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EMILY
“What were you thinking, boy? You brought a witch into this pack without knowing who she is or what she’s capable of.” A gruff voice penetrated the fog in my mind.
I groaned and tried to touch my forehead where an angry headache was building. My eyes flew open when I couldn’t move my hands. Pain instantly flooded my senses. I tried to speak, but it came out sounding more like “Mmmph.” I couldn’t close my jaw or move my lips and panic gripped my chest. Fibers scratched my gums, and my cheeks felt raw.My breath rasped against the material of a gag and no amount of pushing with my tongue made it move. My heart pounded in my ears, my stomach churned, and a black haze clawed at my vision. What the hell?
I pulled against the force holding my wrists and flinched at the rawness there. A rough rope circled my wrists and ankles, and every time I moved, it dug deeper into my flesh. The panic grew and nausea mixed with the pain. Where am I? I wanted to scream but my gut told me to stay quiet. Where’s Cassian? Griffin?I yanked against the rope again. Tears stung my eyes and bile scratched my throat. Fear pumped through my veins.
My jaw hurt when I attempted to maneuver the gag out of my mouth again, it felt like razor blades carving against the soft skin. Everything hurt, and I groaned as the headache grew. I was still in the same clothes; my jeans were dirty and there were splatters of blood on my long sleeve shirt. Blood? Is this my blood? A whimper escaped and the room around me tilted. Do not pass out, Emily! Calm down, look around and find a way out!
“I know, Victor. Word on the street is that she’s the one who caused the chaos in the city—the fire. Two of the guys who were on Griffin’s trail said she had a hand in those two fae guys’ deaths too. And I saw her with Griffin at NYU.” That voice... I knew that voice from somewhere. Why was it so familiar? Where did I know that voice from? The last thing I could remember was walking back to the dorm after the trip and then… and then this man's voice. After that, nothing.
I looked around, taking in as much as possible through the throbbing pain in my head. I was tied to a chair in what seemed like a small wooden cabin or room. There was a door on the far side in front of me. If I could just get there, maybe I could run… No, that’s where the voices were coming from. There were candles on the floor and in sconces on the wall, wax dripping slowly. A strange, sweet smell filled the air, like lavender and something else. The room was empty except for the chair and the candles; there was one window high on the wall, too high for me to see out of. What kind of medieval place is this?
I tried to wriggle my wrists, but there was no give on the ropes and the more I moved, the more it hurt. Come on, Em. Think! You need to get out, these people are clearly not friendly. There was nothing around me that could help, and with my hands and feet tied, I couldn’t do much.
“Why didn’t you just bring Griffin? We’ve been looking for him for ages!” The gruff voice boomed. “Why did you bring the witch here? If she is the same witch that everyone is talking about, she’s going to attract too much attention. You know I don’t like attention on my pack.”
“I know where Griffin is now, I’ll get him. As for the girl, her powers won’t be a problem; I’ve got that mix burning in there with her. Just think about it, Victor, we’ve had that redheaded bitch breathing down our necks for weeks; she wants war and the only reason she hasn’t killed us… or worse, is because we are useful for now. What happens when she runs out of errands?” The familiar man’s voice deepened. “We could use the little witch. If she’s strong, maybe their queen would be interested in a little bargain.”
Queen? What was he talking about? The experience with the Ancient One flashed in my mind; the redhead must be Samara. Memories from my conversation with the hag trickled in—the werewolf curse and how she punished an entire species to shift in the most painful way because of her daughter and the need for power. Griffin’s name conjured up images of his hard, gray eyes. Cassian’s face soon followed. I groaned. Two mates. Two completely different guys that happen to be my werewolf mates.
My frustration stopped short, and I straightened. They know Griffin, they’re looking for Griffin—are my kidnappers werewolves? But why would Samara be working with werewolves? Fear started to claw its way up my chest, and—ignoring the pain—I started wiggling my wrists, hoping the ropes would eventually loosen a bit. Dread curled in my stomach, I was too weak. I looked around, fighting the haze in my mind while trying to figure out how to get out of here. Another memory slammed into me—lying on the floor in the library with flames bursting from my fingers. You’re a witch…
My powers! Concentration pulled at my brows but as I reached for my fire power and came up empty. They were there, but it was like they were locked up like I was.
I barely breathed as I tried to listen to their conversation. It sounded like they were right by the door, and I didn’t dare make a sound.
