Cursed (6 page)

Hours
seemed to pass, but I knew it hadn’t been that long. I could imagine myself
going crazy if I was locked in here for long. My legs were cramping up from
sitting. I stood, but I couldn’t walk far because of the chains. The silver
made me weak. I attempted to shift, but again the silver hindered me.

I
closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall. I was starting to
believe there was absolutely nothing I could do to get out of this. The place
they had me in was impossible to escape. I opened my eyes when I heard a voice.
It was a low male voice. I listened, but I couldn’t hear it anymore, no matter
how hard I strained. I figured it was someone just passing by. I leaned back,
and closed my eyes again. I heard the same low voice, and it sounded like he
said my name.

I
opened my eyes again, and the voice was suddenly gone. I suddenly realized the
voice was in my head, not in the hall like I thought. I closed my eyes again,
and attempted to relax.

“Lillian,”
Aubrey’s voice echoed in my head, this time louder than before.

I
felt a small amount of relief. Instead of speaking with my mouth I thought
about what I wanted to say. “I am here, is Drake ok?” I asked before I did
anything else. I had to know he was ok. I would never forgive myself if he got
hurt again because of me.

“He
is fine, your blood saved him. Where are you?” he asked sounding as relieved as
me.

“I
don’t know. I am in a small room lit by candles. There is no door. It is
similar to Victoria’s place. There is a witch named Eleanor claiming to be my half-sister.
She admitted to cursing Cornelius.” I was trying to give him as much
information as possible. I was hoping he would be able to find me. I wasn’t
sure what he would be able to do, but he would at least be able to alert
Victoria and Oliver.

“We
will try to find you. Listen for me. I will contact you soon,” he said then his
voice was gone.

I
opened my eyes and attempted to relax. I was just glad he knew I was safe, and
he was working on a way to get me out. Once I got a hold of Eleanor, she was
going to break the curse on Cornelius or pay.

A
short time later the door appeared, and opened. The man that was with Eleanor
the first time came in. He was alone which surprised me a little. He looked
like he was in his mid-thirties. He looked kind of worn considering what he
was. His expression was dark, and I noticed it never changed much. I sat up a
little straighter when he set a bag next to me.

“What
are you doing?” I asked watching him cautiously.

He
glanced up at me, then began going through the bag. “I am doing what I am told,
and taking your blood,” he said simply.

I
wanted to fight him, but I decided the better course might be to befriend him.
“What is your name?” I asked deciding to start with the basics.

He
looked at me like he was surprised I was even asking. “Gavin,” he said as he
took my arm, and tied a band around it.

“You
already know my name I guess, Lillian. You can call me Lily though,” I said
trying to be friendly.

He
looked at me like he didn’t understand what I was doing. “Your reputation
precedes you, and you aren’t known for your manners,” he said dryly.

I
smiled slightly. He probably knew I was trying to dupe him into believing I
wanted to be his friend. “I have changed since gaining my reputation. A lot has
happened to me to make me see things a little differently.” I winced when he
stuck the needle in my arm. “How do you become a familiar?”

He
looked at me for a minute. “Is that what you think I am?” he asked quietly.

“I
thought because Eleanor was a witch, you were her familiar,” I said wondering
if I was saying the wrong things. He seemed like the mention of him being her
familiar was a sore subject.

“I
am merely a servant,” he said as he attached a bag to the IV he started.

“But
you want to be her familiar,” I said taking a chance. I knew it could backfire
on me, but it was worth a shot.

He
watched me for a minute, then shook his head as he stood. “That is none of your
business,” he said quietly. He walked out leaving me alone.

I
looked at the IV. They really didn’t think it through. I wasn’t about to leave
the thing in my arm. I could reach it with my other hand. I went to pull it
out. I cussed when a searing pain shot through my arm. The pain was worse than
the pain from shifting. The line had some type of spell on it to keep me from
removing it. I tried to catch my breath as the pain started to subside. I
leaned my head back against the wall. I should have known she would come up
with a way to keep the line in me. She obviously wasn’t as air headed as I
hoped.

The
loss of so much blood made me weak. The door reappeared as soon as the bag was
full. Gavin came back in, and changed the bag out. They were going to continue
to bleed me. At this rate I would never get out of the place. I was beginning
to think I should have listened to the others. I hated when I second guessed my
choices. I had nothing to do but think about what I had done. I was doing
nothing to help Cornelius.

“You
are not as upbeat anymore,” Gavin said quietly as he changed the bag.

I
looked at him trying to decide what to say. “You wouldn’t be upbeat either if
you were in my shoes.”

He
watched me for a second like he was trying to decide what to say. “Why did you
let yourself get caught? You were doing so well at evading Julian,” he said
after a minute.

