Shattered

Chapter 57: Unexpected Ally

Kaden's POV:

"It was real for me. I don't know what it was for you. But for me, it was real."- R.M. Drake

I woke up both cold and burning. Groaning, I twisted and the burning got worse. Silver. There was silver on me.

I fought to open my eyes while I tried to remember what happened. I was at the Air BnB, I'd just got off the phone with Xander, and there was a knock at the door. Violet's friend Marnie was there, crying, saying something happened to Violet. She hugged me and then I felt a prick in my neck just as she whispered the words, "I'm so sorry."

The prick was silver being injected and it was fuzzy after that because it was a lot of silver but... Jackie was there. Jackie and Chase were both there. Jackie ordered Marnie to be killed because she was worried she'd go tell Violet. Chase offered to take care of it and fighting barely helped because they just injected more silver until I passed out. I still felt fucking weak.

Groaning, I pushed myself off the uneven, rocky surface I was on, finally getting my eyes open. It was dark and I was in a cell, chains around my ankles and wrists that had burned well past my skin and were now just raw and bloody. I cautiously reached out to the bars of the cell then snapped my hand back with a hiss as it burned my skin. They coated it in silver. Somehow they found out and now I was fucked. I had to find a way out of there.

"Morning, princess."

A growl escaped as I winced and got myself up enough to sit up and lean back against the wall. I watched Chase walk into view. He paused in front of my cell and draped his arms through the bars, leaning forward. "Not so tough now, huh? All this time, I could've just gotten you a nice silver chain to wear or something."

"The fuck do you want?" I asked. My throat was dry so it didn't come out as threatening as it should've.

"Oh, nothing, I just like seeing you like this," he said, crouching down and smirking. "What's wrong? Thirsty? Tired? Confused? Useless?"

"Where's Violet?" I growled, narrowing my eyes. "If you hurt her, I swear..."

"She's fine, she's at her apartment, hopefully realizing how insane this whole mate bullshit is," Chase shrugged. "Blissfully unaware of your current condition, in case you were wondering."

"How did you know?" I frowned.

"My sister has her ways," he said simply. No further explanation.

"What do you want?"

"I don't want shit," he laughed. "This wasn't my idea. I'm just here for the ride."

"What are you doing down there?" Someone called.

"Fucking with this piece of shit, why?" Chase called back. "You need something?"

"Just wondered how long you're going to be there," they called back. "I'm on guard duty but I gotta piss."

"Take your piss, I'll watch him," Chase said, his eyes sliding to me, that arrogant smile returning. "Not like he can do much anyway."

There was some shuffling then a door closing. Chase leaned back and watched up the stairs a minute, then went out of sight. I heard the door open and close again and he came down the stairs much faster, shaking his head and muttering to himself as he pulled out keys and put one into the lock on my cell.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shut up, I ain't got that much time," he said, opening the door and crouching in front of me, holding out a bottle of water. "Thirsty?"

"Let me guess, you put something in it," I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Yes I did, but you're still going to drink it," he said, pulling out a syringe and shoving it into my chest. I groaned in pain as the silver went into my system, leaving me panting and burning. "I would say I'm sorry but I'm really not, I just don't want to get mauled. I also enjoy causing pain to people I hate, so there's that," he said, waiting until I started slumping back against the wall before he grabbed my chin and pushed the bottle between my lips. "Drink up, pretty boy. Every last drop."