My head ached in pain as my eyes fluttered open to pitch-black darkness. My arms were bound behind me with a rope, and my mouth was dry, stuffed with a cloth keeping me from being able to scream and I cried. I faintly remembered how I ended up in this situation and hated myself for being so stupid. The one time I let my guard down, I get kidnapped.

Never again.

After my pity party and long moments of feeling bad for myself, I sniffled and took a deep breath. I looked around the area, unable to see anything except two faint red squares of light approximately five feet apart from one another. Every few minutes, they'd shine brightly for about two seconds before returning to their normal color.

My shoulder ached from my weight being on it, and I winced, facing my palms down and shifting onto my back. I felt the soft rug under me and raised my leg, barely able to extend it until I hit the roof of something.

As if my noting my surroundings wasn't enough to tell me where I was, the honking of a car in the distance confirmed my thoughts. I was in the trunk of a vehicle. It was the obvious place people would put a kidnap victim, but if they knew how to escape, criminals were practically sending themselves to jail if they used the method.

Kicking out the taillights would've been my first attempt to get out, but being gagged, it wasn't like I could scream for help. Trunk latch, I reminded myself. That would work too, but I needed my hands to pull it. So that was off the table. With one thing left to do, I groaned, forcing my body to turn, leaning my head against the wall facing the front of the car.

I used my feet to kick my shoes off to make it easier to feel what I need to, and I laid my feet along the fuzzy surface, pressing into random spots. When I felt one part of it move forward, I trailed my feet along the perimeter of it, noticing it continue to cave in. There we go.

I laid my feet against it, mustering up all my strength, and kicked it. It budged slightly, yet not enough. So I did it again, and again, and again, until it popped out, letting the dim city lights peer through the square. I took a few successful breaths, closing my eyes and thinking about how I'd manage to crawl out without my arms. Like a snake? I sighed, it wasn't typical, and it was going to be difficult as fuck, but did I really have a choice?

I turned around until my head was near the opening, and I flipped over on my stomach. My cheek rested on the carpet of the trunk and I took a deep breath, lifting my ass in the air and hopefully being able to push myself forward.

My knees burned as they rubbed against the carpet and I pushed myself forward slightly. I took a breath, preparing to do it again when the trunk opened and I felt a breeze on the back of my thighs. Fuck!

"Under different circumstances, I would truly appreciate this view, Queen." I let out a relieved breath, closing my eyes as I realized it was Syn and he gently reached for my hands, ripping apart the rope holding my wrists together. My now weak and sore arms dropped to my side and I removed the cloth from my mouth, dropping it to the side and groaning. "Here."

I felt his strong arms wrap around me, and I was carried out of the car, shivering as the cool night air hit me. Syn looked down, glancing at what I had managed to do in the car so far and he nodded. "Did I interrupt your escape?"

I rubbed my aching wrists, ignoring his words and he sighed. "I'd apologize right now, but I need to take care of something. Can you stand?"

I nodded, and he set me down on the floor. I held onto his shoulder to steady myself, and once I was standing on my own, I let go of myself and wrapped my arms around myself. Without a word, Syn pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders, pulling it together in the front.

He looked down at me, and in an attempt to look away from his gaze, my eyes landed on his blood-stained shirt. He walked past me onto the sidewalk and prepared to walk into the alley. "Don't go there," I said lowly as I remembered what happened to me.

"I know," he whispered. "You can stay here and wait for me." He proceeded to continue walking and I looked around at the empty street, not being able to shake off the feeling of being watched. I sucked in my fear and followed behind him, realizing I'd rather go face forward into danger with him than face the unknown on my own.

He disappeared into the door in the alley and I hesitantly walked in after him. My eyes widened as I saw bodies littering the floor in the room, and I froze at the door. "W-what happened?"

"I won a card game," he muttered, walking into a corridor. I swallowed a lump of bile rising in my throat, looking at the severed head on the floor beside my foot and I scurried towards Syn. As if I'd be safer. It was stupid, but I felt safe with him amidst all the horror here. Even though he was the one responsible for it.

I walked into the corridor he has, and my steps slowed as I saw Cole, the man who kidnapped me sitting in the chair I was in earlier. His arms and legs were tied to the chair, and Syn looked down at him, an emotionless stare being aimed at him.

"Please, just let me go," the man said. "I'll never bother you again."

"Why trust that when I could kill you and make sure that's the truth?" Syn asked. "Who sent you?"

"I can't say," he sputtered. "But I promise the goal was never to hurt her. It was just supposed to be a little scare to remind her to stay on her toes!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Syn snapped, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"In my pocket, there's a note," he said. Syn reached forward to get it, and I watched the scene. "After my card game, I was going to let her out of the trunk and give it to her. No one was supposed to get hurt tonight."

"Do you see the blood on her face, dumbass?"

"I-" Cole's eye moved to mine. "I didn't mean to, but you were going to run. I had to knock you out." His eyes pleaded with mine to help him, but I looked away from him. I wouldn't let him manipulate me again after the shit he pulled today.

Syn punched the wall behind him after reading the note and I stepped toward him. "Can I-"

"No."

"Syn, it's meant for me. So give it to me," I ordered, my voice sterner with him than it had ever been, and he looked into my eyes not bothering to hide the anger in his. He held it out to me, and I turned it upright, reading the familiar horrid writing:

I am sorry I had to go to these lengths to teach you this, but you needed to know it. Do you see how easy it was for people who "care" about you to abandon you? I want you to know that I will never leave you. I've always been here whether you realize it or not and it will remain that way. You could have died today because of them...do not forgive them so easily, my little one :).

"Who gave this to you?" I asked the man.

"I don't know," he answered. "It was sent to me with instructions. They took my wife. I'm sorry, I had no choice."

I looked at Syn who looked like he was getting ready to kill him, and I laid a hand on his arm. "Can we please just leave?" I whispered. "I'm in a lot of pain."

"And just let him go?"

"Yes, you heard him," I said. "He didn't have a choice. Just let him go."

"You're naive to believe him after everything today, Queen."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Maybe I am, Syn. But maybe I'm not. If his wife is really in danger, he needs to leave here. Alive."

Syn looked at me for a long moment before rolling his eyes and walking to the hall. "Do as you please, but I'm not untying him."

I sighed, making my way over to Cole and untying the rope on his wrists and legs. When he was free, he stood up. He looked down at me with the same crooked smile from earlier, and my blood ran cold. "I'll be seeing you soon, sweetness." Within an instant, he was out of my eyesight and I was standing alone, regretting not listening to Syn's warning. I'd just die if he came back in the room and said-

"Told you so," Syn said, crossing his arms. I ran a hand through my hair, my eyes getting watery as I became stressed all over again. Syn held out a hand for me and I sniffled, shuffling to him and accepting it. "If he ever comes back, he'll have to go through me. I'm sorry, Queen."

"How did you find me?" I asked. "I thought you didn't believe me."

"I didn't at first, but as I thought about it, the more things didn't make sense," he said, pulling me towards the exit. "I found a torn-up note in your drawer and knew that you were telling the truth and I came to get you."

"Oh."

He opened the passenger side of the car door, helping me inside before getting into his side. The car roared to life beneath us and I laid my head against the cool window, closing my eyes. I felt Syn's hand rest on my thigh, and I relaxed into the seat, letting my exhaustion win my struggle over consciousness.

"Sleep well, Princess..."