as if I moved in slow motion.
Chase snatches my wrist and grins, his blue eyes piercing right through me. “I’m going to love having you around.”
I try to jerk my hand away, but his grip is too tight. “Let me go,” I demand.
Chase releases his hold, and his smile falters. He stands in the doorway, and I know there’s no way I can get past him. “So, what happens now? I stay in your cellar forever?”
Still standing in the doorway, he does not attempt to move. “What do you remember?”
Clenching my fists tight, I glare up at him. “Everything. I know my brother’s dead and that he would’ve killed me if I hurt Amelie. He chose her over me.”
Chase nods, and it infuriates me even more. “You’re right. He did.”
My body trembles with rage, and knots coil in my belly. I want to shift and run away, but that part of me is lost. I don’t feel like myself anymore. All I feel is pain, anger, and betrayal. “I have to get away from here. I refuse to stay in this dank basement of yours.”
Chase steps out of the way. “I’m sorry my wine cellar that took hundreds of thousands of dollars to build isn’t up to your standards, princess. But unfortunately, you aren’t going anywhere. Zayne and Amelie are mated now, and they don’t want trouble. So, it’s my job to make sure of that.”
If Zayne and Amelie completed the bond, that means at least a month has passed since that New Year’s Eve night. I storm up the last two stairs and walk past him into the light and away from the pit of despair. “I don’t give a shit about seeing Zayne or Amelie again. I just want to get the hell away from here, away from everyone.”
Chase shuts the cellar door and stares curiously at me. “It’s going to be hard for you to be on your own the way you are. If you haven’t noticed, you’re no stronger than a human. That’s dangerous for an unmated female, especially a royal.” He nods down at the bracelet. “As long as that thing’s on you, you’ll stay here.”
Like hell I will. I’m about to say just that when my stomach growls louder than I’ve ever heard it before.
Chase points down the hall where it ends with another door. “When you go through that door, you’ll see a hallway with another staircase. Go up to the main floor and then up to the second level. There’s a bedroom three doors down on the left for you. Your belongings are already in there.”
I study him for a second, waiting for him to burst out laughing and say it’s all a joke, but that’s not what I get. “What’s the catch?”
He shakes his head. “Contrary to what you might think, I’m not a heartless dick. I’m not going to leave you in the cellar even if you do deserve it.”
Heart racing, I glance down the hall at the other door. It’s times like these where I wish I had my wolf senses. And unfortunately, I can’t sense anyone around. Until I get my abilities back, I’ll be going through life blind. For the first time, I feel vulnerable. Swallowing hard, I take a step toward the door and another.
Chase’s voice echoes down the hall behind me. “I know you’re hungry. There’s food in the kitchen. And just so we’re clear, if you attempt to leave, you won’t get far.”
I glance at him over my shoulder, and there’s nothing but seriousness on his face. When I get to the door, I turn the knob and take a deep breath. How the hell am I going to get away from here?
