Atortured roar pinged around in her head.
This couldn't be heaven. There wasn't supposed to be pain or tears in heaven.
"Leave her alone." The shout made her head pound. That was Kam. She burned to open her eyes, to scream for him, but her body refused. Why couldn't she move?
Agony scorched through her veins, ripping a high-pitched scream from her throat. And then the pain swallowed her whole, pulling her under again away from Kam.
Drip. Drip.
Taylor swayed back and forth. The scratch of rough fabric rubbed against her skin as she lulled from one side to the other. Where was she?
"Taylor?" Kam's voice broke. Taylor turned her head towards him, but couldn't see a thing. "Thank God," he whispered.
"Where are you?" she managed to push past her dry throat. Her tongue swiped over her cracked lips, a moan escaping when she moved her jaw.
"I'm over here." Kam's voice seemed to be far away.
"Why is it so dark?" Taylor's breaths started coming faster. "Why can't I see?"
"Taylor." The gentleness of Kam's voice anchored her in the swirling despair inside of her. "The lights are all off. We are in a cargo hold. I thought…" Kam's voice cracked. "You didn't wake up for so long. I thought they had killed you."
Taylor's heart broke for the anguish she heard in his. "I know how that feels."
"Taylor, I'm so sorry…"
"Don't, Kam." Taylor interrupted him. "I know now that you didn't have a choice."
"We always have a choice." Defeat rang in his tone.
"Neither choice they gave you would have brought you home right then. You chose to fight everyday since then. Please don't stop fighting now." A tear ran down her cheek. When she moved her arm to swipe it away, she was met with resistance. "I can't move my arms or legs."
"When I woke up you were in restraints attached to a cot." The clink of metal echoed in their darkened prison. She didn't feel metal against her wrist. Was Kam in chains?
"Kam, I…" The door banged open and light flooded into the space- temporarily blinding her.
"I see the delicate flower has finally woken up," Katarina sneered in a thick, accented voice.
"You keep your hands off of her," Kam growled.
Taylor turned her eyes towards Kam's voice. What the light exposed made her blood go cold. Kam was chained to the wall with his shirt torn in two, hanging off of his torso. There was an angry slash across his chest, but it was the scars that littered his body that made the breath shutter from her. The agony etched in those scars shattered her heart all over again for the man she loved.
He held her gaze communicating his willingness to suffer through it all again if it meant saving her. Her chin quivered as she mouthed, 'I love you.'
"Yes, well, isn't this just a perfect moment." Taylor glared at Katarina. "I see the flower has some thorns. Interesting."
A cool blade ran along Taylor's arm and the sting from the cut forced a whimper from her. "You can do whatever you want to me. Just leave her alone. I'm the one that everyone wants." Kam spoke with conviction like she would let him die before they got a chance to get out of here.
Katarina kackled. "Gregor, or should I call you Kambre?" Kam took a few harsh breaths through his nose. "Yes, I know who you are. It's my job to know my prey."
Kam gave a half laugh. "Don't you know Kambre King is dead?"
"Well then I must know how it is that you are still breathing." Katarina took two long strides to face Kam and yanked his hair back exposing his neck.
Taylor needed to figure a way out of these restraints. She tried to pull her hand through, but the nylon cord wouldn't give one bit. The edge of the strap dug into her skin.
"Lysander wants me alive." Kam strained against Sidorov's hold.
Taylor's eyes widened as Katarina scraped her blade up Kam's throat. "That old man died. Just like you both will."
