Chapter 43
A faint creaking sound tickled my ears, and I tried to open my eyes to find the source. But my eyes wouldn’t obey. They felt so incredibly heavy. As if tiny gremlins sat on my lashes, forcing them closed.
My mouth tasted like death, painfully dry and sick tasting. I smacked my lips, trying to clear it, but it was no use.
I tried again to open my eyes. There was some part of me that was panicked, commanding me to do it now. To run.
My brow furrowed. Why did I need to run?
I searched my mind, attempting to put the pieces together. Everything I looked through felt just the slightest bit fuzzy. And then it slammed into me.
Connor, my first friend at Castle Prep Academy. The smiling, easygoing face in my homeroom. He’d tricked me.
I remembered his face crumpling, his whispered apology. Someone grabbing me from behind. The prick of a needle.
My eyes flew open, my heart pounding and breathing shallow.
I lay on a cot in a cold room. The wool blanket beneath me was scratchy against my cheek. I glanced down at my body. I wore the same sweats I’d changed into after gym class. Nothing seemed out of place.
Searching myself for injuries, I didn’t see evidence of any. I quickly did a mental inventory, taking stock of any pain. My head thrummed, and nausea churned in my stomach, but that was it.
Breath left my lungs on a whoosh. Sweet relief, knowing things could be so much worse. If they were going to kill me, they would’ve already.
That relief was short-lived as I looked around the space.
It wasn’t just a room. It was a cell. It had that same dark, dank feel as the place Damien had kept me, but this room was different.
One wall was actually made up of iron bars.
The others were constructed of stone. Large, brick-like pieces that were built into the ground.
There was a tiny window near the ceiling that had bars on it, too. I swung up to sitting, pushing to my feet, needing to see what was outside. The world around me swam, and I cursed. Apparently, my body wasn’t quite ready for prime time.
I grabbed on to the wall to steady myself as black dots danced across my vision. I focused on breathing in slowly through my nose and out through my mouth. I couldn’t let the panic grab hold.
I stayed like that for I don’t know how long. Just focusing on my inhales and exhales.
Eventually, the worst of the dizziness subsided. I carefully opened my eyes. The room around me didn’t blur or pitch this time. “Slowly,” I commanded myself.
Pushing off the wall, I took a few steps. Everything held up okay.
I moved a little quicker this time as I made my way to the window. I peered up, trying to see as much as I could. All I could glimpse were trees. A mixture of different types, but thick, like we were in a forest.
Worrying the corner of my lip, I switched positions, attempting to get a new vantage point. Just more trees.
I let out a growl of frustration, but then I saw a flicker of movement. It was coming from the sky above. I gasped as I saw two massive dragons take to the sky. One was green and one was purple. They were stunning, absolutely majestic. But my stomach dropped.
I was on dragon lands. My mind whirled. It should’ve been my first guess, given Connor’s involvement with my kidnapping. But I’d so believed he was on our side.
My eyes stung, a mixture of frustration and grief. I shoved down the sobs that tried to surge to the surface. I didn’t have time to break. I had to find a way out of here before it was too late.
I closed my eyes, searching for the magic within me. The ball of colored energy swirling within me filled my mind. I grabbed hold of the golden strand, but it wouldn’t budge. I tried again. Nothing.
My eyes flew open as a new panic swept through me. I remembered Colt telling me that the jail The Assembly ran had cells that blocked any magic or supernatural abilities. This place had to have the same sort of setup.
I slammed my hand against the wall, the brick stinging my palm. But the pain was a welcome relief. It reminded me that I was still alive. That I still had something to fight for.
My guys.
Tears fell then. There was nothing I could do to stop them.
Colt, my best friend turned so much more.
Ronan, the gruff stoic hiding that heart of gold.
Dash, the gentle genius with a secret dominant side.
Declan, the beloved one hiding his deep soulfulness.
And Trace. My broken boy, full of pain but equally as full of love.
I’d do anything for them. And right now, that meant I had to fight.
Swiping away the tears from my cheeks, I searched the cell. I crossed to the bars and tested the lock. Solid. There wasn’t much to see in the rest of the dungeon. Just empty cells.
I turned back to the window, studying the bars there. It was far from reach, but I wondered if I found a way up there, if I could squeeze through the bars. I was on the smaller side. It might work.
Hurrying back to the cot, I studied the frame. It might be possible to stand it on one end and use it as a sort of ladder. I just had no idea how I would climb up it.
I dropped to my knees, studying the underside of the bed. I felt along the frame, trying to see if there was anything I could grab hold of. There were a few bars that might do the trick.
Something sounded from down the hall, and I jerked upright. A key in a lock, maybe? Rusted metal creaked, and I shot to my feet. My heart hammered in my chest as I took up a loose fighting stance. I could hear Cillian and Dash in my head. Light on my toes. Ready for anything.
The space was so dark it was hard to make out faces. But four shadowy figures appeared. And a familiar voice spoke.
“Ah, the abomination is awake.”