Important! This chapter contains a scene of violence which is slightly more than previous encounters, HOWEVER, I will still be keeping it PG13, it's just a warning for any particularly sensitive readers out there. There will also be some swearing in this section, but I don't like profanities in general, so I'll keep it to a minimum as much as possible, just enough to make it sound more realistic.

Right, onwards and upwards...

Chapter 17

I woke slowly, feeling incredibly disorientated. The back of my throat was dry and I felt weak and nauseous. My stomach was cramping badly, and my brain felt like it had a thick fog over it. What had happened? Where was I? I blinked, trying to make my mind work. Come on, wake up! I forced myself to take control of my limp body and I managed to open my eyes. But it was dark- I was blindfolded. I slowly realised that my hands and ankles were tied together as well and I had a gag over my mouth. What was happening?

I started struggling, trying to wriggle out of my bonds, to see over or under the blindfold, but to no avail. My heart lurched like it had been stabbed again. Again? When had I felt it before? I frowned, struggling with my sluggish mind, trying to work out what had happened. Slowly, bits and pieces came back to me. We went to the Visionary's room, looking for clues, but what had happened next? There was a prophesy about us, and we compared it to the other one, but then... Luc!

Luc?

I searched for his mind, but got nothing. Was he...?

Luc? Luc! Can you hear me?

A sudden bout of sickness grabbed me and I retched, trying to avoid being sick as it would probably only bring up stomach acid, since I hadn't eaten in a while. After I was done retching, my stomach cramped painfully and I groaned around the gag, hunching over in a ball to try and alleviate the pain. There was still nothing from Luc.

I kept struggling, trying everything I could to escape or even just loosen my ties. How long had it been exactly? If I was feeling this bad, it had to be more than a day... right? Unless... No, he couldn't be dead, I would feel it. Wouldn't I...? The thought of Luc caused my stomach to cramp, even worse this time, and a sense of dread settled with it as the pain got worse with every passing second. I was now in agony, unable to keep from groaning in pain.

"Luc!" I tried shouting with both my mind and my mouth. But one came out as a pathetic muffled groan through the gag and the other echoed uselessly in my head. It was as if I was talking to myself. There was no comforting presence of my Significant's mind and no answering call.

I was alone.

"Luc! Luc? Luc..." I kept shouting, my already muffled voice getting weaker and weaker with each unanswered call.

The tears streaming from my eyes soaked the blindfold and made no difference. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I thought it might fall out, my limbs were shaking uncontrollably, unable to support me even if I had been upright, my breaths came out in strangled gasps, my body was sending waves of pain rolling over me and my brain was no longer processing, just repeating his name, over and over and over and over and over and over and over again as I couldn't comprehend what my body knew.

He was dead. Nothing else could compare to the pain I was feeling; it was worse than all the pain I had felt that week I avoided Luc put together. It felt like my heart, along with every organ in my body, was being ripped out of my chest and squeezed by some unseen force. Either he was dead, or he was about to be.

No, Anna, you cannot think that way! I told myself sternly, beating down the urge to give up and cry for all eternity. I took several deep breaths, shouting at myself until I sat up. Okay, just think about escaping. Step one, you can do it. Just ignore the pain. But what was the point? He might not be dead. He was dead. What was the point in fighting? There's still a chance. If he's alive, you can save him. If not... you can find the bastards.

Ignoring the pain still radiating through my body and trying to stop the sobs being ripped from me, I tried opening my jaw even wider than it was already stretched to try and spit the gag out. Eventually, I managed to manoeuvre the rag out of my mouth. The tears still wouldn't stop streaming down my face. But I had to concentrate on escaping, so I wiggled one hand, trying to slip it out of the loop that tied them together. I hadn't been trying for more than a minute when I heard voices. Somehow, my brain was alert enough t realise that maybe if I pretended to still be unconscious, I might have the opportunity to eavesdrop. So I keeled over as quickly and as quietly as I could, hoping that they would assume the gag had fallen out in my sleep, since I had no idea where I had spat it, and my eyes were still covered.

The pain in my heart and chest got worse, suddenly, and I clamped my lips shut to prevent a groan of pain escaping. I could nearly hear their words.

"If she..."

"Don't worry, it won't..."

"I know, but... doing?"

"Come on, that won't happen. You worry too much, uncle."

Why did they sound so familiar? The voices were right outside the door. At least, I assumed I was in some sort of room. A set of keys rattled and the door creaked open. I ignored my throbbing body and concentrated on lying still and keeping my breathing slow and deep. Something dragged across the floor, along with one of the sets of footsteps.

"Not so close," the other voice from the door ordered.

"Shut up, uncle, I'm not stupid," the other replied, from close by. I gasped; it was Marcus? In the next second, I berated myself. Shut up! It seemed I was lucky- the noise from whatever was being dragged along with the reply of the other guy drowned it out. But why was I so surprised anyway? He had been after me from the beginning, so it shouldn't have surprised me that the kidnapping was his doing.

Luc's last moments kept swimming into my mind. The way he had looked surprised, just for a second, and then his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his face turned vacant and he collapsed. Don't think about that! I growled fiercely to myself.

