Mayhem [Rules of Protection #1] #Wattys2015

The Revelation

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ღ CHAPTER 23 ღ

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A song roused me from a drug-induced sleep.

A beautiful, enchanting melody sung in my ear like a lullaby, sang by soft male voice ringing with melancholy. For a moment, I forgot where I was.

I tried to move my legs to stretch aching muscles, but my movements were restricted by a rough rope binding them together. I tried again, and again for the third time.

Nothing.

But then the reality struck me.

My eyes were completely open, yet I saw nothing but black, cloth fibers tickling my oversensitive skin.

The voice disappeared, followed by deafening silence.

''Hello?'' I called out.

''You're awake, princess Talia.'' A baritone voice, the same one that sang seconds before, responded.

''Why are you holding me here? Where-''

''Enough,'' he growled. Breath hitched in my throat as he pressed a cold steel blade to my exposed throat, the silent warning hanging in the air. I gulped, shutting my mouth.

''That's better,'' my captor announced. ''I am a man who enjoys a woman's screams, but curious little bitches wagging their tail at everyone who passes by and think highly of themselves tend to change my mind.''

I wiggled my fingers, but the bastard knew how to bind someone to a chair without leaving them any option to move. It eliminated a few people from my list of potential men capable of doing this, yet I was still waiting for an answer. His voice was recognizable, yet not so distinct that I would remember it.

''Don't bother trying to escape,'' he laughed, seeing my pathetic attempt to free my hands. ''Although,'' he continued, ''I am surprised to see your boyfriend didn't teach you the basics of survival. Without him, you're defenseless. Weak. Exposed.''

He dragged the tip of the knife up to my chin and over my cheeks as he whispered. I clenched my teeth in disgust and turned my head away from him.

A sharp pain exploded in my left cheek as he struck me.

I gasped, lungs fighting for air. He grabbed my hair and tipped my head back.

''Don't turn away from me,'' he seethed. ''Your lover boy isn't here to save you, get it through your thick head.''

I clamped my mouth shut and breathed through the pain, giving up on trying to escape.

''God, how I wanted to have you like this. At my mercy. So fragile and beautiful.''

He released me and stepped back.

I took the moment of silence to focus on my surroundings. The poignant smell of burnt leaves and leather made my stomach churn. There was something else that caught my attention, yet I couldn't exactly define what.

Water dribbled down the walls, drops clinking as they collided with the floor.

''What do you want from me?'' I spoke up to distract him.

''The real question is, am I your stalker?''

His mocking tone made it clear how amused he was by the situation. He had the upper hand and there was nothing I could do, or say, to turn it into my favor. My thoughts lingered to Caden and James. I still heard Caden's pleads and threats he had yelled at the men who took me. Where was Aiden? Had he been taken too?