Seeing Red (The Dark Love Series) (21 page)

             
“Take a closer look,” Lucian demands.

             
I look closer at the man laying on the floor. I see his eyes flutter open and he jumps up immediately. He runs to the silver bars and holds them tight. I stare deep into his eyes and I finally know who this man is.

             
My eyes go wide, and my jaw almost hits the floor. My breathing stops and I stare into the familiar man's eyes.

             
I feel myself getting light-headed. My knees start to give out, and everything goes black.

             
The last thing I remember is staring into the eyes of my father. He's not dead. He's alive.

* * * *

I sit up quickly on the grimy mat in a cell. I grab my head and feel a large bump. My head begins to throb. I must've fainted. I rub my eyes and try to sit up comfortably. I know for a fact that I wasn't dreaming about my father. He's alive, but how? It's impossible. I was told the Brothers killed him for trying to heal their sister back to human. Why didn't they kill him?

             
My head begins to spin and my stomach turns. I feel like I'm going to vomit. All those days I was depressed and broken from the loss of my father was all for nothing. Selene was right. She said that she couldn't feel my father gone. I can't wrap my head around this. It's almost been a year. A whole year since I thought he was gone from this world, since I thought I would never see his face again. Why would the Brothers bring mercy on my father? I'm truly stunned and grateful he's alive. They must be torturing him, but the Brothers said they want all healers wiped out of this world.

             
I try to stand up, but my head is spinning, along with the room. My body feels weak and shaky. I can't understand what's going on right now. This doesn't feel real. I just want to see Andrew's face walk through the cell doors and save me. I want to go home with my father. I want my mother and sister to know that he is still alive, that he hasn't left us. I wish I could talk to him. I wish I could just hear his voice.

             
Tears start to fall down my face. I ignore them, and let them slide down my cheeks, onto the dirty floor.

             
Are the Brothers going to just hold me captive and never let me go like they're doing to my father right now? Is this the place I'm going to spend the next year or so in? I need to find a way out. I need someone to come to my rescue. I need my family back together again.

             
A smile forms on my face. My father's still alive. I think of us being a family again. I think of the reaction my mother and sister would have if they saw his face walk through the door of our home.

             
My dad feels like he's so far out of reach, even though he is so close to me.

             
Anxiety starts to
strike my body, and my heart begins beating fast.
Sweat forms on my forehead, and heats up my entire body. Panic starts to form. I close my eyes. Please don't have a panic attack right now, not right now. Not this moment. I can't show my weakness.

             
My heart beats faster and faster. I hold my stomach. It feels like I'm going to stop breathing. I can't stop the shaking of my hands and my whole body.

             
I jump up and start to pace around as tears fall endlessly from my eyes. I'm starting to have a panic attack. It feels like I'm dying, like I'm in a world that isn't real.

             
I try to make my breathing even, but it's not working. My breathing becomes heavier and heavier. I hate this. I hate having panic attacks.

             
I keep pacing around the small, dirty cell. I close my eyes and try to fight of this panic attack, but I can't. When I close my eyes, all I can see if my father's face.

             
My dad is alive. He's not dead.

Chapter 24

Forgetting Love

Dear Diary,

              It's officially day two of being locked in this cell. The walls feel like they're closing in on me. I feel like I'm going
crazy, like these three walls are taunting me.
I've been staring at the same things for hours and hours now. When is it going to end? I've been having panic attacks none stop.

             
I can't believe my dad is alive. He's really alive. I saw him with my own eyes. He looked horrible, so rough. He's probably been through so much physically and mentally in this shithole. Why are the Brothers doing this to us? Why can't they just let us be? We aren't poison. We're healers, we help people.

             
I look around at the three walls and the silver bars that I'm surrounded by. I listen and watch, waiting for Andrew to run through the cell and tell me he's here to bring me home. I want to feel his touch. I want to feel his soft body against mine. I want to wake up with him by my side, smiling at me. Instead, I wake up in an empty cell with no one.

Love, Nina

* * * *

This is the second day I've been stuck in here. I just don't understand it. I've been expecting everyone to come to my rescue. Why are they taking so long? Why haven't they come yet? Do they even know I'm gone? They must know. Andrew must have figured it out already. He would've came to my house searching for me. He's probably freaking
out, and I imagine pure rage is his forefront emotion.
His beautiful face flashes in my thoughts. Oh, I wish I could see that beautiful face right now.

             
I wonder what time it is. I wonder when Lucian is going to come back in here and start tearing me down emotionally.

             
I begin to pace in the small space I've been living in for the past days. It seems like the only thing I can do to try to make the thoughts stop.

             
I hear a door open quickly and hit the wall hard. It must be Lucian. Why the hell has he come to me this time?

             
The footsteps are getting closer and closer. It's Doru. He stares at me as he walks by the cell I'm in. I move my feet backward, wanting to stay as far away from him as I possibly can. His eyes pierce mine as he glares. I continue to back up, until my body hits the dirty wall. What's he doing?

             
I hear the door shut. Is he going to my father? He better not hurt him. I run to the rusty, silver bars and try to peek my way through the door. I can't see anything. What's he doing? I try to shake the bars. Don't hurt him. Please don't hurt him.

