Chapter 99: Look what you made me do

Chapter 99: Look what you made me do
The sound of dripping water roused Gwendolyn awake.

She opened her eyes, moaning from the pain in her head. A bad migraine pounded on the side of her face, making every movement painful.

She slowly looked around, trying to decipher where she was. It was some kind of shelter. An abandoned shelter.

The roof was made of thatch, and it looked old. Something cooked in a fire nearby, and the aroma tickled her nostrils.

She tried to get up, but she noticed she was tied. A thick rope wrapped around her body, tying her to the pole behind her. Her ankles were tied too.

"What the hell?" She whispered as she struggled against the rope. She tried to shift, to break free, but a sharp pain lanced through her.

That was when she felt the Khaldron around her throat. She couldn't shift. She was totally defenseless.

"You're awake." Julian spoke from the door.

She raised her head and glared at him. He put her there. The Khaldron around his neck had also been part of his plan. He had the key.

"Release me right this second." She snapped. "And take off the Khaldron."

Julian didn't respond immediately. He stepped further into the empty room and crouched beside her.

Then he lifted his hand and stroked the spot he hit her.

She turned her face away, but he grabbed her jaw suddenly. His grip was tight and painful.

He held her face in place and rubbed a finger over the bump on her head.

"It'll be gone in a few days." He murmured to himself. "I could have allowed you to heal first before putting the Khaldron on you, but I didn't trust that damned black fog. I couldn't risk it."

He released her face and stepped away, moving towards the pot on the fire.

Gwendolyn watched him like she couldn't recognize him. This was the same man who used to be her best friend, the same man who was now holding her hostage.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "It's not much, but it's delicious. You know I'm good with cooking."

"Julian, release me." She demanded.

But he pretended like he didn't hear her. "I'll bring a plate for you. You need to eat."

She got annoyed. "Get me out of this fucking rope, Julian!"

He stiffened as he reached out to grab a plate. Then he slowly turned around. "I wouldn't want to hurt you, Gwen. I already did once in the forest. Don't make me do it again, because I will. Now be quiet."

"You bloody bastard!" She spat. "This is your plan? To keep me locked away with you forever? Kieran will find me!"

"ENOUGH!" Julian roared suddenly. He knocked the pot off the fire, spilling the content to the floor. Next he kicked the pile of plates on the floor, taking out his anger.

Gwendolyn watched him wide eyed. He looked possessed. He could hurt her if he wanted.

After a while, he quieted. He ran a hand through his hair and whistled out a breath.

"I will only say this once, Gwen." He muttered. "Never mention that bastard's name here. If you do, I swear I will hurt you. Do you understand?"

She glared at him silently, but her eyes widened when he suddenly stormed over to her and gripped her jaw.

"Do you understand?!" He yelled.

She shut her eyes, terrified of him. This wasn't the Julian she knew. This one had changed into something else.

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head backwards, making her cry in pain.

"Fucking answer me, Gwen! Do you understand?"

"Yes. Yes I understand." She sobbed. "Please, you're hurting me."

He released her then and put his face close to hers. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you. I never want to hurt you."

He caressed her face, pressing his lips to her cheeks in mild kisses.

Gwendolyn resisted the urge to retch. His kisses disgusted her. She kept her lips tightly pressed together when he leaned down and tried to kiss her.

This annoyed him. "Open your mouth, Gwen! Kiss me back!"

He pressed his mouth over hers and she started to cry loudly. Only then did he move away.

"You'll get used to me gradually." He said. "And you'll realize I'm doing this for us. We belong together, Gwen. You were meant to be mine right from the start. And you will be."

He caressed her cheek and wiped the tears away. "Stop crying. I'm sorry I hurt you. But you made me angry."

He straightened and turned to the overturned pot. "Now look what you made me do? That was our breakfast. I have to find something else for you to eat."

He crouched beside her again and gently held her chin.

"If you behave, I won't hurt you, okay? You know I love you. I wouldn't want to hurt you for anything, Gwen. You know that right?"

Gwendolyn nodded. The best thing to do was give him what he wanted. If he wanted her to behave, then she would do it. She would use the love... or obsession he had for her to her own advantage.

"Don't worry." He continued. "Kieran will never find us. We'll go far away from here and start a new life. We'll have kids together."

He spoke like he was in a trance, staring at her like she was the only thing that mattered to him. It was scary, and it disgusted her.

"If you prove I can trust you, I'll take off the Khaldron. Then we'll go find Luna Naomi. Don't piss me off, Gwen. I really don't want to hurt you."

He rose up and walked towards the door. Before he stepped out, he showed her a key.

"This is the key to the Khaldron. So don't think of finding it, or escaping. I'll find you, and you won't like what I'll do to you. Stay here and wait for me. I'll get us some breakfast. Okay, Gwen?"

She nodded and even smiled a little. "Okay."

He smiled back and stepped out of the room. She heard a click as he locked her inside. The moment his footsteps faded off, she began her struggle with the rope.

It was wound tightly around her, even up to her elbows. She found it difficult to wiggle out of it. She looked around the room for something sharp, but she found none.

She tried to get up, but her ankles made it difficult. She was totally helpless.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back. This wasn't the time to be weak. She had to find a way to escape from Julian who was slowly turning into a maniac.

\[Kieran?\] She called through the mind link, hoping he would hear her. \[Kieran can you hear me?\]

But all she heard was silence. She didn't know how far away she was from the pack. She didn't even know where she was.

Suddenly she heard a deep growl outside the door. She froze, her heart pounding wildly.

A creature was out there, and it was trying to get in.