Captured

Seven

By the time the sun had set, I had managed to get through the other books. The information in there had been the same as the one in the encyclopedia, though it hadn't gone into any depth. I slammed a book shut out of frustration. It was all so vague!

"Frustrated?"

I jumped in shock of the voice and looked up to see Lucian looking down at me, his eyes like chips of flint. "Well I can see why. Those books won't tell you everything. But that encyclopedia will." He gestured to the book Casper had put on the shelf. My heart had begun to pound, the blood rushing to my ears and making it harder to hear.

I thought Casper had talked to him, I thought, clutching the book in my hands, making my knuckles turn white. "You know, I usually love seeing the pure fear in your eyes," he said, approaching me like a lazy lion. "But now I want to see pain."

Lucian had gotten close enough to the chair, and I had scrambled to get to my feet, but he locked me in with his arms on either side of my head. He drove his fist into my stomach, and I felt one of my ribs crack. I wailed in pain, my eyes watering from the blow.

"You little bitch. Getting me in trouble like that. I knew you were a shifter, but I didn't know you were a snitch as well. Casper is a vampire king. Not your bodyguard. He's not going to run every time you cry wolf," Lucian hissed in my ear. I fought to catch my breath, my ribs burning as he applied more pressure on the injury. "I.. didn't.. tell," I gasped.

"Liar!" he howled and back handed me. My lip reopened, and blood dripped down my chin. His cold eyes were hungry for my pain. "I swear," I whimpered. "So now the little bitch decides to speak," he snarled. Before I could blink, his hand was wrapped around my throat, choking me.

For a few minutes, I felt the life being taken out of me and I thought I was going to die. I tried to remove his hands from my throat to no avail.

"What is going on in here?"

My eyes flew open as I was dropped. I sucked in large gasps of air, the oxygen a relief to my battered body. Casper stood at the top of stairwell, his face white with anger. The blanket that had been carelessly draped over my legs now tangled me on the floor. I struggled to crawl away from the monster that wanted my blood. Casper shoved Lucian to the side, and stood in front of me.

"Nothing of your concern, my Lord," Lucian said, his face an emotionless mask, except his eyes which kept flashing hatred in my direction. Casper snarled, and slammed Lucian against a bookcase, his hands nearly tearing the jacket off of him. "I'll be damned if she isn't my concern! Explain yourself, now!" he howled.

"I wanted to see if taking her by surprise would make her shift. Maybe she could learn to defend herself if she took her animal form," he lied smoothly. Casper was trembling, and he slowly released Lucian. "It doesn't mean attacking her like that," he ground out as Lucian smoothed himself out.

"My Lord, I don't mean to sound rude, but... it's as if you are starting to care for that filth," Lucian said, crossing his arms over his chest. There were a few beats of silence and I couldn't help but wonder if maybe Casper did care. I could see a challenging look in Lucian's eye, as if he honestly expected Casper to say he did care.

"Don't be such a fool," Casper snarled, breaking the silence. "I couldn't care less about her, but that doesn't mean going around and abusing her. Other vampires would hear of it and think I'm not fit for the throne if I can't show some decency to other species, shifter or not." His voice was hard and he seemed on edge. My hopes plummeted. His statement would only egg Lucian on more.

I began to move back, adjusting the blanket around my legs so I could be free to move. I managed to get to my feet, and I hugged my arms around my torso to keep me upright. As they started talking again, I made my way towards the stairwell, as fast as I could make it.

The effort that it took on my battered body made me weaker than I had been. Tears brimmed my eyes as I quietly tried to descend the stairs.

"As much as I'd love to hear her side of the story, it seems she's hellbent on leaving our presence." The sentence broke through my concentration and I froze. Slowly, I turned to see both of them staring at me. Lucian had a smirk on his face, out of contempt, and Casper seemed even more infuriated by my actions.

"Get over here, now."

It was an order. I swallowed my fear as I limped back over to them, the pain now searing my chest. When I was close enough to them, I trained my eyes on my feet. I didn't want to see their judging looks. "Tell us what exactly happened," Casper demanded. Slowly I looked up at both of them. Casper's eyes hadn't softened like I expected them to, and Lucian was giving me a look that said if I told the truth I'd be done for.

I looked back down at the hardwood floors, letting the swirling designs distract me for a moment as I shook my head. My hands were shaking from fear. Either way I was screwed. "Tell us. Now." I bit down on my lip, inwardly wincing as my teeth dug into the wound. I shook my head again. You're taking a huge risk Addie, a voice said. But I can't tell; if I do Lucian will come after me again, I found myself responding.

"Lucian. Leave the tower. Don't ever let me catch you in here again. You know my rules," Casper said, his tone ringing with authority. Lucian ducked his head out of respect, and scurried down the stairs leaving me alone with Casper.

"What happened, really?" Casper asked, crossing his arms over his chest, eyeing me. Like usual, I don't reply, just shake my head. I force myself to straighten out my body, to look like I'm not in as much pain as I really am. Annoyance flashes through his eyes. "Again with the head-shaking?" he growled. "Use words; you have a voice."

I bite my lip, and don't reply. Even before this, I never really spoke - not even when I was spoken to. I didn't have many friends, so I never found the need to throw myself out there like most other girls who wound up turning into attention-seekers because of it. I had been content with my one friend, and I never looked for a boyfriend or to be with the popular crowd. My 'voice' as Casper had put, never came out and it wasn't going to make itself known now.

When he realized I wasn't going to talk, he sighed. The annoyance faded from his eyes and all at once, he looked very tired. "Let me see your ribs," he said, his voice quiet. I sat down, suppressing a wince, as Casper began to feel the injury. "I need to wrap this up," he explained. "I'll be right back." He brought himself back to his towering height and left.

I heard the large doors below slam, and I figured he'd be back in a while. Since Lucian had barged in on what had been my safe haven, I didn't feel up to reading anymore. The thought made me sick.

I got up from the chair, and I snatched up the woolen blanket on the ground. Wincing, I made my way over to the window seat. There was frost on the windows, and night had fallen, covering the world in a blanket of indigo. With one hand, I rubbed some of the condensation away, so I could see clearly. The window nearly froze my hand, and I shivered, tucking it close to my body as I wrapped the blanket around me.

There was a dull throbbing pain whenever my heart beat in my chest, but I did my best to ignore it. I adjusted the pillows in the seat so I was comfortable. I relaxed my body into the cushions as I lazily let my eyes scan what was beyond the glass. Before I knew it, my eyes slipped closed.

~

I was awoken by someone shaking me. My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment I was scared it was Lucian. Instead, Casper stood before me. "Sit up," he ordered, his voice oddly detached. I brought myself up to a sitting position, and he moved the blanket away from my torso. I lifted my dress and there were swelled purple bruises where my broken ribs were.

Slowly, he began to wrap my torso, applying pressure upon the area. It went by with awkward silence; there was some tension in the air between us, but I didn't acknowledge it. When he finished, he stood up and glared down at me.

"If you're going to stay in here, be sure to clean up when you leave," he growled, and turned on his heel to leave. I was surprised by the hostility in his voice and how his eyes had narrowed in distain. A part of me wondered if I had done something to anger him.