“Wakey, wakey.”

Zara blinked her eyes open and hissed softly as light pierced and blinded her. She tried to hold a hand up, but she was still restrained. At least her hearing and sight were clear now. She blinked away a few tears before her eyes finally adjusted and she turned to the owner of the voice.

It took her an entire minute to process what or who she was looking at that.

“Ashley?”

“Hello, Z.” The witch smiled. “Sorry about everything in advance.”

“You… You and Annalee?”

“Oh no, me and them.” She pointed and Zara saw that she was in a wide room lit by numerous candles, and women dressed in all sorts of clothing moved about. From casual to business to even a few in hooded robes.

“Your coven,” Zara spat. “What do you want with me?”

“Not with you,” Ashley said. “From you. Cooperate, and you’ll survive this with no harm done to you.”

“Indeed,” Another voice said, and an older woman walked over. She looked similar to Ashley, and for a moment Zara thought this was her sister, but no, her eyes showed her age. Her mother. Ashley's next words confirmed that.

“This is my mother, Olivia.”

Olivia stared down at Zara. “What we want from you is the location of the object the were told you of.”

Zara blinked. “And you had to kidnap me for that.” As she spoke, Zara tried to piece things together. She’d been taken, then taken from the initial kidnappers, or at least that's what Ashley said. She could very well be lying.

“We saved you,” Olivia said. “You were on your way to a one-way trip to Egypt. I believe your mother and stepfather are from there?”

Zara’s face scrunched up, and though they could have been lying, Zara wouldn't put it past her ‘stepfather’ to try something like that. He had when she’d been a child in Egypt and only her relatives on her true father's side had kept them at bay and even that hasn't lasted. She had to move to the states.

“What is it?” Zara asked. “The object.”

“None of your concern. Now you can tell us, or we can take it from you.” Ashley winced at that and shook her head. Zara had always seen Ashley as a friend, but now she really wanted to punch the bitch. She’d been kidnapped for this, when they could have just asked, although, perhaps they hadn't because their reasons for wanting the object weren't good or that she might object. Still, they could have done that, then tried to kidnap her. If they’d saved her she’d have felt indebted and probably told them straight away, but no, they’d kidnapped her from kidnappers.

I’m not getting involved with anything again if I survive this. Nothing outside of the gym and Rick and the others. Nope, that's it. I like helping, but I don't like being kidnapped. Twice in a night! Unbelievable

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“What happened to Anna? Why don’t you ask her.”

“She’s dead,” Ashley said. “Gunned down by your stepfather’s men. They didn't even leave her ashes behind.”

“Tell us, Child, and after we are done, we will let you go, with your memories wiped of course.”

Zara snorted. “Of course.” Because that was a totally normal thing. She looked to Ashley, and let her anger and hate show in her eyes. Then she turned to Oliva and told her the location. It was in a pond in one of the city's many parks. She could have fought, but it would have been pointless. She was surrounded by an entire coven. With that much power, she wouldn't last five minutes if they really tried. She wasn’t a fool. Zara knew when she was beaten.

“Good.” Olivia turned to Ashely. “Take her to one of the rooms, and watch her. Bring her food if she gets hungry, and make sure she doesn't try anything. You’ll be watching over her while things proceed.”

Ashley frowned. “I will take part, though?”

“Someone needs to watch her,” Olivia said.

“But why me?”

“Because I trust you the most, and if she does manage to break me, somehow, I know you’re capable of handling it.”

Ashley looked like she wanted to argue, but instead nodded and looked away. Her mother walked over and whispered something into her ear, so soft that Zara couldn't pick up anything clearly. When Olivia was done, Ashley looked mollified.

Olivia walked off while Ashley pressed a finger to the collar, and pulled Zara to her feet. Zara felt some control return and shot Ashley a glare as she was escorted away. “I am sorry, but I need to do this for my coven. For my family. You don't know why because you won't remember, but after you leave, I'll make it up to you.”

“You could do that now, by just wiping my memory and letting me go.”

“After we’re done. It won’t take long. Once we have the object, we’ll begin immediately.”

“Begin what?”

Ashley didn’t respond, and Zara wondered if it would be worth it to headbutt the witch. She decided against it and stuck with staring at her seemed to make the witch very uncomfortable. Good, it was the least of what she wanted to do.

****

Han wondered when this hell would end. After Glenn had spent an entire ten minutes complimenting and demining her, he’d left with a promise that he’d be back soon. She hadn't known what to think at first, but she’d been scared and now she was even more scared. Glenn was a monster, or at least, what she considered a monster. But what was worse was that he reminded her of… them. That smile, confidence, and gaze as though he looking down at a pet rather than a person.

She felt like she was going to throw up.

Han had tried to leave the bed, but there was some magic that was keeping her locked in, and her own source of power was silent. She glanced down at the bracelet around her hand. Whenever she considered taking it off, a burning would start and grow stronger and stronger until the idea was gone.

The only hope she had was due to the necklace Rick had given her. She couldn't feel it but she knew it was there and a tracker as much as a piece of jewelry, and she knew that by now, he and even Zara and Brooke were looking for her. Rick would call them, and they’d come. They had to. Otherwise… well, she didn't want to think of that, and what Glenn might do to her. She let out a soft sob and reached up to hold the necklace. “Please, please, please.”