How long have I been here?
I get redressed and splash my face with water, taking a few mouthfuls as I do. The cool, refreshing sips do more for my mood than I expect, so I take a couple more, savoring the small boost of serotonin.
“Are you nearly done, little dove?”
Happy feeling’s gone.
He sounds kind, patient even, but I’m not stupid enough to believe him.
One day I’ll work all of this out, I just need to survive this very real hell I’ve been thrust into. Panda never would’ve raised a finger against me, but I have no idea what this new Evan is capable of.
So I take a deep breath and undo the lock, pushing the door open.
“Feel better?”
I nod, glaring at him as he steps forward with new bindings, handing them to me. “Tie your ankles, and don’t make them loose. I don’t want to hurt you but I will.”
The gun trained on me once more, I take a deep breath and tie my ankles together, not as tight as he had them, but tight enough that I’m not going to be able to slip them without breaking my ankle.
I fucking hate this.
With my ankles bound, he ties my wrists and picks me back up, taking me back down to the basement. He doesn’t seem to notice the daggers I’m staring at him. If he does, he doesn’t say anything. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I realize why he’d been so quiet while I was in the bathroom. The table I’d been tied to is gone, and in its place against the back wall is a cot with a thin mattress.
“I thought this might be more comfortable until we’re done. I doubt it’ll take me long to get you to see the truth and become my phoenix. I’m a determined man. You’ll be mine eventually.” He drops me onto the cot and I clench my jaw as the water I swallowed threatens to resurface at the jolting movements.
He unties my hands first, binding me to the bed, and then my ankles, before moving to get the IV.
“I think you need to sleep. Everything will be better if you sleep.”
“Do not fucking drug me again, Evan,” I growl, but he isn’t listening to me anymore, he’s muttering to himself.
I hiss as he pushes the needle into my arm and tapes it in place before hooking up the tubes.
He brushes my hair behind my ear, and grasps my chin in his thumb and forefinger. “I need to go out, so you need to sleep again.”
I whimper as whatever he put in the IV bag burns in my vein and the room fades away.
“Sleep well, little dove. Soon you’ll be mine, and there’s nothing anyone can do to save you.”
The edges of my mind go fuzzy, but in this moment of helplessness, I make myself a promise.
If I survive this, I won’t ever be this helpless again.
Ever. Fucking. Again.