62

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO.

ROSALIE'S POV.

I woke up in the morning to see myself in Carl's fluffy body. He had shifted to his wolf and he was wrapping himself around me, keeping me away from the cold.

"Carl," I called him and he replied to me with a low growl. Then he flipped us over, turning to the other side of the room.

"Hey, Carl." I called him again, tapping him, "Let go, you're suffocating me."

He growled again but let me go.

I stood up to my feet to stare around the new place we were taken to and saw it was just like the first one. It was equally a cold room.

When I was away from Carl's embrace, I felt coldness hitting me, and I rubbed my palms together to generate some heat for myself.

I turned to Carl and said, "I hate it here."

He grunted in response and kept his posture on the floor, still in his wolf's form.

"Are you able to get through to Susan?" I questioned him again.

He nodded growling.

I noticed he was not ready to shift away from his wolf's form, he should be feeling less cold with the fur around him.

I sighed and decided to stay calm and quiet while waiting for who would help us or til Carl gained back all his strength and busted us out, which might take forever to happen since Carl got weakened every day.

I think they knew that Carl was a threat. So, to keep us locked, they had to keep on weakening him.

It was even a miracle that he could transform himself into his wolf.

A cold breeze hit me as I was standing, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I immediately went back to Carl and sat hunched beside him, resting my back on his body.

I clutched his fur and held tightly to it to get the coldness off. That helped, but it couldn't be compared to staying in the normal atmosphere of one's room.

I was badly missing my home, with my children.

My breath escaped from my mouth in visible puffs, and every muscle in my body began to ache. I closed my eyes, desperate for relief, for I was weak like a wuss.

"Jacqueline," I whispered, my voice cracking with exhaustion. "Please… come help."

There was no answer, just the oppressive silence and the sharp breath of ice around us as the frigid room seemed to close in around us.

'How long could we endure this?' I thought.

My fingers were becoming numb, my legs were too stiff to move, and the icy chill felt like it was freezing my thoughts.

'Jacqueline, please.' That was the only thing which was in my head.

I imagined his face, his strength, his anger, his love. I clung to that image, hoping it would be enough to keep me going.

I didn't want to think otherwise or to imagine whether he was okay or not. I wanted to believe he was okay, and that was what I did.

I overlooked every circumstance around our situation and focused on my greatest desire, 'his return'.

Suddenly, I heard a low hum fill the air, faint at first but quickly growing louder around the room.

I lifted my head, forcing my tired eyes to focus. I saw the frost-covered walls begin to get heated up, droplets forming as the ice started to defrost.

Heat.

It was like a burning fire was heating the ice, turning it all into droplets of water which dropped onto the floor of the room.

Warmth seeped into the room, it was circulating slowly, chasing away the relentless cold.

I gasped as the sensation returned to my fingers, which had felt like they were frozen right there as they clenched Carl's fur. They became released from the cold and my body could finally welcome the blood rotating all around it.

"Oh my!" I gasped again and jumped to my feet. ''It's heat! Carl, it's heat!"

Carl stirred on the floor, shifting back to human, and flapped his eyelids open. "The heat," He muttered, his voice hoarse. "Where… is it coming from?"

I didn't have an answer to his question, so, I let it remain rhetorical.

I felt the air as they grew heavier, and watched the frost melting faster, leaving the walls slick and glittering with water. Puddles formed on the floor, and a strange, metallic scent filled the room.

Giving it all out that the new room we were taken to was made of metal. They must be scared that we might want to break the walls open again.

Cowards.

A low creak echoed behind us and I reasoned. 'It must be the door.'

I spun around, my body tense in exhaustion as I watched the door swinging open, revealing Scott. His expression was unreadable, and I had been expecting him to show up since we had been caught escaping, but this time, he was not alone, he was with another of Jacqueline's chronic enemies.

The Phoenix King.

Scott's expression was smug as he stepped inside, his dark eyes scanning the room. The Phoenix King, too, was not left by the door. He followed Scott with his fiery presence, filling the space with a suffocating heat.

