Just wanted to announce we've already hit 10,000 reads - woohoo!! A huge thanks to all of you amazing readers. I appreciate each one of you!

Enjoying this song "Untangled Love" by Brandon Flowers. Seems to fit Liam and Kami's complicated relationship.

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When Liam woke in the morning, it felt like his throat was on fire. He leaned over, plucked the cup of brackish water brought in by a guard and sipped it. He was tempted to spit the nasty stuff out, but he forced himself to swallow. The fluids were necessary to help him avoid dehydration. He gulped down the rest as quickly as he could, trying to keep it from touching his taste buds as much as possible.

A foreboding feeling gripped Liam's chest. Not for the first time, he wondered why the Shadow Queen had spared his life. It would have been so easy to kill him. He felt a wave of despondency wash over him. He'd been so hoping he'd be put into the cell with the other prisoners. But no, they had left him in solitary  confinement in his cave cell for three days now. He wondered why they were isolating him anyway. Maybe the Shadow Queen was planning to terrorize him with something else. Shadow fleas maybe? He scratched his side. Maybe she already had.

He probably shouldn't joke around about it, but everything about his predicament was so bizarre. Of course, one look at the rat skeleton sobered him up. It would be best not to provoke the Queen if he could help it.

The more likely reason he wasn't allowed to be around the others was they didn't trust him, or more specifically, the Shadow Queen didn't trust him. She probably suspected he would make a break for it if he could find a way.

Liam's stomach growled. He wished he'd not been so hasty with the Shadow Queen and managed to eat more of the food before he started insulting her. He hadn't seen her since the incident with the bees. His mouth watered thinking of the golden-colored grapes with their refreshing, unique flavor, and the bread slathered in the most delicious honey he'd ever tasted.

He set down the cup and picked at the congealed mass in a crude wooden trencher. It was supposedly food, but it didn't look fit for swine. He sorely missed his chef's cooking; Hugh was a genius in the kitchen. He felt a twinge as he thought of the few times he'd griped about food, the Beef Wellington being too salty or the lamb not tender enough. He'd been such a prat. Right now he couldn't comprehend complaining about anything their chef cooked. Not that he was planning to mention the family chef to Kami any time soon. Liam had seen the way she'd looked at him when she found out he had a driver. She wasn't the only one. Kids from school had teased him about it too, but it wasn't like he'd asked to be born into wealth.

There might be the time when he'd be desperate enough to eat whatever the guards put in front of him without thinking. He didn't plan to stick around long enough to find out. He ate what he could and pushed the tray away. Liam wished he had more water to help the lumpy mush go down easier. Guess he should have thought of that before he drank it all. There was no way he was going to be subjected to this one more day if he could help it. He wondered if the others would try to rescue them immediately or return for help. It might be best to leave, especially if the little girl he'd saved and Kami's grandfather needed medical attention. He wondered if the girl would survive. Liam couldn't forget how she had sacrificed herself for him, moving in front of him so the shadow creature latched onto her instead of him. She had been so brave. The girl was clearly a survivor. She would make it, he was nearly sure.

He knew Kami, her grandfather and Haji at least would try another rescue, though he wasn't so sure if Samuel and Chris would come again after what they'd been through. Haji was a loyal friend, and Gedo and Kami would never quit until they found Neina and Yasmin. He liked to think, he hoped anyway, that he was almost as important to Kami as her cousin and grandmother.

He stretched out on the ground with one palm behind his head, the other hand on his chest. He closed his eyes, turning his mind away from the food to more pleasant things. Like a girl. A lovely girl with long dark hair and the most expressive eyes he'd ever seen. He smiled, remembering Kami. He liked that she was such a sass. She could hold her own and dish it right back at him with a spunk he wasn't used to. He admired her intelligence, her compassion. He felt an intense longing to be with her, to hold her, to talk about whatever crazy thing that came to mind. A grin spread across his face, then faltered.

Except there were those moments when he could feel her slipping inside, shutting him out. He didn't know what he did wrong. It was so perplexing.

But to be fair, he had to consider their conversation at the fire. She'd opened up to him there. It must have taken a lot of courage to do that after she had so recently been rejected. The hand on his chest clenched into a fist as he thought of jerk Kami had dated. At least she saw through the guy now. If she was still attached to her old boyfriend, or still blaming herself for things she didn't do, it might be different. He admired her ability to step back and see the situation clearly. She'd given him the impression she wanted to take things slow, which he understood. He wished it could be different, of course, but he understood. He'd nearly lost it when Kami had come to him right before he'd entered the Shadow Queen's lair. She had looked so beautiful standing there.

For a moment he let his imagination run free. He pictured her walking toward him and sliding his arms around her waist. He imagined sliding his hand into her silky hair, pausing to stare into her beautiful brown eyes, asking for permission and her eyes granting it, then pulling her close and sealing her lips with his. He sighed at the thought, equal parts joy and frustration.

Kami had meant to tell him something, he was sure of it, something more than just be safe. Later, when he'd made it out of the cave with the girl, she'd wanted to talk about them. He'd been planning to, but he'd been so tired and it seemed they'd have time later. He felt bad he hadn't tried to make more of an effort to speak to her, even if his eyes were drooping from exhaustion. For all he knew, he wouldn't make it out of here alive. What if they never had the chance to be together?

He pulled his mind away from the moody thoughts. He refused to consider the possibility of them not escaping.

The door creaked open and hit the wall with a heavy thump. A guard yelled at him to get up, but Liam stayed motionless, eyes closed. He wasn't ready to give up his vision of Kami. When he didn't immediately move, the guard kicked him in the side. Fiery pain flared up his side, but he suppressed it. He refused to give the guard the satisfaction of seeing his pain. Liam opened his eyes.

Like the guards in the dungeon, this guard was wearing an Egyptian police uniform and holding a pistol, possibly a Glock, but Liam wasn't sure. The man was Egyptian, a few inches shorter than Liam, with short-cropped hair, a pitted jowly face and dead eyes. Liam took his time standing up. He dusted off his trousers and stared the guard defiantly in the eyes as if to say you don't own me.

The guard seemed to take it fairly well. He spit in Liam's face and shoved him out of the cell.

Liam walked forward with gritted teeth and wiped the spittle from his cheek with his sleeve. If the jerk wasn't holding a gun, he would have taken him on. They walked down a darkened corridor past a few empty cells that led to the large room with the lake and the hive. He had hoped to see Yasmin, but she must of been placed with the other prisoners. That or in another section of solitary cells.

They walked out of the cave, past the dripping lake and the dripping wax. He didn't see a single shadow creature, which seemed a little strange. Every once in a while, the man shoved the gun between his shoulder blades, urging him forward. Each time, Liam stifled the urge to punch the man in the face.

As he walked out into the light, Liam shielded his eyes from the blinding sun. Having been cooped up in his cell, he'd almost forgotten how bright it could be. His eyes hurt as they tried to adjust to the light.

He felt something being thrust into his hand. He blinked a few more times and saw he was holding a handle. Looking down, he realized it was a dented shovel. They walked several feet away from the cave where there were others holding similar shovels.

"Start digging," the guard growled.

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Dedicating this chapter to the ultratalented @RebeccaDavisWrites who put together this fun event for us. You can follow her and check out her writing by clicking on the dedication link.