Unbound: The Cursed Trilogy, Book One by Betty Legend (small books to read .txt) 📕

CHAPTER THREE

SELENE

Throbbing pain pulses in my head as my lids open to blurry surroundings. My palm lifts to my forehead, applying pressure in hopes of easing the throbbing. With a grimace, I blink my eyes several times until something comes into focus. I’m lying on a soft mattress with a white down comforter. The bed frame is a cream, four-poster bed with a matching nightstand. The room is painted a pale yellow with one of my paintings directly in front of me on the large wall. Right away, panic tightens every muscle in my body. I’m not in my bedroom. I’m not in my home.

Broken pieces of memory remind me I was saying goodbye to Griffin, then the bastard drugged me. Lifting the comforter, I discover I’ve been put in a fresh t-shirt and shorts. My t-shirt and shorts. The fucker was in my house, in my things. He must’ve used my driver’s license to figure out where I live. Anger roils in my chest and heats my cheeks. With my thoughts clearer, I take a moment to check my body. There’s no pain between my legs, so at least I haven’t been assaulted… yet. Who knows what this psychopath has planned? I’m such an idiot for letting my guard down. He was baiting me the whole time for whatever sick torment he has planned.

Carefully, I move off the bed and look around the room. There isn’t much, just the bed, nightstand, and painting. On the left wall are two large windows, but thick turquoise curtains shield my view of what’s outside. On the right is the door, which I’m sure I’ll find locked. To the right of the painting is a second door, which is open to a bathroom. To the left of the painting is a third door, also open, and inside I can see a closet. Upon closer examination, I find duffle bags on the floor, dresser drawers on the lower part, and my clothes hanging on the hangers. I open the drawers, and sure enough, more of my clothes are inside. To the left, familiar shoes are on the racks.

What is going on?

When I step out of the closet, I notice a cup of water and a note I missed before on the nightstand. With my teeth clenched, I read the note.

Please drink the water.

It will help with the headache.

It’s just water.

It is not drugged or poisoned.

My dry mouth and dire thirst lead me to lift the cup. Sniffing, I don’t smell anything peculiar. The cup is cool with a couple of melting ice cubes. It wasn’t long ago it was brought into the room. Taking a small sip, I wait for a reaction. When nothing happens, I gulp the whole glass, quenching my awful thirst.

The door opens, and I nearly choke on my last swallow. Slamming the glass on the nightstand, I stomp toward Griffin, who’s shut the door behind him, probably locking it.

“Where am I? Why did you abduct me?”

Griffin puts his hands up.

“I am not here to hurt you, Selene.”

“That’s bullshit. People don’t abduct people without sick intentions. Are you going to sell me into sex trafficking? I won’t let that shit happen. I would rather die than let that happen.”

Griffin keeps his distance, his expression sympathetic, not cruel, which is confusing.

“No! I’m not selling you into sex trafficking. That’s not what this is about.”

“Then why did you bring me here? And where the hell am I?” My screaming echoes off the walls, and I wonder if there is anyone else here to hear me, or if whoever is outside the door is worse than Griffin. Tears pool in my eyes, but I refuse to cry. I’ll figure out what’s going on here. I’ll figure out a way home.

“I need your help. We all need your help.”

“What?” My whole face scrunches in confusion.

Griffin puts his messy blonde locks behind his ears—ears that are pointy like the elves and fairies in my paintings. Staring at them, I’m afraid to say anything. Are the ears why he can’t get a girlfriend? Is he sensitive about them? Or are they fake, and it’s all part of some weird charade? I don’t know what to think, but they sure do look real. It’s some hella-good work if they’re fake.

“Are you going to say anything?”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“They’re real if you’re wondering.”

“Okay. Pointy ears aren’t a bad thing.” Hell, they even make him look more attractive—in a fantasy boyfriend kind of way—but I’m not about to tell him that. Not this creep who’s drugged me and taken me against my will.

“I’m not human, Selene.”

All right, here we go. They’re fake, and he’s playing into some fucked-up fantasy and wants me to be a part of it. Fine, I’ll play along. It’s better than unleashing whatever horrible side of him I haven’t seen yet.

“Okay, then what are you?”

“I’m Fae.”

Flipping my hand through my hair, I take a breath.

“Okay, what does you being Fae and having pointy ears have to do with me?”

“You’re the key to unlocking our curse.”

Jesus, this guy is nuts, and I didn’t miss the word we. At dinner, he said he has four friends. That means there are five of them who want to play real-life Dungeons and Dragons.

Taking a step back, I sit down on the edge of the bed and brace myself for whatever is going to come next.

“Listen, Griffin, obviously, you and your friends thought it would be fun to abduct someone and force them into this game, but this is my life. You don’t have a right to keep me here. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to play whatever game this is.”

“This isn’t a game.”

He sounds serious and isn’t budging from character. My face falls into my hands, and I rub up and down. Please be a group of harmless rich nerds and not sick freaks into sexual role-playing.

“Can we come back to how