Chapter Two-Kenna

"Calm down, Kenna! For heaven's sake wake up! You're going to get us both killed!" Addy's frantic whispering pulled me out of my fitful sleep. My shirt was drenched in sweat and my cheeks were damp with tears as I tried to make sense of my surroundings.

Her head snapped towards the door and she sprang into bed and rolled over to face the wall. Small slivers of moonlight streamed in from behind the curtains just as our door flew open and two guards rushed in. I kept my breathing even as I heard them pace around the room. "There's nothing going on in here, Freddy," one of the guards sighed, "Maybe lay off on the beer for the rest of the night, eh?"

The other guard gave a soft chuckle, "Aye, maybe just one more. These good- for-nothings aren't going to cause anybody any trouble. Look at 'em," he said as his voice got louder. "These girls are so skinny I could snap 'em like a twig if I had to."

I held my breath as heavy boots made their way closer to me. Concentrating on only the sound of my heart beating, I did my best not to shudder as he stepped closer to where I lay.

A loud clap sounded as the other guard chuckled, "Come on buddy, let's head out. We're wasting some valuable drinking time here."

Only once both men left the room, bolting it shut behind them, did I realize that I'd been holding my breath from the time the he turned to leave.

Addy swung her legs over and jumped down from her bed. Her cool hand wiped at the tear that had trailed down my cheek as I lay there, too afraid to move.

The nightmare left me feeling vulnerable, it was as if I could still feel that creep's hands on me. Anger surged inside me at the loss of control I felt. I always told myself I'd be able to do something to the guards if they ever tried to hurt me, but it was then that I realized just how wrong I was.

The sudden physical contact from Addy caught me off-guard and I bolted upright and swatted her hand away before backing away.

She frowned and slowly pulled her hand back before studying my face intently, as if she were a Siren who could merely pick the information from my brain with a single stare. "Are you alright?" She asked in a gentle voice.

I lay back down and quickly covered my neck with the sheet to try and hide the bruising but not before I heard her gasp and tug it down again revealing the ugly purple marks decorating my skin. "Who did this?" she demanded as she tried to get me to face her.

"It's not important, Addy," I said quietly, "Nobody cares about what happens to a good-for-nothing hexblood so it's pointless even speaking about it. It will heal so just drop it okay?"

She climbed over me and took my face in her hands. "No it's not okay. Don't say nobody cares, Kenna because you know that's not true. I care-" She started, her voice filled with anger as her eyes flashed red; something that only happened to us during emotional surges.

"So what?" I yelled at her, causing her to flinch and glance towards the door as if the guards would come busting in again any second. At that point I didn't care if they did, my point was proven.

Pointing to my bruised flesh I lowered my voice, "What will you do to the man who did this if you basically shit your pants each time a guard even breathes in your direction?"

Her eyes filled with tears, she gave a small sniffle and opened her mouth to answer but I didn't give her a chance. "Save it! I already know the answer.

There's nothing you or anyone can do because newsflash," I said, throwing my hands up dramatically, "Nobody. Gives. A. Single. Crap. About. Us. Get that? We live, we work, we die."

Addy stood up and balled her fists beside her, "No Kenna, you're wrong. Life here doesn't have to be that way. We don't have much but if you look around and see that there's not just darkness here, there is also opportunity-"

"Hah! Opportunity for what exactly? Love?"

I watched as she clenched and unclenched her jaw, her breathing becoming heavy; something that always happened when she got angry.

A few seconds passed and she didn't reply. Shaking my head, I looked at her and said, "You need to wake up, Addy. No royal up in the Treetops is going to fall in love with an aging hexblood way past her prime. Don't you see? You're living in a fantasy world. Nobody is coming to sweep you off your feet, whisk you into the clouds and take you far, far away from here. There is no such thing as love or even happiness. Not for people like us. Start facing reality because you're starting to sound pathetic, even to me."

As soon as the words left my mouth I wished I could take it all back. The look in her eyes was something that would haunt me for the rest of my life. She sniffled and wiped at her face as tears streamed silently down her cheeks. "You're right." She whispered, almost to herself as she dropped her head and climbed into bed. Her shoulders started shuddering as soft sobs escaped.

Guilt tore through me and my anger surged, I felt so bitter about the cards life had dealt us. Why couldn't we have been born full fae, shifter, siren or even vampire? Pure bloods lived lavish lives while we had to be the half-breed slaves, the scum of the island bred only to serve and die.

Without thinking I opened my mouth and screamed in frustration before running at the door. Pain shot through my shoulder and I cried out in pain but refused to stop, I needed to get out of there or die trying. Again and again I bashed my body against the door, ignoring Addy's desperate pleas in the background until eventually a crack sounded and the bolt gave way. I wasted no time racing out into the cool air. Without any idea of where to go I ran into the woods that ran alongside the village.