I was yanked up from under my arms and put on what I assumed was a chair. I purposely kept my body floppy and unresponsive as my hands were untied and retied behind me and to the chair, and the same with my feet. I had to force down the impulse to kick him in a place that would hurt, but I knew from experience that I could never win a fight with him. Plus, there were two of them. So I made sure that I made no move, even when he brushed my bare skin accidentally and felt the burn of an offense mark. He, however, hissed in pain and withdrew his hand swiftly.

"Bitch," he muttered. Then: "shall I wake her up?"

"Yes, might as well do it now," the other voice replied, sounding bored.

"Wake up." He shook me roughly by my shoulder. "Hey, wake up!" Marcus shook me again, a little harder. "Stupid human," he muttered to himself, before I felt a hard slap on my face. I gasped at the dual stinging from the slap and the burn of the offense mark. "Ah, you're awake," Marcus' mocking voice stated. The blindfold was untied and taken away, but the light was too bright, so it took a few seconds to register the scene in front of me. When I did, my heart shattered into a million pieces.

"LUC!" I screamed, seeing his body sprawled on the floor in front of Marcus. He was deathly pale and completely motionless.

"No. Nonononono NO!" I sobbed, unable to think coherently. "Luc," I cried, choking on my tears. He was right in front of me, but I still got nothing from him, no hint of his unconscious mind, no tingling feeling at his presence. I was right; he was dead.

My throat closed up, and I knew I was going to die with him. I wasn't as strong as Caleb's gran, I couldn't carry on like Luc's grandpère had, I couldn't do it. I couldn't live without Luc. I was going to die too, whether it was by Marcus' hands or if I got out of this alive, which was unlikely. The pain in my body had multiplied beyond all proportions and I didn't even care about my own pain, just the fact that half of me was dead.

The guy by the door, who I vaguely recognised as Sikes from my first dream, rolled his eyes. "I'm bored of this," he sighed, leaning against the door post and crossing his arms. "Just tell her," he told Marcus, who shrugged evilly.

"I don't know," he smirked, "I'm rather enjoying the show. Let's let it wait a few minutes." Sikes made no reply, just shrugged, as if to say 'have it your way'.

But I wasn't taking any notice of it. I was gasping, my vision obscured my tears, and I vaguely heard, as if from underwater, my own cries of anguish. I screamed Luc's name over and over, even though I knew he could no longer hear me. "Why?" I sobbed, finally giving in to the pain and letting my head hang, hair obscuring my face. My eyes slid shut as I began to fall into the blackness. But I couldn't. Because there was a voice in my head that I could no more ignore than the need to breathe. It was small.

Revenge...

Would Luc want me to avenge him?

Revenge.

The voice was louder now. I had nothing to lose; I had to stop Marcus from hurting anyone else, as well as getting revenge.

Revenge!

I lifted my head and stared at Marcus through the pain. If looks could murder... I couldn't stop the outpouring of hate and loathing, nor did I want to. I would take revenge; I would stop him if it cost my life. Because I had no desire to outlive this.

"I hate you," I hissed, my voice cracking. My hands balled into shaking fists as I began to try and free myself as inconspicuously and quickly as I could.

Marcus stared at me appraisingly, observing me with mild interest. "I really don't care, but I must admit, I must admire your strength of hatred. I can practically feel it from here."

Through my haze, I noticed something was wrong. He was acting a little differently than when I saw him last. Obviously, he wasn't trying to kill me this time, but it was more than that. The last times we had met, it had felt like he was in charge. This time, it was almost as if he was waiting for a superior to come in and take over. I glanced at Sikes, but he didn't look like the leader of the two, let alone someone who Marcus would answer to. So what was it?

"Come closer and I'll show you my hatred," I spat, still working on my hands. It had been hastily tied, so was just loose enough to wiggle my hands. I was slowly, but surely, freeing myself. Who knew what would happen when I got free. "Why are we keeping her alive again?" Marcus asked casually, leaning towards me, smirking. I spat right in his smug face, before another round of pain forced me to double over slightly. I resisted the urge to groan in the pain that I guessed would always be with me, not willing to show Marcus any more weakness.

"You bitch!" he screamed, spinning around and slapping me, hard. My head snapped to the side, and I could already feel a bruise, as well as an offense mark, begin to bloom on my face. I grimaced in pain, my head staying to the side, for a moment. Then, jaw shaking, I deliberately lifted my chin and defiantly presented the other side of my face, daring him to slap me again. I was distracting him successfully; my hands were almost free. He saw my act of defiance, raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and raised his hand again, ready to hit the other side.

"Do it!" I hissed, and his hand descended to my face with a crack. My hands were free. But how was I going to untie my legs?

"You still defiant, little human?" he mocked, smirking down at his handiwork.

"Always, you bastard," I snarled, smiling viciously. "Why don't you just kill me now?" I challenged.

Marcus took a step forward, but he was stopped by Sikes' hand on his arm. "You know we can't," he spoke in an undertone.

"That's right; heel little doggy," I mocked. "Your master won't let you kill the little human? Poor you."

"That's it!" Marcus snarled, but instead of lunging for me, he walked purposely over to Luc's body and kicked him viciously.

