Intertwined

Chapter Twenty-Two

I could have sworn I was on a beach. The distinct sound of waves crashing on the shore made the feeling stronger. I opened my eyes, confused by the cold ground, it didn't feel grainy either. When did I make it to the beach? From the research I did a month ago, the closest body of water to Duskfall was miles out, about four hours out. Even then, it was a lake. Lakes didn't crash into the shore. The sound would be completely different; it would be trickling.

I forced my eyes wider trying to figure out how I'd gotten here, but everything was still black, inky, and dim. I'd come to the conclusion that in reality, I wasn't at the beach. The longer I based myself in reality, the less and less peaceful I felt. Images and flashes of the forest and James flickered. A hot blazing fire, howling, monsters. Mattias.

I started to shake the sound out of my head, furiously, angrily. I remembered the bash to the back of my head, reaching up to feel the spot where the club, or whatever it was, made contact with my skull. Maybe the bashing sent me into a state of insanity. But when my fingers twirled in my hair, there was no soreness, no threat of pain. But the hair was stiff, as blood had dried there, spiking in different directions.

I felt down my arm, remembering the ache of the snapping, the pressure of my body forcing the bone to curve to the point it broke. When I touched it now I felt nothing. Only the cool of my fingers as they crossed the surface. I touched the spot where Mattias's fist connected with my face, and I flinched. It was still sore, but not bruise sore. It felt almost like the aftermath, the thing that happens weeks after a bruise. That didn't seem right. The more attention I focused on it, the less and less I felt the pain.

Three things happened simultaneously that pulled me from my head. A metal door slammed, the waves faltered with a groan, and Mattias's voice echoed down the chamber.

"I really couldn't care, friend. Do what you have to. Lie for me and keep the two calm. We need to save their outburst for tonight," a pause, waiting for a response, "I told you. They have to, if they don't they'll—you know what, give them the phone. Bryson, I will absolutely murder you if you don't keep your cool. I don't care."

I searched the room again. The darkness of the room started to pull back, adjusting to the dim light. The sudden clanking of chains from the corner of the room made me jump. Though I was fighting with my sight, I couldn't miss what was in front of me. Lyall, human and shirtless, hung to the wall, his arms above his head, metal clasping around his wrist. His skin was sweating and it could be seen, even in the dark. Gashes and bruises scattered his stomach in lines. I didn't realize why this scared me. Why was I in horror at this moment? He was alive, the crashing shores I was hearing was Lyall's breath. His shallow breathing.

"Why do I always have to be the one," Mattias hissed. Footsteps slowly quieted, moving upward. We must have been trapped in a basement. A door slammed.

I wasn't able to gauge the time of day, the windows were either nonexistent or boarded up, but based on the conversation, it had to be closer to morning. Mattias sent the boys to school in order to keep a good cover.

After four calls of Lyall's name and mumbling sighs as a response, I gave up and started to cry. I couldn't come to the reason to be here. I came to save Lyall. A failed attempt to replace his life with mine. But I was here, and so was he. Mattias wasn't in the market for trading. If I was going to die, he must have figured that Lyall had to go too. There was no doubt in my mind that if Mattias let him go, he would go feral. He would kill Mattias for what he planned to do. Better to take out the two. Eliminate all casualties. But what about the rest of the pack? They'd shifted, and as far as I knew—unreasonably. Marleene stood between me and the wolves.

My heart pounded. What if her friends had killed her? What if she was too distracted and the wolves lashed out? For the inexplicable shifting, Mattias was to blame. He effectively took out all the people who would stop him. I was unconscious for so long, I couldn't have been able to detect Marleene's death, not while asleep. As far as I knew, Lyall was the only one left alive.