“Fine, have Gray deliver the offer to the redhead. She’s probably the only person on Earth who doesn’t own a goddamn cellphone—pain in my ass,” The gruff man muttered. “This is my only warning, Kellan. You keep that girl in check. If she causes any shit, I will make you pay for it. Don’t tell the others that she’s here. The only way to bargain is to have her alive, and you know how they feel about witches.” I heard footsteps shuffle and come to a halt, and I could almost see the man stop and turn back. “Keep that shit burning. I don’t care what you do to her, but she stays alive. And get your brother; he has a lot to answer for.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get him,” The second man said as footsteps retreated.
Brother? Griffin is this man’s brother?My mouth dried around the gag at the thought of him. Would he look for me? Would he even care that I was gone? That night when he’d held me as I slept was the sweetest he’d ever been, but that wasn’t saying much. I thought about Cassian and how worried he must be. How long have I been here?No matter how hard I tried to remember past the kidnapping, I couldn’t; it was just an impenetrable black fog. Tears threatened to spill. I missed Peaches, I missed Cassian, hell, I even missed Griffin and Morgan. I just want my old life back!
I groaned in frustration at all the emotions swirling in my mind, at the ropes that wouldn’t loosen, and at the pain in my head. A scream pushed up my throat, but I swallowed it. Instead, I was drowning in my frustration. I could feel my powers; I could feel them writhing and begging to be set free. Fire and water slammed against the wall in my mind, hissing whenever they touched. An ache trailed from my head down my spine as they roiled. Why can’t I use my powers? Escape was right there! Right at my fingertips, but I couldn’t get there. A sob pushed against the gag. I’m going to die here…
The door suddenly flew open and crashed against the wall. I stilled as a man filled the entire doorway. He was huge. His chest was covered by a dirty, thin vest leaving his arms exposed. They were as big as tree trunks, scars decorated almost every part of his flesh. My eyes traveled to his shoulders—broad and tanned—and then to his neck where a vein pulsed under the skin. When I got to his face, my eyes widened. If the gag wasn’t in my mouth, I would have gasped. The resemblance was clear; it was as if Griffin stood in front of me, just a little older. This man, Kellan, had the same strong jawline but his was covered in thick stubble. His hair was pulled up into a messy bun, but it was the same color as Griffin’s. The only feature that was completely different was his eyes; Griffin’s were gray, and even though he wasn’t friendly, they still held some warmth to them. Kellan’s eyes were green, cold and emotionless; if eyes were the windows to the soul, he had no soul. His lips pulled up into a smirk, stretching the scar that ran from his lip to his neck.
“Hello, pretty girl. I was starting to think you’d never wake up.” He growled deeply. I didn’t move, I barely breathed. He walked toward me and I wanted to pull away, to disappear into the wood surrounding us. “I’m going to remove your gag. Be a good girl and don’t make a scene. I’d hate to see you splattered on the walls.”
Despite the fear that had settled deep in my stomach, I straightened my back and fixed a steely gaze on him. Play along, if he untied me I could find a way out. His fingers were surprisingly cold against my neck as he untied the gag. He smelled like pine and soil and something dark. The material came loose and relief flooded me as I moved my jaw. It hurt, and the metallic tang of blood laced my tongue as I licked my lips. There was a fresh cut on my lower lip that stung when my tongue touched it.
“Who are you and why am I here? What did you do to me?” My voice was surprisingly steady, a complete contrast to how I felt. I knew who he was, but my instincts told me to keep my eavesdropping to myself.
He chuckled and knelt in front of me, his eyes level with mine. “I’ll ask the question and, if you behave, I’ll answer yours.” His hand darted forward, and his thumb stroked my lip. The cut burned at his touch, and I pulled my head away. “What’s your name, pretty girl?”
My lip curled in a sneer. “Don’t call me that. You kidnapped me, you should know who I am.”
“Attitude. I like it.” He stood and walked behind me. A second later he appeared with an identical wooden chair and sat where he’d been kneeling a moment ago. “Let’s try this again. My name is Kellan.” He held out his hand as if to shake mine; I glared at it. “Oh, shit. I would untie you but the first time didn’t go so well.” His eyes flicked to my lip.
“The first time?”
Kellan nodded and chuckled again. “You don’t remember, pretty girl? You put up quite a fight, strong for such a little thing. The bruises will fade. I had to knock you out. You were making a scene and the rest of my pack aren’t as friendly as I am. You’re lucky our little cabin isn’t close to the camp, otherwise we would’ve had company, and I don’t like sharing.”
“How long have I been here?” I asked.
“A few days, maybe a week. You’ve been asleep for most of it.”
A week! Even though the guys couldn’t track me through the bond, surely Morgan could help, or they could’ve picked up my scent or something. “Are you going to kill me?”
