Page 92 of Those That Don't Exist
What’s worse is that I woke up in different clothes. I was glad to be out of the blood soaked dress but it meant someone had stripped me whilst I was unconscious. The grey t-shirt is large enough it covers me entirely, and I do have a pair of maleboxers on to cover my ass. Just knowing someone, or possibly someones, saw me naked makes me nauseous.
The fuckers also stole my necklace, my dad’s ring. I’d cried over the loss of it from my neck. One of them would be facing my wrath for removing it, I just needed to find out who.
A random male comes in through the heavy looking dark wooden door in the corner, and swaps out the glass of blood sitting on the little stool in the middle of the room. Was it several times a day or once? I had no way of knowing.
They’d also bring buckets initially. It wasn’t private and it was far from dignified but at least I got to relieve myself. Until dehydration had set in. We’d been through several blood changes where the bucket wasn’t required. For me and for my companion.
In the same heavy chains, and shackles, on the opposite side of the room Ty sits, mirroring my position. Back against the wall, legs crossed with arms raised above his head, the shackles give us just enough chain to sit on the floor without our full weight hanging on our wrists. It’s fucking uncomfortable.
I didn’t let myself look too closely at the black eye or the cuts on his lip and brow. Thankfully, the swelling around his eye and around his left elbow seemed to have gone down in the time we’d been here. His healing body was another marker we’d been here for a while.
I wiggle my wrists a fraction, as I’ve forced myself to do several times so the blood flow doesn’t cease completely to my hands. The cuffs bite into my skin as the chains rattle. The metal compound is strong enough that even our Vampire strength doesn’t budge them. The bolts attaching us to the wall are wide with multiple fixings. They must be deeply embedded as they didn’t budge either, no matter how much we tried. And believe me we’d both spent far too much energy trying.
I make the mistake of inhaling again. The scent of the blood in the middle of the room sings to me and bloodlust overtakes me once more. I squeeze my eyes shut so I can’t see it in front of me at least.
We’re never allowed to drink it. Whichever male came to replace it always drinks it in front of us before emptying a new packet into the glass.
Reopening my eyes, I lean forward to be a few inches closer to the glass. I’m vaguely aware of the cuffs on my wrists digging deeper into my skin and reopening the sores which developed from me trying to struggle out of them.
“Aurora.” Ty’s hoarse voice cuts across the small room. It's the first time he’s spoken in a good while, we’ve had at least two glass changes. I’m so consumed with the ecstasy in front me I don’t respond. “Aurora,” he repeats. “Look at me. You have to fight it. They want you mad with thirst.”
“They won’t have to wait much longer,’ I snap, still not moving my gaze to him.
“I’m sorry.” This isn’t the first time he’s apologised. I can’t stand it. It makes me look at him though.
“You know I don’t want your apologies,” I snarl.
“I will get you out of here.” It's not the first time he’s said that either.
“Anytime you feel like it, I’m waiting.”
Am I being a bitch right now? Quite possibly but snapping at him is the only outlet I have for all the pent up frustration. I see him flinch at my tone and it stabs at my chest.
He’d retreated into himself after I lost it when we realised these chains were unbreakable. I was angry and may have blamed him for everything. I’d apologised but it didn’t feel like we were back to being anything good. Between this situation and the wholelocking me in an apartment thingI had no idea where we stood.
I’ve had plenty of time to think over the last however long we’ve been in this room. I can’t escape the fact we’re here because I didn’t trust him enough. Didn’t believe him enough to leave when we had the chance.
I’d let my fear of having my life blown to pieces again stop me from seeing that staying was the greater risk. I’d seen the bruises, heard Ty’s pleas but I’d refused to go. Naively, I’d thought I could handle this, keep playing Adicious, outsmarting him.
I’d been so incredibly stupid, I’m now chained to a fucking wall. I’d caused Ty to be captured too.
And I refuse to think about the male who is dead now because of me. I've shut that down completely because I really will lose my mind. I can’t save him now.
Maybe there’s a way I can still save Ty’s life. Why he has been kept alive is a mystery, he fully expected to die when we got here. I saw it in his face.
“I will, Aurora. If it's the last thing I do, I promise you I will set you free.”
It’s the third time he’s used my full name.
“Why do you keep calling me that?”
“What?” He tilts his head.
“You’ve stopped calling me Red.”
Probably not the thing to focus on right now, but I’ve noticed and it hurts. He hasn’t called me by his nickname since we got here.
“Because I no longer deserve the right to,” he whispers as if to himself, but I hear it loud and clear across the space. The softly spoken words hit like daggers. All he did was try and protect me.I don’t deserve the nickname anymore, but I want it all the same.
