The Alpha and his Mate

Chapter Thirteen

Annabelle's POV
 
It was dark.
 
The smell of mould and burnt flesh filled my nostrils as I took a sharp intake of air, making me gag.
 
Where was I? The last thing I remembered was falling asleep on Jax's comfy sofa after refusing to let him sleep on it. He would have probably dangled off the end of it with how tall he was.
 
I went to move my arm to brush some hair out of my face that had started to tickle my nose but hissed in pain as they were held back by some form of chains. Silver chains. My heart started to pound in my chest as I frantically looked around, trying to see if I could get my bearings at all. All I could see though were the damp stone walls that formed the walls of my current prison and a concrete floor with what looked like fresh blood splattered all over it. My blood.
 
I couldn't help the little whimper that escaped my lips as I continued to stare at the puddle of blood at my feet. What had happened to me?
 
"Ahh the princess is up" someone sneered at me from somewhere in the dark.

My head snapped up at the voice and I squinted into the darkness, trying to find a face that the voice belonged to.
 
"I was wondering when you were going to finally wake up, I have a little someone here that has been just dying to see you" the voice continued.
 
I frowned as I just about made out the outline of a body leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles. Apart from that he was just a shadow, a faceless shadow with a sinister voice.
 
"She's awake" he shouted, making me jump at the sudden volume change. He smirked at my reaction before kicking himself off the wall and turned around to face the door. I still couldn't make out his face but what I did spot was a tattoo on the back of his neck, a tattoo of some kind of tribal knot that I had never seen before.
 
I frowned at it, following the twists and turns it took, before he moved out of the way of the door and I came face to face with someone I never thought I'd see again. Someone I thought I had escaped when I ran away from that place.
 
"Damon". His name slipped from my lips with venom and I didn't know whether I wanted to scream in anger or terror at seeing him again.
 
He smirked at me, obviously happy that I recognised him, and started to make his way over to me. I shuffled away from him, ignoring the smell of burnt flesh as the chains rubbed against my skin, I had to get away from him.
 
"Hello little Annabelle" he sneered as he grabbed my chin forcefully and brought my face up to meet his. "I see you remember me then" he laughed.
 
I growled at him angrily and ripped my chin from his grasp.
 
"Oh little Annabelle, when are you going to learn to respect your superiors" he sighed before slapping me hard across the face.
 
I bit my lip so as not to make any noise, Damon always got a little thrill out of my screams and I had learnt from a young age that if I remained quiet the beatings were always less intense.
 
"Now where shall I begin" he muttered, more to himself than to me. "Yes, I think here is a wonderful place to start" he said as he got on his knees before me and produced a knife. Not a huge one but it appeared to be very sharp, sharp enough to cut skin away from its bone if he so wished. "I'm going to enjoy peeling your  skin off layer by layer as I watch you scream in pain .You've had this coming since the day you ran away from me little girl. You ruined everything for me and my family.

 
And then he started. I screamed as he proceeded to hack small chunks of flesh out of my legs, feeling strangers hands holding me down as he continued his torture.
 
Just then I heard a whisper in my ear, a whisper so low I had to question whether it was actually there. "Annabelle...Annabelle it's me... calm down before you hurt yourself". Before I hurt myself? It was Damon who was hurting me! I screamed and begged him to stop but he just carried on going, getting a thrill out of my agony.
 
''Annabelle... Annabelle... come back to me. Your here and your safe, I've got you, I won't let anyone hurt you I promise".
 
I knew that voice... that was Jax's voice, he had come for me! I focused on his voice, just his voice and before I knew it, I was in his warm familiar arms. Safe.
 
"J-Jax?" I whispered, hoping that he really was really here with me.
 
"Yeah it's me, I've got you" he relied as his grip on me tightened, bringing me closer into his lap. I breathed in his scent, instantly calming me down and before long my breathing had gone back to semi normal as I snuggled slightly into his side.
 
"Annabelle are you okay?"
 
I stiffened, was I okay? That dream seemed so real, I mean I was still half expecting to look down and see blood coating my legs from Damon's torture. I breathed in Jax's scent again, grounding me, before nodding my head. It was just a dream.