Chosen One Gone Wrong (Villains & Monsters #1)

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Short chapter, but intense. Gore and violence warning. Love you guys. -Rae

The first thing she processed was just how much pain she was in.

Daija's head throbbed as she slowly opened her eyes. She winced when she tried to move, then froze entirely when she realized her wrists were tightly bound behind her back. She was tied to a chair, and she was in a dimly-lit, large shed of some sort.

Before the panic set in, she took a small, quiet breath to calm herself.

Think. She thought to herself. Do not freak out.

When she was training a lot during her second week of being "captured", Austin told her that the first thing she needed to do if she was kidnapped was figure out just how much control she had over the situation.

She listened closely. She couldn't have been unconscious for long. There were a few moments of silence, then loud music started back up in the distance, along with some cheering. She was still near the gala. Someone would know that she was gone soon.

Her body was sore and bruised from Justin's grip, and the collar fastened around her throat reminded her that using her powers wasn't an option. First, she needed to undo the ropes, then she would disarm the collar.

Right as she started to twist in her bonds, she heard voices approaching the shed. Her heart raced, and she stilled her movements as she listened.

"Shit. Okay, we're out of view, so what's the problem?" Justin asked.

"The problem is that they got the power back up a lot quicker than I fucking anticipated," she heard Jamie groan. "Do you know how tight-knit security is at OpalSpace? If we were to step outside of these perimeters, a motion alarm would trigger."

"Can't you just find a way around it or something?"

"No. Not this quickly. We're just going to have to wait here until the party ends, then we can leave with all the other guests. They have no way to track her, and since we were discreet, no one knows she's gone yet. Her phone's in the bathroom and you destroyed that earpiece she had."

"Fuck waiting," Justin said. "We can just change things up a bit. Hand it over."

"We're doing well so far. This is just a small bump. Let's not mess up the plan."

"Are you kidding? You truly want to risk the perfect opportunity we have? For what? This is the best way to get back at him for everything he's done. Besides, she fucking killed Fiona. There's no use in waiting, especially when Aniya's going through her own shit right now. It's just us. Now, hand it over."

Jamie sighed, and it fell silent for a moment. Daija's heart continued pounding as she twisted in her bonds more.

"Here. Remember: Stun. Nothing more."

"Sure, sure. Whatever."

The door to the shed flew open, and Justin grinned when he met Daija's eyes. "Oh, what do you know? She's awake after all. If I knew you wouldn't be asleep that long, I would've probably given you a bigger dose earlier."

Daija said nothing, just watched as he and Jamie both walked in, trying to find a way to pinpoint just what Jamie's plan was. Whatever it was, it had to do with her and Simon.

Her head spun as she stared at her ex-best friend, who looked away from her. He betrayed her for him. A part of her wouldn't be surprised if her earlier theory was right and he faked the entire friendship from the start.

"Regardless," Justin's voice brought her back, and she watched as he stepped closer to her. "I'm happy you're awake. After all, this'll be much more enjoyable." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something small. A vial. "Do you know what this is?"