Page 104 of Enchanted Kisses
“I’m going to help you.” I cringed away from his charred face. “I’ll com—”
His long, grimy arm shot through the opening and gripped my neck. He squeezed so hard, I gagged, unable to breathe.
I tried prying his fingers from my skin, but they were like steel around my neck. I lifted my foot to the door, pressed it flat against the wood, and pushed.
His arm stretched and he smashed into the door, but he didn’t let go.
My head spun and my lips tingled. I would black out soon. Desperate for air, I lifted both feet to the door.
His arm sagged from my weight.
Choking, I used the last bit of energy I had and pushed with all my strength.
His fingers scraped from my neck as I dropped to the floor. I hit the stone hard, landing on my tailbone, and fell onto my back. Coughing and gasping for air, I rolled to my side. When I was able to breathe again, I laid whimpering on the cold, gritty floor. What kind of a dream was this, and why did it feel so real?
“Lily?” My name sounded in the air, so faint I barely heard it.
Caiden.
I pushed myself upright, just as a rodent the size of a cat scurried by. I shrieked and jumped to my feet. Everything in me wanted to run from this horrid place, but I had to find Caiden.
My heart hammered as I approached the next cell. To my relief and alarm, it was empty. Had I imagined my name being called?
After checking five other empty cells, I sat on a wood bench and hung my head. Tired, scared, dirty, and sore, I wanted to wake up. I didn’t want to be a part of this nightmare anymore.
“Lily.”
My name sounded faintly again, and something tugged at my heart. I leapt from the bench and ran to the next door.
This one was a little cleaner—less disgusting. Directly across from my view, a person lay curled up on a cot near the far wall. Beside the bed was a small table where a cup and plate rested on top.
I pressed my face through the cutout in the door to get a better look, but I pulled back quickly and covered my nose. The burning stench in the air hadn’t been hair, but flesh, evident by the burns on the prisoner’s skin.
Oh God! What if it was Caiden? I tried again, placing my face up to the opening, and strained my eyes to see who lay on the cot. The way he curled made it impossible to see his face.
I studied his clothes, hoping that would clue me in to whether or not it was Caiden. Their shredded, burned appearance made them too difficult to distinguish. Black soot or ash covered his scorched flesh.
He stirred, straightening out a bit, and I saw it—gold-streaked hair.
“Caiden,” I cried in a faint voice.
He twitched but didn’t turn my way.
Frantic, I ran down the corridor in search of keys or something I could use to break down the door. Tools hung on the wall a few feet ahead—a rope, a branding iron shaped like a scythe, and a whip—but nothing I could use to get in Caiden’s cell.
I raced farther down the dank tunnel and stopped at a barrel. An ax leaned against it.Finally, a break!
I grabbed the wooden handle and pulled, but my hands slipped away. I tried again. The thing weighed more than a bag of landscaping rocks.
I dragged it to the door, cringing at the sound of metal scraping across stone. When I reached Caiden’s cell, I hoisted the wood shaft onto my shoulder. It nearly took me down. I righted myself and hoped my aim would be good enough because this would drop like a ton of bricks. I swung. The ax came down with a smack on the wood doorframe, jolting my body. When I stopped shaking, I saw I’d missed. The ax dug into the wood, inches from the lock.
“Dammit.”
I wiped sweat from my forehead, drew in a deep breath, and heaved the ax onto my shoulder again. My knees nearly gave out. Steadying myself, I aimed and swung. The ax came down on the metal lock. My arms shook from the impact, and a loud clash echoed down the tunnel.
I gazed from left to right. At any second, I feared someone or something would barrel around the corner.
When nothing stirred, I checked the lock. It was gashed, but not broken.
