Angel in Chains (5 page)

Fear shot through every p
art of her body when she heard Aledyan's words. She quickly turned her gaze toward the exit, but didn't see anyone.

“He's almost here,” he said. “You must hide.”

“Where?”

“In my
bedroom,” he answered while he picked up her backpack. “He never goes there.”

“I thought we had a day or two.”

“So did I,” he said and grabbed her hand again. “But for some reason he chose to show up earlier this time.”

Inez didn't protest when he led her
toward his resting area. She looked quickly around. There wasn't much there, just a simple bed with a worn out mattress that stood in the shadows. It was as if she entered a little room without any door. It was a good place to hide. The warlock would never know she was there, unless he took a look. From the outside, this place was covered in shadows.

Aledyan thr
ew her backpack on the ground and grabbed her face between his hands. Once her eyes got used to the darkness she noticed once again despair and fear in his beautiful features, but this time because of other reasons.

“Please, stay here,” he pleaded
. “Make no sounds and don't reveal yourself, no matter what you hear.” He pressed his lips against hers, fast and hard, desperately. “Please, Inez.”

She nodded slowly
and swallowed  hard. “I will stay.”

His arms closed around her.
“I don't know what I would do if something happened to you,” he said as he kissed her again, and left.

Her arms felt suddenly empty.
He disappeared around the corner, and a loneliness she hadn't expected to feel entered her heart. It was as if she had seen him for the last time.

S
he could hear him move around in the other part of the cave, and she started to fear for his life. She feared what the warlock would do to him.

She didn't understand
any of this. So much had happened so quickly that it took her breath away just thinking about it. She barely knew him, but was drawn to him in a way she had never felt drawn to any man before. This was not like her. She didn't trust men. They had done nothing but hurt her, so why should she trust them? Why she would all of a sudden want to give her heart to a stranger, and above all an angel, she couldn't figure out, but at the same time she felt that it was too late. She had already given him her heart, just like that. There was no turning back. She would fight for him now.

Reason never
went hand in hand with emotions, it seemed.

Everything was quiet
. All she heard was her own breathing and Aledyan's footsteps. She cringed against the wall, tried to make herself as small as possible. Just waiting, for something of which no good could come ...

Several minutes passed by without anything happening. Ma
ybe Aledyan had made a mistake. She started to feel tired. The exhaustion from today's unexpected experiences were slowly catching up with her. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she started to doze off, slipping into the world of dreams.

A sudden sound of harsh laughter made her gasp and
awaken quickly. It belonged to a man, and she immediately didn't like him. It was a wicked laugh that sent cold chills through her body.

Yorin.

She was sure of it.

From the several pair
s of footsteps she heard she realized that he didn't come alone. One or two more people entered the cave with him. She became curious, but didn't move. She didn't want to risk anything. This time her curiosity would not win.

“Aledyan, my dear friend,” the warlock said with a loud
voice. “Have you missed me?”

Aledyan didn't answer.

“Well, I didn't expect you to,” the warlock continued.

Something was placed on the ground with a heavy
thump. Inez assumed it was the urn that was going to gather Aledyan's life force. Just the thought of it made her angry.

“You're early,” Aledyan said. H
is voice was cold, emotionless.

“I'm in a hurry
.”

“Why?” Aledyan wondered. “Are you running low on my life force?”

“I just need it sooner, that's why.”

There was something about Yorin
's voice. He sounded stressed, and Inez couldn't help but wonder why.

“I will give you a
n energy kick,” Yorin said. “It will make you recover faster. I'll make sure the urn will help you with that as well. You should be strong enough within three days.”

“Strong enough to kill you,” Aledyan said.

Inez barely recognized Aledyan's voice. He sounded cold and filled with hatred. It was a side of him she hadn't seen yet, but it also made him sound strong and powerful, indicating that he was not to be played around with.

Yorin snorted. “When are you going to realize, kiddo? You will never be able to kill me
. Once we return I will have the urn start draining you of your life force.”

“One day I wi
ll get out of here, and then you will pay.“

“You think so? I doubt any woman would sacrifice herself
willingly to set you free. No woman is that stupid.”

Inez jumped. Sacrifice herself? What did that mean? Aledyan hadn't mentioned any
thing about sacrificing herself!

“By the way,” Yorin continued. “Even if someone that stupid showed up you
would never be able to perform.”

“What makes you say that?”

Yorin became silent for a while before he laughed. “Your time in here must really start getting to you. You know very well the chance that the woman will be 'the one' is slim.”