“I
needed to find out who put a curse on Cornelius,” I said softly.

“Is
he your lover?” he asked quietly. He was done changing the bag. Now he was just
talking. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Yes,
but I lost him. He is not the same man. It is a terrible feeling to watch
someone deteriorate, knowing there is nothing you can do. I didn’t realize it
was a curse until just recently. I was hoping to reason with Eleanor, but
apparently she is bent on revenge,” I said dryly.

“She
always has been. Victoria kept you well hidden. It wasn’t until you died, and
came back human, that she realized who you were,” he said as he stood.

I
laughed harshly. “I didn’t even know who I was. All my life I thought I was a
hunter, now I don’t know who I am.”

He
watched me for a minute like he was contemplating what I was saying. “Don’t let
a name or heritage define you. You have to choose who you are on your own.”

I
smiled slightly. “You should take your own advice. Either you love her and want
to serve her, or you are a victim of hers just like me.”

His
expression darkened slightly. “I have to go,” he said darkly, then he turned
and left me alone again. I sighed and closed my eyes. I was hoping I would get
through to him. It was obvious he wasn’t overly fond of her. If I could get him
to help me, I might have a chance to get out of this hell.

I
was being shaken. I didn’t want to open my eyes. Someone pressed a cup to my
lips, and cool water filled my mouth. The feel of the water made me wake up. I
drank greedily. It felt like it had been hours since I had anything to drink.

Gavin
watched me. He was the one holding the cup to my lips. “You cannot die. Eleanor
wants you to remain a werewolf. You aren’t as easy to kill this way.”

I
scoffed. “No one wants Eleanor mad. Tell her she has to feed and water things
to keep them alive.”

He
smiled. “I did. Why do you think I am giving you water?”

I
rolled my eyes as I tried to get into a more comfortable position. I was so
weak I could barely pick myself up.

He
helped me adjust, then he sat back on his heels and watched me. “I wanted you
to know that I don’t like doing this to you. I do not think you are a bad
person.”

I
smiled slightly. “If it makes you feel any better I don’t think you are a bad
person either.”

He
actually looked startled by my response. He looked around briefly, then reached
over and undid the IV. “I will be back in an hour or two. You should have your
strength back by then.” He stood and walked out without saying anything else.

I
was a little confused and disoriented. I didn’t really understand what his plan
was. I was hoping he was going to let me go, but he didn’t confirm or deny it.

After
almost two hours of impatiently waiting the door appeared again. Gavin came in,
and hurried over to me. He produced a key and unlocked my cuffs. “I will lead
you out of here. Stay behind me, and don’t do anything stupid, like running.”

I
nodded, and he offered me his hand. I took his hand, and he helped me to my
feet. My legs were wobbly from sitting for so long. “Where are we exactly?”

“We
are not far from where you were caught. We are just underground. We have to get
you out without being seen,” he said as he went to the door and peeked out.

“Thank
your for this,” I said quietly as I moved up behind him.

He
glanced at me. “Thank me when you are free. I am not entirely sure we will be
able to get past her. Let’s go,” he said quickly and stepped out into the hall.

I
followed behind him listening for any signs of someone coming. I could feel my
heart pounding in my throat. I didn’t want to get caught, and I didn’t want
Gavin punished for helping me.

“That’s
the exit,” Gavin said nodding toward a door only a little ways from us. Before
he could continue forward he cried out, and collapsed to the floor. He had his
head in his hands, and he sounded like he was in a great deal of pain.

“You
really thought you could get away from me?” Eleanor’s cold voice echoed from
behind us.

I
turned and she appeared in the hallway. I didn’t know what to do. Gavin was
writhing in pain on the floor, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to
fight a witch. I didn’t have much experience with them For the most part I
tried to avoid them. “I convinced him to help me, don’t hurt him,” I said
quickly as I moved toward her.

She
laughed. “Is that so, then I suppose I could just make your lover pay,” she
hissed.

Cornelius
appeared in the hall next to her. He looked even worse than he had before. She
knew she had me. I wouldn’t risk Cornelius’s life. I didn’t understand why she
was still torturing him. “Don’t hurt him,” I begged. “I will go back to the
room. I will do whatever you want just break the curse on him.”

She
gave me a cold look. I knew she wasn’t going to do what I asked no matter how
much I begged her. “Cornelius, kill them both, then kill yourself,” she ordered
him, then she disappeared.

I
looked at Cornelius horrified. The expression on his face terrified me. He
wasn’t my Cornelius. He was a shell, and the only part that remained was the
monster.

Stay
tuned for the next volume in the Lillian Rayne series. For updates on this and
other exciting series follow me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/ellaprice.ella