May and Meg preread this for me, and ceceprincess is the inspo!
Pain.
It brings awareness, ricocheting through my body and sending my mind into a tailspin. My head pounds and my muscles burn. I try to shift, but my arms are locked taut above my head. I fight, yanking and bucking, but it's futile.
Darkness surrounds me.
The smell of putrid dirt and rot permeates the air.
My mind races.
As it all comes rushing back, I'm bombarded with color.
Yellow worry, red love, green life.
My cubs!
Bella.
After the initial onslaught, our bond settles into a dull blue as her panic and fear batter me in questioning waves. She's far, so very far away. My body aches with every flinch, my head pounding, but I try to reassure her.
I'm alive.
I'm here.
Flashes of an altercation play like a reel behind my lids, but a vital clue eludes me. I can feel it dancing on the periphery of my memory, flirting with me.
Anger.
Blood.
Garrett.
Humans.
Hate fills me and an anguish-filled roar erupts, echoing off the dirt-crusted walls of my underground prison. Bella's panic meets my rage, intermingling, and they form a tornado of erratic emotion that threatens to consume me.
I do the only thing I can.
Shut her out.
My tolerance is non-existent. I need a clear head to assess my situation and find a way out, and I'd hate for her to get a wrong read from me. Incorrect intel to my family could result in an action that brings death to my kingdom. Until I know where I am and what needs to be done, she must remain out of the loop.
With a silent mind, the evading thought jumps to center stage.
A whispery echo. "You were right, Royce."
Royce.
Royce.
The man who's after Rose.
I fulminate, snatching and pulling, furious that I've been taken against my will. "Royce," I roar, the growly sound reverberating so loudly that dirt falls from the ceiling. "Royce King, I know you're behind this!"
I quiet and listen.
My ears perk up.
Indiscernible whispering, quiet as the flap of a butterfly's wings, floats on the stale air, and it reeks of nervousness. Somebody isn't as pleased with Royce's grand plan as he thinks. His people sound on edge, afraid, as they should. I killed five men during the ambush.
"Hello," I sing-song, adding a deep chuckle. "I promise not to kill you if you release me now." The whispering becomes more fervent, almost a back-and-forth argument. "You should listen to your friend. I will be free, and no one who took part in this farce will be spared."
Thwack.
Grunt.
A new voice.
"Guard the elevator." This one is annoyed by his men's fear but confident in himself.
Royce.
A shadow figure looms in the doorway, and a bright beam of light appears from overhead, temporarily blinding me. Before I can recover, the click, click, click of gears grinding pulls my body tauter, stretching me to my limits.
I roar, pain consuming me.
Laughter.
Full-throated and twisted.
"Not so cocky now, are we?" Footsteps crunch on the dirt, and I close my eyes, zeroing in on the sound and tracking as it moves closer. "Prince Edward of Kingdom Cullen, you are hereby charged with the murder of five men in the unprovoked attack at a waterhole outpost in the desert."
"Liar," I snarl lowly.
He leans in, whispering, "Maybe, but there's nothing that can prove it."
He's only a breath away, and though I can't touch him physically, I still have tools at my disposal. I sigh, acting defeated, and I can practically feel his lips curl up into a smile.
And that's when I explode.
The roar I let loose is deafening, and he cowers to the floor. My teeth snap toward him and I let out a sadistic laugh. "I killed those men in self-defense, but I promise your death will be much slower and infinitely more painful."
An arm reaches into the spotlight and helps the pathetic little man to his feet, and my eyes narrow toward the darkness. I'd know the skin of a Cullenite anywhere, and that arm belonged to one from my land.
"State your name, subject," I command, incensed that one of my race would betray me. "Whatever this man has told you is a lie."
"While Cullenite blood courses through my veins," the male says as he hides in the darkness, "I'm not your subject. I was born and raised in The Kingdom of Forks."
I lurch, but the chains keep me tightly confined. "That does not excuse your traitorous actions."
"Traitorous is murdering five humans," he snarls, voice thundering. "I've been skeptical of the tales of blood-thirsty Cullenites who'd rather kill humans than make peace, but no more. I see it now. If the prince, himself, would do so, it must be ingrained."
"Those men killed my lifelong friend," I hiss, fuming that he'd allow himself to be so completely fooled by such a slimy, little man. "It was a trap. They laid in wait for us to pass by." And then I wonder, jerking my gaze to where I can smell Royce hidden in the darkness. "What would've happened had we not stopped? Was there a backup plan? Or perhaps you weren't after me at all." Fear races through me as I consider the alternative. "Was I just a lucky mishap on your way to a very different mission to retrieve a certain woman without express permission from the Council?"
"Shut him up!" Royce screams, his voice a mix of panic and fear. "He's a liar and a murderer."
A hulking form steps into the light, electrospark poised. I barely have time to register his yellow-green eyes before he zaps me. The shock vibrates through my dead limbs, reinvigorating my weary muscles.
Ten seconds later, I go numb, and after another five, I'm out cold.
I know you've been waiting for this!
Let's all hope I'm triple times more productive than last week's big fat 0 chapters!
See you Thurs :)