“She will be the one. You just wait and see.”

Yorin kept on laughing as if he didn't believe a word Aledyan said. It was good that he didn't take Aledyan seriously because if he would have, she would have been discovered by now. She didn't know what would happen to her then, but she was sure that it wouldn't be a pleasant thing. Yorin would order his men to kill her. She was after all a woman, inside the cave, to set Aledyan free. After the kiss she had become sure she would set him free. But she wasn't sure anymore, not after what she had just heard.

“Whatever,” Yorin said. “It's time for you
r energy kick. Boys, hold him down!”

There
was a sound of fast moves, scuffling and heavy breathing before Aledyan cursed.

Inez heart jumped. She pressed a hand
against her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Fear filled every inch of her body.

“This
is going to hurt,” Yorin said.

“You bastard,” Aledyan growled.

“Yeah, yeah,” Yorin said as if he was bored. Then he started to chant. His voice became deep, trembling and loud as if he spoke from a deep place within himself. The voice sent shivers through her even if she didn't understand a word he said. The language sounded like a mix of Latin and German, but it was neither.

Aledyan started to scream.

Inez pressed herself against the cave's wall. Tears ran down her eyes, and she pressed her hand even harder against her mouth. She couldn't stop herself from trembling. Her heart was beating painfully inside her chest. Aledyan's screams went right through her, filling every inch of her, leaving traces for all eternity, making sure she always remembered this moment.

I
t felt like it went on for hours before Yorin's chanting finally stopped, but Inez knew that only a few minutes had passed.

“Now that wasn't that bad, was it?” Yorin said. Inez imagined that he was grinning. The tone in his voice
told her so.

“You just wait ...” Aledyan
said with a strained voice.

Inez heard him take a deep breath and exhale
. The cave became silent. She didn't dare move. Any sound and she would reveal herself.

“He's out,” she heard another m
an say. His voice was calm and gentle, but not caring.

“He'll wake up soon enough.”

“Yes, but was it really necessary to hurt him? You could have chanted the spell without the words of pain.”

“Watch it,
Vincent! He's my prisoner, and if I want to hurt him then I will,” Yorin growled. “Besides, there's no fun without a little bit of pain.”

Inez t
hought she would get sick. Yorin disgusted her, and she disliked him more with each passing moment, but Vincent, she started to like. He was actually trying to defend Aledyan. She couldn't tell why, but she was grateful for that moment of humility.

“Here, throw this
on his bed,” Yorin said suddenly. “He's going to need it. We will wait for you in the car.”

Oh my
God! No!

A fear she had never felt in her entire life filled her body. Someone
walked toward her with fast and determined steps. Inez wanted to scream, but controlled herself and remained quiet. She touched the walls, searching desperately after another way out, but there was none. She was stuck.

A man appeared around the corner. Inez tried to make herself as small as
possible. She couldn't see him clearly, but from what she could see, the man was tall, about a head taller than her, and had a fit body. He wasn't very muscular but seemed strong enough to break her neck.

His face was
handsome with a strong jaw, wide mouth and big eyes which were adorned with dark brows. His half-long and slightly curly hair framed his handsome features. She couldn't tell what color his hair was though, but guessed dark blond or light brown.

He froze when he saw her. They stared at each other for what felt like minutes. His eyes were filled with surprise
and his jaw dropped, and then his gaze became serious.

He held a big bag in his
hands. It was packed to its limits. Without taking his eyes of her, he threw the bag on the bed and came closer. Inez would have pulled back if she could have.

He leaned down and looked her over, first with a cold gaze, but after a while he smiled. Strangely enough
he looked happy.

“So
have you finally arrived,” he said. “What's your name?“

“I-Inez,” she
stammered.

“Inez, huh? Not a very regular name, but I like it.”

Inez swallowed nervously. “Who are you?”

“Vincent.”

Inez blinked. So this was Vincent.

“It's over, isn't it?” she asked.

He shook his head. “It has only begun. You have three days before we will return. Make sure Aledyan is free by then.”

Now it was Inez time to look surprised. She definitely hadn't expected that.

“What makes you so sure that I can set him free?”

“Because I mad
e sure, without Yorin's knowing, that the woman who enters the cave will be the one for Aledyan. You are meant to be here.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up on her feet while he straightened himself. “I will do my best to make sure Yorin doesn't return before the three days are up, but I can't make any promises. He's very stubborn.”

