Keeping Him Loved

Chapter 17

        (Y/n) woke up to find that her arms were bound behind her and she was laying in a grassy field. Her ankles were chained together to keep her from running. The last thing she remembered were explosions and nasods. Everything else was hazy.

        The night no longer provided her with the cool atmosphere that served as a break from the daytime heat. It was currently morning and oddly cool enough to be manageable. Dew was still clinging to the grass that she lay in. The scent of smoke and food had her sniffing the air.

        "Hm, you're awake." The voice didn't belong to Add. (Y/n) scanned the area to find the source of the voice. Her eyes skimmed over a camp of masked individuals a short distance ahead of her lime of sight. Located in a much closer vicinity to her was a single individual sitting next to a fire that burned in front of them both. He tilted his head and studied her with his golden eyes. She couldn't help but take notice of his arm, but she tore her gaze away from it to stare back at him. Was it a nasod arm? Add would know, wouldn't he?

        "You're going to sell me, aren't you?"

        The man blinked in surprise. "I take it this isn't your first time being taken as a hostage."

        "I wish it were, but you're already three times too late. You've already underestimated me by not chaining me to something sturdy. I'll escape." (Y/n) was already looking around for Add, but she couldn't find him among the masked people in the distance. Not even a glimpse of white hair could be seen.

        "You sound confident." The man pulled a blade from his belt and flashed the sun's light into her eyes. She shut them to avoid the blinding beam. "It would be a shame for you to find out the hard way that you shouldn't cross Black Crow." That name sounded familiar.

        "Ah, so you're all terrorists. Well that's so much better than regular kidnappers," she bitterly commented. "I'm not afraid of you though. If you wanted to hurt me, you'd have done so already. Either that, or you can't afford to damage your merchandise before the sale." The puzzled look on the man's face had (y/n) feeling a bit smug, but her guard was nowhere near being down.

        "You and him are both crazy." He put his blade away. "It's true. My intention was to sell you, and kill the kid. Your friend is very convincing, but I don't trust either of you."

        "The feeling is mutual," (y/n) expressed with a frown. She tried to keep the conversation as plain as possible. If she showed even a small amount of fear, it could be used against her. "Where are you keeping Add? Where are we right now?"

        "For a hostage, you sure are asking a lot of questions."

        "You're being awfully nice for a terrorist. I'm assuming you don't usually sit and chat with your victims." She flinched at the glare he shot her. Apparently she had struck a nerve. "Not that I mind...haha."

        The man stood up and approached her, sending her on edge from her inability to act against him. She calmed down considerably when he merely cut her arms free of the rope binding them. "You're welcome. Now shut up and wait for your friend to get back. I'm done talking." He sat back down and kept his gaze anywhere but on her.

        "You started it," (y/n) thought with narrowed eyes. She pulled herself out of the grass and adjusted her cloak so that it comfortably hung around her. A better look at her surroundings let her see that an airship was anchored behind the camp. They were in a large field filled with nothing but grass for miles. In the distance, there was a large castle of some kind, but it appeared to be severely damaged. It was the airship that gave away the location. This had to be the island that was floating in the sky. The very place that Add had tried to avoid.