Chapter 36 - Threats
I was trapped. Trapped in my body, trapped in this cabin. Emotions rolled through me, a confusing mass of anger, fear, pain, defeat, sadness, depression and many more. My trademark optimism and quirkiness was gone, destroyed.
And I could do nothing but lie here, propped against a wall, unable to move. Like Paul. My eyes whipped around the room, searching for the chains that had wrapped around his body. I thought I could see them to my left, but I couldn't see him.
Panic grew rapidly, and somehow I found the strength to lurch forward towards the back wall. I was possessed. I had to know where he was. I had to see him, know that he was okay. It was all I cared about.
Squeezing my mouth shut to prevent myself from exclaiming at the pain when I moved, I ever so slowly crawled across the floor. My stomach dragged across the wood, my arms aching, a blue-green bruise colouring my right forearm. But I had eyes only for the back wall. Inch by inch the masses of chains came into view, haphazardly strewn across the floor.
But I couldn't find Paul. When I finally reached the wall, what felt like hours later, he was nowhere to be found. My hands tore at the chains, flinging them away as if I might find him buried underneath. But eventually I had to conclude that he wasn't there.
The knowledge was crushing. Was this what imprinting was all about? The feeling of incompleteness, of being alone when they weren't with you? The worry that was snaking through me as I wondered where he was? I struggled to pull myself together. I tried not to think of all the terrible reasons he was gone, but they were sneaking into my brain.
I was playing with the chains now, twisting one through my hands anxiously as I thought. Though it was painful to move, the urge to do something overcame the ache in my arms. I tried shaking my head to get rid of my thoughts, but that only made me dizzy. Slumping forwards so that I was lying on my stomach, I was on the verge of tears, but the sane part of me rebelled. Mentally slapping myself in my face, that part was screaming at me to stop thinking about a guy that a couple days ago had attacked me.
I probably would have gone to war with myself over Paul, if I hadn't been surprised by a voice in my ear. It jerked me from my daydreaming, his words laced with his usual cruelty.
'Did you miss me?' I turned my head in the direction of his voice, and was slightly startled to find him lying next to me. I'd known he was close, but still. I wasn't quite sure what expression I had on my face, but he seemed intrigued.
'What's that expression for, Chloe?' I flinched at his use of my name, but refused to respond, turning my head away to stare in the other direction. My hands were clenching the chain now, gripping it as if it were keeping me alive. His hand flashed forward, gripping my chin, and turning my head forcefully to look back at him. Somehow he'd managed to move even closer to me, so that his face was just inches from mine.
'Don't look away from me. I'm talking.' He released his hand, and I fought the urge to turn away again. But I couldn't stop myself from making a retort.
'I know you're talking. I'm ignoring you.' Somehow I managed not to avert my eyes as I said it, fuelled by my overload of emotions. They were obviously also controlling my brain, because antagonising him really wasn't a good idea. Our eye contact meant that I was able to watch with silent fear as anger bloomed in his eyes, and his expression changed to the cold, deadly face that meant violence was coming. Unable to look at him any longer, I turned my head once more.
In a flurry I found myself flipped onto my back, with him on top of me. I wanted to slap myself for being such an idiot. Why did I have to say that? Memories of the last time I had been pinned like this were fresh in my mind. As my breaths turned into pants, and his mouth moved to my neck, I felt a scream build up inside of me.
'I would bite you right now for that. Your blood, so delectable, with the delicious bonus of enhancing by strength and skills, increasing my power. The rush is intoxicating.' His lips were cold on my ear, and I trembled, whimpering. His voice had that hair-raising edge that screamed danger, and sent shivers through me, sending my brain into a frenzy so that I barely understood his words.
'But there's somewhere we have to be.' While the knowledge that I'd somehow managed to avoid being bitten was a relief, I wasn't comforted by his words.
'But don't worry. I'll get to taste you again soon enough.' I had no response to that. Temporarily stunned with fear, I was surprised when I was suddenly lifted, and I had barely registered that I was in his arms again before we out the door, and the world was speeding by.
We skidded to a stop not long after leaving, and my eyes flew open as he deposited me on the ground. It was dark, and I couldn't make out anything. Crashing waves were audible, and I cocked my head to listen to them, confused. Surely we were still in the woods? A ridiculous idea popped into my head, and I spun my head to look at Demetri, or in the direction I thought he was standing.
'Are we-?' I was cut off by his hand covering my mouth, turning the rest of my sentence into a series of unidentifiable sounds. That was all the answer I needed.
We were at the reservation. The thought fuelled me with energy, and I struggled to escape his hold, flailing my limbs. The instant I moved the ache returned, burning in my arms and legs. His hand muffled my protests and exclamations of pain, and I fought for only seconds before I found myself thrown into a tree.
My head was slammed into the trunk, and I gasped at the pain, as a throbbing head ache bloomed into life. The world was just a black blur now, vertigo setting in as his hand once again wrapped around my throat, holding me off the ground.
'Unless you want to be punished again, I suggest you stay quiet and don't move.' He was disturbingly excited about the prospect of punishing me, and I cringed. My burst of strength had gone, leaving me limp and aching as he held me up. Already breathless, I mutely choked as he blocked my windpipe. Fortunately, he soon released me, at which point I crumpled, collapsing on the ground in a severe state of confusion.
He picked me up, once again silencing me with a hand over my mouth, with the other arm wrapped around my waist. I had closed my eyes in an attempt to stop the dizziness, but to no avail. I barely noticed as we moved once more, focussed only on the piercing head ache, and wanting it to stop.
Eventually, I noticed the dull red glow that was seeping through my eyelids. It was faint, but curiosity got the better of me, and I peeled open my eyes. It took me a few seconds to figure out what I was looking at. Peering through the few trees that hid us, eventually I figured out that the light I was looking at was a bonfire. I could see the silhouettes of people gathered around it, the brightness of the flames reflecting of the nearby water.
Despite it being a familiar scene, it wasn't until I'd been staring at the group for almost a minute that it clicked. My eyes flew open, and I would have gasped if I'd been able to. We were at a pack meeting! At first hope filled me, but it soon filtered away as a dreadful realisation dawned. For I could think of only one reason why Demetri would be here, and it wasn't to hand me over.