Inez was confused. Who was this man? She had been sure that she was doomed the moment he stepped inside Aledyan's so called bed
room, but Vincent seemed to be protecting her.

“I have to go,” he
said and stepped away from her.

“Wait,” she said and he stopped. “Why
...”

“There's no time for
a thousand questions. Just make sure Aledyan is set free. It's important.”

She swallowed and could do nothing but nod
.

“Thank you,” she said when he turned around to leave.

“Don't,” he said. “I'm not your friend.”

He
walked away, and silence filled the cave.

Aledyan moaned and felt that he was slowly coming around. He opened his eyes with no clue as to how long he had been out. He winced when he saw Inez lie next to him on the ground under a blanket. Another blanket covered him. He assumed she had put it over him.

Then he noticed the urn. He stared at it with hatred
, and wished he could destroy it, but he had tried that in the past and had ended up with badly burned hands instead. The urn was protected by magic, but at least it wasn't his enemy right now. Right now it made him stronger again, but only because he had to withstand another draining once Yorin came back.

Inez was asleep. Her face was peaceful
and her breathing slow. Instead of waking her up he admired her beautiful features. There was nothing about her that didn't appeal to him. Just one look at her and his heart started to race. That had never happened with other women, but he knew very well why it was happening now. It only happened with the special one, and Inez was his special one. He hadn't understood it immediately, but he understood it now. When she had first walked inside the cave he had still been foggy from all the sleeping he had done the last ten years, his body had still been weak, but now his strength was returning and his mind was becoming clear again, along with his feelings.

His body wasn't only aching from Yorin's chanting, it was aching
from being near her, and still not touching her. All he needed to do was reach out, and he would feel her skin against his. He wanted to move closer, embrace her, kiss her and ... The thought of feeling her underneath him, being inside her made him shiver all over from desire. He wanted it, badly, but he also knew what would happen if he gave in. She was the key to his lock, but she was also the lock as much as he was the key.

Inez started to move. He smiled when she opened her eyes and looked at him.
She sat up quickly when she saw that he was awake.

“Oh my G
od,” she said. “Are you alright?”

“Don't worry,” he said. “I'm just a little
tender, but it will pass.”

“I thought he
would kill you.”

Aledyan
smiled. Her obvious concern made him warm on the inside, and her concern was real. He could see it in her eyes.

“I'm too important for him, but he enjoys tormenting me whenever he gets the chance.”

Inez lowered her head. “Yeah, I've realized that.”

“Where did
the blankets come from?” he asked.

“Yor
in brought a big bag with him for you. I found these blankets in it.”

“How sweet of him,” he said without meaning it.

She really was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He couldn't stop smiling to himself. Even if the situation was far from good, he felt happy. He was sure it was because of her. The presence of Inez calmed him down, but the memory of their kiss set his body on fire.

Without waiting for an invitation
, he moved closer and caressed Inez on her cheek. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered that Inez pulled away from him, but he needed her too much to notice. He leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her head away, avoiding his touch.

He gave her a confused look. “What's wrong?”

“You have some explaining to do,” she said.

“
Explain what?”

“What did Yorin mean with that I have to sacri
fice myself to save you?”

A cold chill went through Aledyan. He knew he
had to tell her eventually, but he didn't know how. He was sure she would change her mind if she found out. He wanted her trust first, but now he was doomed. Inez wanted to know. He could already see her walk away. It didn't matter what he said or did. She would never agree to set him free once she knew the truth.

He was lost.

“I ... ” he started, but was unable to go on.

Inez looked him
straight in the eyes. “It's alright, you can tell me. Nothing you say or do will make me want to walk away again.”

He almost jumped from surprise. “Really?”

“Yes,” she said. “Whatever it is we will find a way around it.”

Aledyan doubted there was
one, but her faith in him made it easier to say the words. He swallowed hard and knew it was now or never.

“You
must take my place.”

Inez
was silent for a long time. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. This was nothing like him. Usually he would never ask anyone, especially her, for a thing like this. But he had been in here for such a long time now, and the thought of remaining here yet for God knows how long scared him. Actually, it made him almost freak out even more.

Inez still didn't say anything. Instead
, she watched him with an emotionless face, thinking, about what, he still couldn't tell. After a while, she got up on her feet and walked slowly toward the exit.

Aledyan
held his breath. His heart was beating so fast that it was almost painful. Was she going to leave after all? She stopped near the exit and just stood there. Something told him that his one and only chance for freedom had just passed him by.