Cold As Ice

Chapter 8

The first thing Allie heard when she slowly came back to consciousness was the sound of rain. It was soft and unbothered sounding, the kind of rain that pairs well with hot tea and blankets. It pittered against something hard - glass, she thought - and gently lulled her awake.

After the sound of rain came the aches in her body. Her arm felt like it'd been burned and her headache was splitting, like an ice pick at the base of her skull. Before opening her eyes, she tested moving her limbs gingerly. Everything seemed to respond to her wishes, even her right arm. As she gently clenched her fingers and bent her elbow, a foggy memory came into focus. A man with bright red eyes and sharp teeth, biting her arm.

A jolt of adrenaline jolted her violently into panic as she sat up, gasping for air and frantically looking around. The urge to get away, to run, was still fresh in her body, although she was beginning to realize that some time had passed since that memory. Another vague memory of strong, stony-hard arms lifting her up from the mossy forest floor resurfaced, dulling the edge of her panic ever so slightly and leaving a fearful curiosity in its place.

"Woah there, easy Tiger." A man's voice startled her, and the adrenaline roared back to life. Allie turned her head to the sound of the voice - instantly regretting it as a fresh wave of nausea and pain in her head overtook her. In the corner of the large room she was in stood a very large and imposing looking man. He had a delighted smirk on his face and familiar, honey gold eyes. He was standing next to floor-to-ceiling bookshelves with a book held open in his hands.

"You're alright, don't worry," he continued, his voice light with amusement. Allie struggled to see what was so funny about the circumstances, but his carefree attitude certainly put her at ease. She narrowed her eyes at him, feeling irritable now.

"Where am I?" she demanded, hoping her voice sounded a lot more brave than she felt.

"You're with friends," he replied cagily. "What do you remember?"

Although Allie would have preferred a more candid answer, something about him felt trustworthy, and she relaxed ever so slightly against the soft leather of the couch she was on. A thick woven blanket had been thrown over her body, and she noticed that her arm - the one that had been bitten, she realized with a shudder - was wrapped in a gauze bandage. Equal parts fearful and curious, she began to work on undoing the bandage.

As soon as her other hand touched the surgical tape, she felt cold, strong fingers close around her wrist, immobilizing it. She startled, jumping back from the amused man. That's impossible, she thought incredulously. When had he gotten so close to her?

He must have seen the question in her eyes because he chuckled as he gently but firmly pulled her hand away from the bandage, shaking his head. "Not so fast," he commanded. She nodded obligingly, although resolved to rip the bandage off as soon as he was alone.

"We've got strict instructions not to leave you by yourself, so that won't be happening any time soon." Another voice. At this point, Allie shouldn't have been surprised, but once again she jumped at the intrusion. A second man - this one smaller than the first, with a distinctively less amused expression but those same amber irises - stepped into the room. He was backlit by the soft, gray light of the rainy pine forest on full display through a wall of solid window glass.

"Did you just-"

"Read your thoughts, yes," the second man said, finishing her sentence. Allie's head ached, but less from the pain and more with bewilderment. What the hell is going on?, she thought.

"This is Emmett," the second man said, beckoning to the large guy who still had ahold of Allie's wrists. He shot her a mirthful smile, tipping his head to her in a gesture that felt strangely old fashioned.