             
Doru walks back through the door with another man. My dad. He's cuffed, and John Michael has his hand around the back of my dads neck, pushing him forward. “Dad!” I yell. His eyes meet mine. Tears fills his eyes, but he doesn't speak. “Where are you taking him? Dad! Dad!” I keep repeating, over and over again. They walk by my cell and out the door. What the hell is going on? My father looks terrified.

             
As I stand here, tears fall down my face. My breathing becomes heavy, and I start to scream. A loud, piercing noise comes from my mouth. I fall to the ground. Where are they taking him? “Dad,” I cry. “Dad.”

             
The door opens and I wipe away the tears. I blink my eyes and look to see who it is. I jump up instantly. “Julian! Oh my God, Julian!” He comes over to me and stands there, staring at me. “Julian, let me out please!”

             
Julian shakes his head, smiling. What the hell? He just stands there, silent.

             
“There you are,” a familiar voice speaks.

             
“Julian, watch out!” I yell as I see Lucian's face come through the door. Lucian and Julian start laughing. “What is so funny? What the hell is going on right now? Let me out of here!” I yell.

             
“Your friends are here to rescue you, healer,” Lucian laughs. “And guess what!”
I don't answer and glare at him instead.
“Oh, you're no fun,” he pouts. “Well, I've decided to let them rescue you. You want to know our brilliant plan?”

             
“Julian what's going on? Are you on his side?”
Tears are covering my face and I shake my head at him.
How could he do that to me, to his family?

             
Julian just smiles. “Lucian asked you a question.”

             
“Oh, yes, our plan! We've decided to make you forget about all of your memories with Andrew,” Lucian pauses, “and make you forget about your father being alive! How fun!” Julian and Lucian laugh.

             
“Please don't,” I plead. “Please!”

             
Lucian opens the cell door and starts walking toward me. “Look into my eyes,” Lucian whispers to me. Tears start falling from my eyes uncontrollably. I look up at his pale face and his vicious stance. He slowly moves his lips toward my ear. “Forget about seeing your father here. He's still dead to you. You never saw him here,” Lucian says and then pauses and looks at Julian. “Forget about Andrew,” Lucian whispers. As he speaks, I feel a sensation drift through my head and take over my body. I'm not in control over my actions anymore. My eyes stare straight ahead. All I see is darkness, and my body starts to go numb. “Forget about Andrew Madsen. Forget all about him. Forget every good and bad memory,” Lucian pauses. “Forget that you're in love with Andrew. Forget every moment you shared together. Forget everything about him. Andrew is a nobody, he doesn't exist. Forget about Andrew Madsen.”

             
I stand here, staring into darkness. I feel a wave of pain puncture my head, it feels like it's on fire. It hurts so much, but I don't move, I can't move. I don't have control over my own body anymore.

             
I stay like that for a few minutes and then the darkness takes over me. That's the last thing I remember.

* * * *

I hear whispering all around me. Some voices are yelling, and some are trying to whisper. My eyes flicker open slowly.
I open them, and stare at a plain, white ceiling.
Where am I? I try to get up, but someone's hand pushes me down. “Stay lying down, Nina,” I hear Caroline's voice.

             
“Where am I? What happened?” I ask.

             
“You're at the Madsen house. We went to rescue you. William and Andrew killed John Michael. Lucian and Doru got away, and Julian, well, let's just say that he's a traitor and isn't on our side anymore,” Caroline explains quickly.

             
I start to sit up slowly, and see six faces staring at me. “Hey, Nina! Welcome back!” Ella says as she smiles brightly at me.

             
“Hey, sis!” Alex says to me. Why is she calling me sis? She walks toward me and hugs me tight.

             
“Did they hurt you? Are you okay?” A man says to me. I sit here confused. Who is he? “Nina, my love, say something.” Did he just call me his love?

             
“I'm sorry, do I know you?” I ask. The man just stares at me. His eyes start to get glossy. Are those tears? I don't understand. Six faces stare at me with shock planted on their faces.

             
“Nina, it's me, Andrew,” he speaks. His hands grab mine. I instantly shake them away.

             
I stand up, shaking my head. My body is trembling. “I don't know you. Don't touch me.”

             
Tears fall from his eyes. “No. No. No,” he keeps repeating. “This can't be happening.”

             
“Caroline, can you please take me home. I want to go home right now,” I announce as I walk over toward my sister.

             
“Nina, you don't remember him?” Caroline asks.

             
“Take me home,” I say as tears fill my eyes. I'm so confused. Why does everyone want me to remember this Andrew guy? I don't know who he is. Why are they forcing the issue?

             
Caroline nods her head and grabs my hand. “Let's go home.”

             
I take one more look at Andrew. Tears are falling quickly from his eyes. Why was he calling me his love? I don't know him, I've never seen him before in my life.

             
“The Brothers made you forget. Lucian, that bastard,” Andrew says as he throws something across the room. “Nina,” he walks over toward me. “You have to remember. Please remember me.”

             
Tears fall from my eyes. “What do you mean they made me forget? What are you talking about? I don't understand.”