Hey y'all! I was hoping to get this chapter up sooner, but some things got in the way of that! Hope you enjoy and drop a review!

For those of you that celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! For those of you that don't, but celebrate other holidays around this time, Happy Holidays!

It was dark when I woke up. I knew before I moved that I was bound by something. The ache in my arms was more than enough to tell me, and the rope they used was itchy and rough against my skin. I cursed silently. It was only going to leave new marks. I tugged helplessly against the rope, even though I knew it was pointless, and I wasn't going to be getting out of it any time soon.

The room was cold, and I shivered as the air conditioner kicked on, making the room chillier. Air brushed against my bare forearms, and it was then that I noticed I had been stripped down to my bra and underwear.

A single light, a lightbulb swinging above my head, flicked on, and I winced at the bright light.

When the door's bolt slid back and opened, I braced myself. I tried not to think about which one I would rather see. The door was too far away for me to see clearly, but I knew from height alone that it wasn't—

"Hello, Rose," the man said. He still stood outside the ring of light, but it didn't matter. I had already seen his face, and I was keen on not forgetting it this time.

"Gallagher," I snapped. "Fuck you."

"Is that really the best language to be using right now? After all, I am the one holding you. The one who controls what happens. The one who controls this."

A sharp pain shot through me as a blade cut through the skin on the back of my thigh. I jerked, trying to get away from the blade before it could make a deeper cut. I didn't get very far and felt the point of the blade against my leg, not deep enough to do anything. Gallagher hadn't moved, and if I squinted hard enough, I could just barely make out the smirk on his face.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm not the villain who is going to spill their master plan," he snarled. "I know Belikov is closing in, but I'm not going to let him anywhere near you."

Dimitri.

"It was smart," Gallagher continued. "Hiding that Apple Watch in your bra. But not smart enough. Did you truly think that we wouldn't search you?"

"Fuck you."

His head tilted, and the blade made another cut, this one deeper. I whimpered.

I could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. "This is going to be so much fun."

The blade moved again, deeper and harder, and the world went black.

I didn't how much time had passed when I woke up again. I was sitting on a metal chair now, and there was rope tying my ankles to the legs of the chairs, and my arms were tied behind my back with the same rope. The light was on when I woke up, and I sat there shivering. It didn't take long for Gallagher to walk back in the door, but I still didn't see her.

"Hello again Rose," he said with a sneer. "If that's all it takes to make you pass out, then we might need to slow our roll. I want you to suffer."

I felt the coldness of the blade a split second before I felt the sting of the cut as it grazed my shoulder blade. The pain flared hot and bright, and it didn't fade as I felt the blood run down my back. I bit my lip from retorting and chose to glare at him instead.

"Not talkative today?"

I still didn't say anything, but it didn't matter as the blade made another cut.

"I will shed some light for you, Rose," he said, stepping far enough into the room that I could clearly see his face. "The Dragons are powerful. We've been around for some time; there are so many strings that we can pull. Strings that we're pulling now."

He gestured behind me, where I knew she was standing again. I could smell the perfume she always wore. But I refused to look behind me. I refused to look her in the eye as she made another cut.

The cuts were still shallow, nothing that would require medical attention beyond an alcohol wipe. But I still felt the blood trickling down my back, and if I looked down, I was sure that I would see a puddle starting to form.

"The world is our game, Rose," Gallagher continued. "And you're just a pawn. Just like my little helper. She's been so good for us, Rose. Helping us with everything, telling us everything. Her parents stood with us once, and we couldn't pass up the opportunity for her to stand with us too."

"You're lying. They would have never condoned any of this. I knew them." I snapped my mouth shut as soon as the words left, and he smirked.

"Just like you knew your parents?" He laughed coldly. "Janine went too easily. But Abe, oh, we made him scream."

"Don't you talk about my parents!" I surged at the ropes holding me as if I could break them with sheer strength, even though I knew it was futile.

"You're not calling the shots." He nodded again, and the tip of the blade dug into my hip.

I couldn't contain my cry, and the ropes rubbed against my wrists as I jerked to get away from the blade. "Please!"

"Oh, how I've missed your begging," he murmured. He stepped closer to me, within reach, and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Enjoy your high."

I felt the pinch of the needle in my neck and the weird feeling of drugs spreading through my system. The world went blurry before going black again.

I could tell I was dreaming immediately, potentially hallucinating even. Dimitri was in front of me, his face full of pain.

"Roza. It's okay," he said. "I'm here. I'm going to get you out of here."

"Dimitri," I slurred, the illusion of Dimitri starting to flicker. "Please."

"I'm coming for you. I'm going to save you."

I woke with a jerk, covered in a cold sweat. I was shaking, withdrawal from whatever drug already setting in. There was a cold sweat covering my body, making the ropes drag harder against my skin every time I moved. Nausea rolled through my stomach as the bolt slid back and the door opened.

Lissa entered first. She had a bucket in one hand, a washcloth draped over her arm, and a bowl in the other. She didn't meet my eyes as she stepped forward underneath the light that was still swinging above me. She used the washcloth to wipe the sweat off my forehead, and nausea swept through me at her touch. She held the bucket out right as I started to gag before throwing up the meager amount that was in my stomach.

"Rose," she said. "You need to eat."

I just glared at her, not responding.

She set the bucket down and brought the bowl closer. I could smell the soup as it got closer and nearly gagged again. I locked my jaw tight, refusing to allow her to shove the spoon between my lips. The spoon jerked, and soup splashed over me. It was lukewarm, and I flinched as it hit my skin.

She sighed and dumped the soup into the bucket before pulling out a syringe. I barely felt the poke, and my eyes didn't leave her. She picked up the bucket as I started to feel the effects of the drug she injected.

"Fuck you," I snarled. She glanced at me one last time, the ghost of sorrow in her eyes, before the door was shut and bolted again.

I don't know how I was staring at the door before it opened again. I was tired, wanting to just pass out, but I couldn't.

I thought Gallagher had walked in, based on the height, until he came closer and I saw the soft brown eyes staring at me.

"Roza," he whispered. He went behind me to start untying the ropes, and I could just barely feel his fingers brushing against my wrists.

"Dimitri. Please."

"It's okay, Roza," he said. "It's going to be okay."

I heard Gallagher's laugh before I saw him. Dimitri stopped untying the ropes to stand in front of me. The ropes didn't feel any looser, no matter how much I tugged.

"Don't touch her," Dimitri snarled. "It's over."

Gallagher laughed again. "It's never going to be over. Neither of you are leaving here alive."

Gallagher lunged at Dimitri, but he was ready and dodged his attack. The pair circled each other while I kept tugging on my ropes, the pain burning sharply, even through whatever drug Lissa had given me.

"Dimitri," I whimpered.

He glanced back at me for a second, and Gallagher took the open shot. He must have used all his weight because Dimitri stumbled, and that was all it took to overpower Dimitri. They were wrestling for control just inside the ring of light coming from the lightbulb, and Dimitri almost had the upper hand when I saw the gleam of the silver blade.

"Dimitri!"

His eyes went wide as the blade plunged into his abdomen, and I screamed.

I felt the pinprick of another needle, and finally, the world went black.

Some of you may have noticed that I've removed Chasing Hearts and The Proof of His Love from my profile. This is because I am reworking both of those stories to change a few things and then will hopefully start posting the updated version in the new year!