Queen of Midnight

Chapter Fifteen.

When I woke, I felt more conscious than the last time I came to after being knocked out twice in a row. The bad news was that I knew where I was, and what had happened to get me here, and it made me squirm.

I forced my eyes open, waiting for them to focus to the dark before I could get a good look at my surroundings. I was in a small, dingy looking cellar; the walls were rough stone, there was dirt and stains on the matching floors, and a single chair sat in the middle of the room facing me. It was empty, for now.

I tried to move my arms, which was when I realized they were held up above my head. I tried to tug at them; the chains rattled against the walls, but didn't budge from my wrists or the ceiling where the chains led to. I grunted as I tried to stretch my legs out to the chair in front of me, but it was too far away.

I glanced around, trying to take in more of the room, which was when I saw I wasn't alone. My eyes widened in shock as I took in the body that was hanging beside me, also chained with their arms above their head and their legs dangling unconsciously on the floor.

"Terk?" I whispered loudly, trying to poke my right boot out to nudge him awake. He didn't respond. His shirt was covered in blood stains, but I couldn't tell if he was still bleeding or not. I knew he couldn't turn into a wolf, but did that mean he couldn't heal like one either?

"Rhea?"

I breathed a deep sigh of relief as I saw Terk begin to move, lifting his head slowly with his eyes screwed closed as if waking from a bad dream. His voice had come out croaky and strained, but he didn't sound like he was dying, which was the first good piece of news I'd received in weeks.

"Terk, are you okay?" I hissed at him, not sure why I was trying to keep quiet when Anthony knew exactly where we were since he was the one to put us here.

"I'm fine," he groaned as he stretched a little too tightly, crumpling his body back into itself. "Where the fuck are we?" He pried an eyelid open and tried to scan the room. All he saw was depressing stone and no way out.

"Some dingy cellar," I scowled, tugging uselessly at the chains around my wrists. "He figured out that I've been using the gemstone, and forced me to take us here."

"Do you even know where 'here' is?" he demanded, a little more awake now as he glared around the room in irritation.

"No," I admitted weakly. "I still don't know how I did it; I was never able to fully figure out what I can do. But I think he thinks it's all coming from the gemstone, not me."

"Which doesn't help us if you can't use your magic without it," Terk sighed, and I winced as I realized he was right. I was useless, and we would probably be stuck here for a long time. How was James supposed to find us?

"We can get out of this," Terk said suddenly, and I shot a look of disbelief his way.

"How?" I snapped. "We're chained to a wall in the middle of nowhere. I cannot use magic to get us out, and you cannot even turn into a wolf. What chance do we have?"

"I'm a lot more resourceful as a human," Terk assured me with a scowl. "As would you be, if you knew how to control your powers."

"I'll work on it," I growled.

Silence passed for a few moments, until I heard Terk sigh in defeat.

"I'm sorry," he muttered finally, and I felt a stab of guilt at his tone. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Please, don't be sorry; no matter who he sent in there to guard me, we would've been screwed just the same. All he had to do was grab me; I couldn't even defend myself."