I ran until I reached the edge of the island. I considered jumping and just swimming as far as I could until I either reached someplace else, drowned or got eaten by the water guards but before I could make up my mind a twig snapped behind me. Thinking it was Addy, I spun around and peered into the darkness, "Addy? Is that you?" I whispered frantically.

"Over here" I heard her whisper to my left and I turned my head in the direction it came from. "Hurry," she said again, this time her voice came from the right. "This way, they're coming!" she shouted. Leaves rustled noisily as she took off running in the direction of the village. Cursing, I followed as fast as I could, resisting the urge to shout for her to slow down.

There was a clearing up ahead that I was sure she'd run to. It was no place I'd even heard of before. As I left the treeline I stopped and looked around, everything was calm and quiet with nothing but the soft sounds of water gently caressing the shoreline beside a large log cabin.

All too late I felt someone rush up behind me. I spun around and found myself caged by a pair of muscular arms. "Get off of me!" Bones cracked as my forehead connected with his nose and his arms loosened. Relying on pure instinct I turned and ran further into the clearing.

I heard a loud roar behind me as the man shifted and when I realised what his form was my knees nearly gave way. All I knew was that I needed to get out of there. If he caught me I'd be dead.

The taste of blood filled my mouth as I misjudged a jump and tripped, rolling until I hit my head on a rock. I blinked hard and tried to push myself up but the Jag was on me within a split second. I rolled onto my back and tried to shove him away but he roared again, and this time I was close enough to see just how terrifying he was.

I closed my eyes and thought of my sister hiding somewhere in the forest watching this, I prayed she wouldn't do anything stupid, nobody stands a chance against a shifter of his level.

I felt his hot breath on my neck as he brought his face close to mine. Tears started running down my face and I had to focus on trying to snap myself out the state of despair I was in. I was no coward, no way was I going to die like one.

Mustering up every last bit of defiance I had, I turned to look him dead in the eye. As I did I felt like all the air left my lungs in a single moment. My back started burning as images began to flash before my eyes. I soon realized they were memories, only they didn't belong to me.

Fields of snow and a little girl with red hair laughing and catching snowflakes on her tongue as she spun around with outstretched arms, an older woman smiling down at me as she pulled freshly baked biscuits out of the oven, their smell so sweet and comforting it made me want to cry. The images faded away and I whimpered as I found myself staring into a pair of honey coloured eyes. Unable to stay conscious any longer I let myself fall into the darkness, pulling the stolen memories with me as I wished with all my heart they belonged to me.

**********

My head was pounding by the time I woke up. It took a few moments before everything snapped back into focus and the memories came crashing down on me like tidal wave.

I tried to jump up but soon realized that I'd been blindfolded and tied to a chair. Fear and rage were the only two things I felt in that moment. I pulled at the rope that bound my hands together but knew that it was futile. They'd been laced with silver silk I'd never break through.

Firstly I needed to get the blindfold off, and for that I needed my hands. That left me with only one option. I took a deep breath and pulled both of my arms up over my head in one swift motion.

The sound of my shoulders dislocating echoed throughout the small room in a series of pops and I bit down on my tongue to keep myself from crying out too loudly. I managed to get my arms over the back of the chair and I fell forward onto my knees. Quickly, I pulled my arms in front of me and clenched my jaw, trying to ignore the pain as I forced my joints back into place before pulling the blindfold down and looking around.

The sound of someone clapping softly startled me and I spun around to find a man standing in the corner of the dark room. I couldn't see much of him as he hid deep within the shadows but the one thing that stood out was his eyes. They seemed to glow and flicker like angry flames as his they bore into mine.

Not knowing what else to do I bared my fangs in warning, trying not to stumble as my weakness threatened to overcome me once more.

He walked towards me and I stood still. There was no point in running. A jag like him could and would catch me in seconds before I could even think of a direction to move in. So I tilted my chin up and gave him my most fierce expression as he approached me.

As he got closer it gave me time to assess his features. His hair was long and jet black; similar to his coat when he shifted. His jaw was strong and powerful, his gaze sharp and intelligent. He looked young for a shifter, maybe one or two hundred years old. But still strong enough to break my neck with a just tiny pinch.

We kept eye contact the entire time, neither one looking away. Whether or not he'd see it as a challenge was uncertain, even if he did I doubt he would fight me; It's clear to see who'd win if the challenge were to be accepted.

His heavy boots sounded like drums to my sensitive ears as the smell of rain surrounded me and he finally came to a stop inches from my face. "I'm impressed," he purred, "Escaping from the village and making a run for it was quite a bold move. Bold, but stupid." He smirked and reached out to brush a strand of hair away from my face.

Before his skin made contact I bit down hard. He hissed in surprise and shoved me back against the wall as he pulled his hand to his chest. Suddenly he began laughing and shook his head, "You've got fire for a hexblood. Too bad I'll be turning you in the moment the sun rises. Too bad indeed, I'd love to have the opportunity to tame such a beastly young woman." He muttered as he walked to the door and locked it, leaving me alone in the windowless cell once more.