Chapter Sixteen

Larissa

The loud screeching in my ears had stopped. Why did I feel so groggy, though? I tried to piece together the events, and as soon as I did, waves of fear washed over me. The Morelli brothers had captured me. I failed Amon again.

But how? I'd been training so hard. I was an expert in weapons. I could run faster than most people. I was taught to scale the castle wall, then jump off the highest point with only a tiny parachute and glide to the group of trees just beyond.

My aim had been perfect when I fired at Jude, but he'd jumped behind a tree as I pulled the trigger.

Then what?

I pursed my lips. Ezra had tackled me. I would've cut my throat, but he'd even stopped me from doing that. Why would he? I had just attempted to kill his brother. You would think he would've done it himself.

But he hadn't, which took me to the present.

Where was I now? They hadn't put me in a cage. I wasn't even tied down. Stupid fools. As the fog in my mind completely faded, I realized I was on the softest bed. The few times Amon had given me the privilege of lying next to him in his bed, it hadn't been this soft.

It must be a trick.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw the woman dozing in the chair across from me. She was slender with gray hair. She wasn't doing a very good job guarding me. That worked in my favor. I could more easily escape if she continued to sleep.

I scanned the room for something I could use as a weapon. There was nothing on the bed. A pale blue mirrored dresser was against one wall with a stool slid against it, but there was nothing on it. I rubbed my temples as a flash of memory filled my mind.

I was sitting at a similar dresser but a different color. My father had knocked and then came in with a small, wrapped box. He said something. Happy graduation? I wasn't sure. I remembered the excitement I felt as I opened the small box.

I squinted my eyes as I tried to remember what was in it. My head began to pound, but I didn't release the memory. It was something I needed to know.

Keys! There were keys inside. He'd given me something the same color as the dresser, but I couldn't remember what.

No! Amon said my father was a liar and abused me horribly. He was as bad as the brothers. My gaze turned back to the dresser. If I slammed my fist against the mirror, I might be able to use some of the glass to either kill one of the brothers, or myself.

There was nothing else in the room that might work.

I slowly moved the cover back and noticed I wore a cotton gown. They'd stripped away my clothes. Amon would be furious with me! I closed my eyes tight. Had they raped me after they knocked me out?

When I moved, there was no soreness. There was no bruising on my arms. Maybe they were waiting until I awakened. They would be in for a surprise because I would either be dead or gone. I wouldn't hang around for them to start torturing me.

Amon would still have someone waiting for me, I was sure. Maybe if I could kill one of the brothers, he wouldn't be quite so angry. Yes, that was what I needed to do.

I crept out of bed as quietly as I could, but the guard had very sharp ears and came awake. I froze.

She smiled. "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling this morning, dear?"

Was she a monster like the brothers? Probably. I looked toward the dresser. She would be able to get to it before me. That was out of the question unless I overpowered her. She didn't look that strong, but I couldn't be sure. They might've trained her. Why else would she be unconcerned that I was awake?

I had another option. I was closer to the door than her. I eased toward it.

"No one will harm you here. It's okay to be frightened, but I promise you're quite safe."

More lies! I lunged for the door and flung it open, but something blocked my way. I raised my gaze. Caspian! They had tried to trick me! I turned and ran toward the window, attempting to raise it, but it wouldn't budge. I slammed my fist against the glass, but it was different from regular glass, and my fist bounced off it, sending pain shooting up my arm.

He walked closer. Ezra and Jude blocked the doorway. This was it. They would rape me, rip off my limbs. I ran to the corner and huddled down on the floor. I'd failed Amon, and this was my punishment.

"What the fuck did he do to her?" Ezra mumbled.

Jude moved closer. Even though he was a large man, he was smaller than the other two. "Shh, it's okay, Rissa. We won't let anyone harm you ever again."

He was close enough. I sprang toward him with a snarl, my hands reaching for his neck. I would snap it if I could get the right leverage. But as my fingers wrapped around his neck, Ezra and Caspian grabbed me.

I fought against them. Twisting and turning. I tried to bite them, but they were too fast. The demon nurse stuck a needle in my arm. I screamed and tried to bite her. The brothers held me down so that I couldn't move.

Weakness began to spread over my body, and my efforts to get away were pitiful at best. Then I stopped moving and began to float on a cloud. My eyes drifted closed.

"It'll be okay. We'll make it all better," Caspian's voice broke.

A distant memory crept in. I had fallen and scraped my knee. I remembered how badly it burned, and I began to cry. Caspian came from the clubhouse and carried me all the way back to the house, even though I told him, between my sniffles, I was fine.

Then, he cleaned the scrape, trying not to hurt me. With even more gentleness, he applied a salve and covered my wound so it would stay clean. Afterward, we went to the kitchen, and he made us an ice cream cone.

No! No! No! Amon said my memories were all lies. None of them had ever happened.

The drug wrapped me in a cocoon, and any thoughts drifted away as darkness closed around me.