Page 37 of Peaceful Chaos

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The cold concretescratches against my naked flesh. A feeling of confusion weighs me down. All of this seems wrong, because I was just in bed. Right?

But, maybe that was a dream and this hell is my ever constant reality. I was fooling myself to think, even for a moment I could escape this place.

Everything hurts, especially my side. My wound stopped bleeding after Lucien stitched me up, but now it burns and itches. I try to move, but there are ropes holding my arms and legs. They rub and scratch at my skin until my wrists and ankles bleed. Still I struggle against them, because the pain they cause is nothing compared to what will happen if he comes back. I won't always be small. I promise myself someday I'll be strong enough to cut down anyone who comes after me. But, first I have to live through tonight.

The stairs creek, and a whimper escapes me before I can stop it. I want to beg to be untied, but he likes it when I beg, and even more when I cry. The only light comes from a naked bulb that hangs from a wire from the ceiling. It creates more shadows than it banishes, but it does allow me to see her as she comes down the stairs.

She steps into the light, and I can see the moment she notices me there. Her blue eyes open wide and her mouth hangs open. Tears fill her eyes when they land on the stitches in my side.

"Who did that to you?" she asks, her voice wavering with her attempt not to cry.

"You need to leave," I tell her. My voice is rough from screaming.

"I won't let them hurt you anymore," she vows, her chin tipping up.

"You're the princess," I say, a feeling of awe coming over me. "I'm supposed to save you."

Her eyes narrow. "I'm not the one tied up in the basement. Do you want me to save you or not?"

I nod. "Please. There's a knife over there." I nod my chin in the direction he left the knife he used to slice open my side."

She moves out of the circle of light, and my heart starts to race. She's back within seconds, and I manage to calm down, at least until I see the large knife in her hand. It's not the same one he had. This one is bigger, with a serrated edge on part of it, and a hooked tip. She saws through the ropes.

She gets one arm free when I hear the floorboards creak overhead. I reach out for the knife. "I can do the rest. You have to go. You have no idea what will happen if he finds you."

My princess hands me the knife. "Will I see you again?"

"I don't even know if I'll be alive tomorrow," I murmur.

She looks at the knife in my hand. "Use that and find me." She turns and runs back up the stairs.

I slip into the shadows and wait. Sooner or later he'll return, he always does, but this time will be different. This time I'll be ready for him. When the door at the top of the stairs opens, I grip the knife in my hand, take a deep breath, and wait.

I jolt awake just before he comes down the stairs. "Just a dream," I murmur to myself and try to rub the memory away. I lay back and reach out for Raven. Her side of the bed is empty, and it's clearly been that way for a while judging by how cold it is. I should have known she wasn't in the bed, because the nightmares always come when she's not next to me.

I search the apartment for her and find her curled up on the sofa under a thin blanket. Her long, dark hair cascades around her and covers her face. I sit next to her, and in her sleep she snuggles closer to me. Gently, I brush her hair back, and she blinks her eyes open.

"Sin?" She looks around, confused. "Why am I in the living room?"

"That's my question." I try to keep my anxiety and irritation out of my voice. A night of fighting invisible demons has me on edge and exhausted. I don't do a good job though, because her eyes flash with emotion.

"I think I was watching TV," she says.

"You think? How could you not know?"

She shakes her head, as if trying to dispel the last dregs of sleep from her mind. "I used to sleepwalk. I haven't done it in years. I don't know why it would come back all of a sudden."

I could think of more than one reason. Over the last few months her life has been in a constant state of upheaval. She really needs to see someone, a therapist, hell even a bartender, but she needs to talk about all the things I can see she's bottling up. I'd like it if she'd talk to me, but that's unlikely since I freaked out about her and Ford's friendship again.

I shove the thoughts aside and lift her into my arms. Standing from the couch, I head toward our new bedroom.

She giggles, which helps push back some of the darkness. "I can walk, you know."

I know she can, but I don't set her down until we're in our room. "Do you remember the first time we met?" I ask her as I sit next to her on the bed.

"That's a weird question. It wasn't that long ago, like what five or six months? Why?"

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