Knot Who She Claims (Secret Darling #2)
Chapter 1
brYLEE
The first few weeks after I was rescued from my initial kidnapping, I would wake up screaming—a bloodcurdling scream that I’m sure half the castle could hear.
Mom insisted I see a therapist, which I agreed to, albeit reluctantly.
The therapist would ask me what I dreamt about.
I could never remember the details explicitly, only the sensation.
Drowning.
It always felt like I was drowning.
It starts with silence.
Not the peaceful kind, but the heavy, swallowing kind—the kind that seems to press against your skull from every direction.
Then comes the cold, which slices at your skin like broken glass, closing around your chest, your limbs, your throat. Instinct screams for air, and your body obeys before your mind can stop it—lungs expanding, drawing in not breath, but water.
It burns, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like fire.
It’s colder, crueler, a biting type of torture to know your own body’s turning against you.
The world blurs into streaks of light and shadow, sound dissolving into a distant thrum, and your muscles begin to thrash, searching for the surface that’s already vanished somewhere above.
There’s a moment—a heartbeat of defiance—where panic peaks, then falters.
Movements slow.
The edges of thoughts dissolve.
The water, once an enemy, becomes almost tender. Rocking you. Cradling you.
Then, the pressure fades, along with the need to fight. Come to think of it, everything fades, until all that’s left is quiet.
It ends with silence.
All these thoughts flit through my mind now as I come to and find myself bouncing over the shoulder of my captor like a sack of potatoes.
I’m…drowning.
Drowning. Drowning. Drowning.
In fear.
In panic.
In memories.
A single tear cascades down my cheek as memories assault me.
Cold chains biting into my wrists.
Rough hands grasping at my skin.
The slice of a knife.
“Don’t bother to fight, little Princess.”
I won’t survive this hell again.
Before, it took my family days to find me. Or was it weeks? I don’t remember anymore. Time moved differently when I was there.
But my captors will be smarter this time around. They’ll know exactly what to do, where to put me, how to keep me hidden.
Panic squeezes my throat like an iron vise, accompanied by a sliver of righteous indignation.
I trained for months with the alphas, and for what? To allow myself to be taken? I should fight back—I want to fight back—but I can’t seem to get my body to obey.
Not that I can even do much in my current predicament. The Noths placed a heavy cloth over my eyes and bound my wrists with rope. I’m also burdened by this bodysuit that hangs from me with so much extra weight in this position that even lifting my arms feels impossible.
I’m helpless.
Again.
Always helpless.
This time, when the tears slide down my cheeks, they burn. Or maybe I burn, a corrosive mixture of shame, embarrassment, and fear all vying for dominance inside of me.
I should’ve fought back when they first grabbed me.
I need to fight back.
There’s still time.
I don’t know where I am, but I know we haven’t left the academy. It’s only been a few minutes since Sam—God, how could he?—betrayed me.
The Noth soldier digs into my ribs as he carries me like I’m weightless. Each step jars my body, my breath catching with the jounce of his strides. The blindfold scrapes against my skin—too tight, too rough—and the rope around my wrists burns every time I twist.
“Stop squirming,” he growls, palm slapping my thigh.
I don’t feel the sting through the suit, but I go still—not because he told me to, but because I need to think.
What have you learned, Brylee?
I’m tired, my shoulders ache, and my mouth is unbearably dry. But underneath it all, a spark is building—slow, angry, and alive. He thinks I’m beaten. He thinks I’ll remain limp and quiet.
That’s his first mistake.
I focus on the knot connecting my wrists together. It isn’t perfect—too rushed, too cocky. I suppose none of the Noths expected me to fight back this time around. Heaven knows I didn’t the first time they took me.
But that was the old Brylee.
I bend my hands and strain against the bindings until I feel the first slip of slack. My pulse quickens, anticipation racing through me. Then I maneuver my wrists until the rope loosens, allowing me to separate my hands.
Twisting sharply, I bring a knee up and aim in the general vicinity of my captor’s chest. I don’t know if I hit my target, but he stumbles and hisses out a breath.
“Stupid girl,” he growls, tightening his grip.
I draw in another breath, slow and deliberate, and place my hands on the backs of his upper thighs. Then, using every ounce of core strength I possess, I lift my body up, whimpering at the sting.
I slam my head against the back of his as hard as I can.
The pulsing agony makes my vision ripple like the surface of a pond.
I probably hurt myself more than him, but I think I took him by surprise. His grip on me falters momentarily, and I roll off his shoulder and hit the ground hard. Cement jolts my bones, and pain lances up my arms, but I’m moving before I even register it.
Shakily, I bring my hands to my blindfold and tear at the fabric, pushing it away from my eyes. I can’t undo the knot at the back of my head, but at least I can see. That’ll have to do for now.
We appear to still be inside, which is good. I don’t recognize these halls, but then again, I’m not surprised. Darling Academy is massive, with entire wings dedicated to the various personnel who work here and a separate building for visiting alphas.
Panic beats like a snare drum in my chest as I break into a run down a long, arched stone hallway full of shadows. The only light is provided by narrow slits—blue-tinged, which seems to mirror this desolate location.
I need to find someone, and quickly. They need to know that the Noths have infiltrated the academy. My mom and dad are here. My…my scent matches are here.
Oh god.
Have they already attacked the ballroom?
Was that their plan all along?
Is my family okay? Harper? My alphas?
I quicken my pace, my breaths escaping me in choppy pants, as I hear footsteps behind me. Multiple.
How many?
I try to focus my senses, the way we were taught at Eros Academy, but it’s difficult. I’m not truly an alpha, after all, even if I’m dressed as one.
Oh god.
Is Teddie their true target?
Did they grab me by mistake, thinking I’m him?
But no…the man holding me referred to me as “girl.” Despite my disguise, they know exactly who I am.
Caustic betrayal settles on my tongue.
Sam.
Sam did this.
But I can’t think of the beta who betrayed me. Not now. Not until I get help.
I run even faster, forcing my legs to carry me. I’m suddenly grateful for the strict training regimen the professors at Eros Academy put me through. I never would’ve been able to run this fast in my bodysuit beforehand.
A door looms before me, a beacon that promises me safety, and I reach for it, my arm extended, my fingers splayed—
Someone slams into me from behind, and I hit the ground. Hard.
Panic ricochets through my skull as a heavy body straddles my limp form and a mouth moves close to my ear.
“You can run all you like, little Princess, but we’ll always catch you.”
Rancid breath tickles my nose, and all at once, my bravado fades.
That voice…
Flashbacks barrage me once again.
The cage.
The taunting voices.
The cruel hands.
This man was there the last time I was taken. I would recognize that rough growl anywhere, like he smoked one too many cigarettes a day and now struggles to articulate a single word with his shrinking lungs.
Pedro.
Mom and Dad told me all of my captors had been disposed of.
They lied.
Of course they lied.
He’s here.
He has me.
I won’t be free.
I’ll never be free.
Someone picks me up and tosses me over a shoulder yet again like I’m nothing more than a rag doll. I’m belatedly aware of a rough arm clamping around my thighs, holding my legs still. Someone runs in front of me and reties my hands. Reapplies the blindfold.
I don’t fight back.
I can’t fight back.
I’m drowning.
Drowning.
Drowning.
Drowning.
And this time, I won’t be able to claw my way back to the surface.