"No!" I shouted. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach as well. Although he was just kicking a body, I couldn't see him hurt Luc, even if he was-

Luc groaned.

I froze. I stopped breathing, I stopped moving, I stopped blinking, and it felt like my heart stopped beating for a few seconds, although it must have only skipped a beat. "Luc..." I choked.

He was alive? How was that possible? He hadn't looked like he was breathing; he hadn't even moved an inch in all the time he was in the room. He had looked dead. And even when he was asleep, I had been able to sense his presence before, could feel his mind. But even now, although he was right in front of me, clearly alive, there was still nothing. My head spun and my heart felt like it would burst. I knew that we were by no means out of the woods yet; in fact we were further in, but he was alive and that was all that mattered right now.

"Aw, the little human thought he was dead. I didn't like to correct you," Marcus taunted, half lifting Luc by his arms and shaking him. "Now. Care to repeat your acts of insolence?"

I suddenly realised that someone need us both alive, which meant Marcus could not kill either of us. "Screw you." I was not going down without a fight.

"Are you sure?" Marcus stared me down, a just barely-conscious Luc in his arms. I glared back, biting my lip. Could I take the risk that any defiance from me wouldn't be taken out on Luc? In the end I had no choice; I couldn't let Luc be harmed. I looked away, a sour taste in my mouth at the sight of Marcus' triumphant smirk. Marcus dropped Luc back on the floor, where he fell on the hard concrete with an audible thump that resonated in me and seemed to jar my bones.

Luc groaned again, his eyelids fluttering as he attempted to open his eyes, and I saw him lift his head. Suddenly, Marcus turned and, pulling Luc up by his shirt, punched him in the face.

"No!" I shrieked, lurching forward at Luc's cry of pain. Seeing him being hurt felt like I was being hurt; it was as if I was punched in the face with him. It was now or never; I couldn't sit and watch Luc being beaten up in front of my eyes.

I pulled my arms from behind my back and lifted up the chair so the ropes around my ankles fell to the floor and I was no longer bound to it. I staggered towards Marcus, who looked shocked for a second, before I got to him and punched him as hard as I could. He bent over, winded, and I took that chance to drop to the floor where Luc was lying. He was barely awake, but his eyelids were fluttering.

I heard movement and realised I had to fight my way out. Marcus charged for me, but I was ready, and sidestepped out of the way of his charging hands. But I was still weak and dizzy from the drugs I figured they had given me, and I stumbled before I could take advantage of Marcus' miss. He whirled around and pushed me over before I had time to regain my balance, and I fell hard onto the floor. I struggled to get up, but Marcus viciously kicked me down again and I fell with a cry. He pulled Luc up and smiled.

"All this time I was going for the wrong one. I can give you indescribable pain by hurting the one you love," he sneered, shaking Luc, who was beginning to regain more of his senses. He tried to struggle, but was too weak to escape Marcus.

Marcus punched Luc in the jaw, and this time, there was no doubt; Luc's pain was my own pain. I collapsed to the ground, holding my jaw in agony.

"That was for trying to punch me earlier," he told him. Marcus pushed Luc until he fell on the ground. I could hear the smack his body made as it connected with the hard surface. I cried out in pain with him, tears streaming down my face.

"That was because you imprinted," he continued. "And this-"

"Enough." A quiet voice spoke from the doorway, preventing Marcus' next punch and causing him to drop Luc with a sullen expression. Whimpering in pain, I crawled over to where Luc was lying.

I reached where he was lying and saw he had his eyes shut. "Luc," I gasped. I brushed some of the dirt on his face away with my fingers. "Luc, wake up," I panicked.

His eyelashes fluttered and his eyes opened. "Anna," he whispered.

"You're okay, Luc, oh g... I thought you were- I... Luc," I sobbed.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here," he replied softly.

"Touching," Marcus sneered. Luc lifted his head slightly to look over at the door, where Marcus was standing next to the ringleader. Luc's face suddenly drained of colour as he saw the man before him. Dread filled me as I recognised who it was.

It couldn't be...

Mwahahahaha!

Haha, did I scare you guys? ;) I wanted to keep you in suspense... silly Anna for assuming Luc was dead before she knew.

I UPDATED EARLY! (for once!) are you guys proud of me? Um, no, you probably all want to kill me... anyway, sorry about the slightly shorter chapter, I felt it was better to split it up into two chapters (yeah and, let's face it, you all love a good cliffie...) and hopefully this ending is slightly less horrible than the last one, because you know Luc is alive? No? Cliffhangers are spawn of the devil, oh, okay then... (I made this one even more nasty, in my first draft you found out who it was this chapter, but I feel mean today...) WHO DO YOU THINK IT IS?

Next update will be...um... sometime in the future... I need to write an essay and revise for exams and Christmas and stuff so I'm not really sure when it will be, sorry. If you get an early update, you'll know I've given up studying! But I will do my very best to resolve the cliffie as soon as I can, or you guys will murder me...

Merry Christmas! :D If I don't update between now and 2015, happy New Year as well! :)

Until next time... mwahahahaha! :) (sorry, can't resist the evil laughs today)