His gaze landed on me, he was not hiding his distaste and anger.

'Why is he here and angry?' I wondered.

'Oh! His daughter.' I remembered. She must have died like Jacqueline promised.

'So sorry for him.' I thought mockingly, making sure my thought was not reflecting on my facial expression, else, he might react evilly.

Scott leaned casually against the metal wall, arms crossed. "Well, Rosalie, we have a question for you," He began, his tone was everything but polite.

I said nothing to him. I was just keeping my eyes on the Phoenix King, and his gaze burned down into mine like the sun, which I was not moved by.

The phoenix king mo-ved closer to me, his eyes not leaving mine, and when he stopped before me, I had a chance to gaze up closely at him.

"Jacqueline," He said, his deep voice trembling in the puddles in the room. "Is he dead?" He completed.

The words hung in the air, heavy and single up there. I forced myself to remain calm, though my heart was pounding in my chest.

My eyes ran to Scott, and I caught him smirking, tilting his head. "Come on, Rosalie. We both know you're his little pet. If anyone would know, it's you."

I clenched my fists, refusing to show weakness. "Judging from your scared expression, you think he's alive. If you're so certain he's not dead, why are you asking me?"

Scott's smirk faltered, and his expression turned hardening. "Just answer the damn question in a go!" He snapped at me.

"Of course," I replied mockingly at him and chuckled.

He took a dangerous step closer to me, but the Phoenix King raised a hand, stopping him. His eyes never left me. "Speak, girl. Is the boy alive, or has he met his end? If you speak up, we will consider letting you go."

I leaned forward slightly, meeting the Phoenix King's gaze with as much strength as I could muster. "You should hope he's dead," I said calmly. "Because if he isn't… you should fear. But I believe Jacqueline will come back, and when he does, he'll destroy the both of you and the rest of you."

Scott busted into laughter. His laugh was sharp and crazy, but there was a nervous edge to it, which I fished out without his knowledge.

He was fearing.

He was trying to calm down.

He knew he couldn't face Jacqueline if he was still alive, so, he wished him dead.

Scott found his voice to speak, "Big talk for someone in your position, Rosalie," He sneered. "Your knight in shining armour isn't coming to save you. He's either dead or too weak to save you."

I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. "You're underestimating him again. Jacqueline doesn't give up. Not on me. Not on anyone he cares about."

With my side eyes, I caught the Phoenix King's expression wavered. I could see a flicker of something in his eyes after I spoke out those words. Was it uncertainty? Curiosity? I don't know, he just had it in there.

He stepped closer, towering over me.

"Your faith is admirable," He said. He was mocking me. "But faith alone will not save you."

I glared up at him, refusing to back down. "It's not just faith. It's true. Jacqueline is coming, and when he does, you'll regret every choice you've made, starting from when you sent your daughter to kidnap me til now."

Before the Phoenix King could respond, a distant commotion from outside broke the tense atmosphere that was in the room.

Shouts echoed through the halls, growing louder and more frantic.

Scott stiffened, his head snapping toward the door. "What's going on out there?"

A guard suddenly appeared in the doorway. He was panicking. "Sir, t.... There's...."

"Enough," Scott interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "Go find out and report back."

The guard hesitated, glancing at the Phoenix King, who gave a small nod. Without another word, the guard disappeared down the door.

Scott turned back to me, his expression a mixture of annoyance and suspicion. "If this is some kind of trick…"

I smirked at him and cut into his words. "Maybe you should ask yourself who's really in control here, Scott. You're just trying, you're...."

The phoenix king cut into my words, "You're overstepping your boundaries, girl."

"Hahaha...." A voice echoed after the phoenix king's words, "I laughed."

I immediately snapped my head towards the all-familiar sound, and there he was, leaning on the door with a small smile plastered on his face, looking all handsome.

"Jacqueline?" I called questioning.

"Yes, sweetheart. Miss me?"

"Jacqueline!"