CHAPTER THREE

AURORA’S POV

Laying on the bed, I kept staring into the blank space. How did I get entangled in this mess?

Tyson was an egoistic, cold-blooded killer. He didn’t even flinch when that cop was killed. I had a feeling that Tyson ordered people to be killed just like we order food in a restaurant.

I massaged my head trying to wrap my head over the things that had happened. Michael just walked away as if in a trance.

I had a feeling that he would text all my friends that I was in Texas. No one would come looking for me and I couldn’t call anyone. In short, I was completely screwed.

The door creaked open drawing me out of my thoughts.

“I have brought food for you,” Aslan said walking in.

“I don’t want to eat anything…” I said lowering my eyes. He was crazy to think that I would feel like eating after today’s incident.

He ignored my statement and placed the plate in front of me saying, “ Your baby needs nutrition.”

I tried to gently push the plate away from me but he kept moving it towards me. In the end, I let out an exasperated sigh and gave the plate a shove.

He wasn’t expecting me to use so much force. The plate overturned and his clothes got dirty.

“Damn! Why do you have to be so difficult?” He shouted wiping his clothes with his napkin.

I couldn’t restrain myself and said in an equally loud voice, “I am not used to watching murders for entertainment. Do you have any idea how I am feeling right now?”

His face turned expressionless and he asked coldly, “You won’t eat then…”

“Nope.”

“Fine! You forced me to do this.” He said taking out a syringe from his pocket. I watched in horror as he drew some of his blood.

He grasped my arm wordlessly and injected his blood into me saying, “My blood is powerful enough to keep you alive through the week. Let’s see if you change your mind by then.”

Then, he stormed out of the room and locked the door behind him. It all happened so fast that I didn’t get a chance to react.

***

I woke up with a start drenched in a cold sweat. I drew in deep breaths to calm my raging heart. It was that nightmare again.

I looked out of the window to find that the sun had risen. No one had come to check on me for three days. I felt pangs of hunger now and then but never felt weak. Aslan’s blood was indeed potent.

The guilt and loneliness weighed me down. It was slowly but surely driving me over the edge. I had no idea how long I could endure this. I wanted to talk to someone even if it was just Aslan.

The door opened and a girl walked in with a tray of food. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was.

“You are the one who killed the cop…”

“I killed him because I had to. No one has lived after defying Tyson. The sooner you understand that, the better it would be for you.” She said placing the food in front of me.

My stomach churned as the tantalizing aroma tickled my nose. I was so tempted to dig in but I held back.

“Have it Aurora. You need the food.”

“I don’t, Aslan injected me with his blood.”

“You are so naïve, Aurora. His blood will only keep your baby strong. Lack of food will weaken you eventually.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised. They cared only about the baby.

“What will happen after the baby is born?” I wondered aloud.

“You will be killed. Tyson doesn’t like to have any weakness.”

A shudder coursed through me at her declaration. Deep down I knew this but it was another thing to hear it in words.

“Is there no way I can escape this place?”

“You can… but…”

“But what?”

“You have to trust me…”

I looked into her eyes but it was devoid of any feelings, her face an expressionless mask. It was impossible to say whether she was a friend or a foe. In the end, I agreed. She was my best bet.

Three days later…

I stretched my arms and let out a deep sigh as the fresh air slapped my face. It felt so good to be in the open after so long.

“I can’t believe that Aslan agreed to let me come to the garden for a walk,” I said, twiddling my toes in the grass.

“It did require a bit convincing but he agreed. Moreover, Aslan believes that his security system is impenetrable.”

He was right. The security was top-notch; electrical fencing, CCTV cameras, and dozens of bodyguards paroling night and day. Only a fool would try to escape.

Lina came to a halt in front of a large oak tree. She smiled at me and said, “Ready to escape.”

“What? Do you have a death wish? Can’t you see the number of guards?”

“Don’t be such a ninny, Aurora. Just come with me…” She said dragging me behind the tree.

I resisted the urge to laugh as she took out a large brass key and inserted it into the trunk of the tree. To my surprise, a door swung open revealing something like a lift.

“Wow! This was so well camouflaged. I would have never have guessed.”

“I have been working on this for a while now. Don’t scream it will alert the others.” She warned before pressing a button.

A gasp escaped my mouth as the lift dropped suddenly. After a few moments, it came to a halt only to move to the right.

I grasped her hand tightly. If she hadn't warned me, I would have been screaming my lungs out. I was so relieved when it came to a halt that I hugged her.

“It's okay, hun… you will soon be free.” She said as she pulled away.

The lift opened into a garage. We took the nearest car and drove out. Soon we were on the highway.

“I can’t believe that I am going home again. You are my knight in shining armor.” I said putting my head out of the window.

It felt so good to be free again. Everything seemed so much brighter. Even the water I was drinking seemed so sweet.