Twin Flame

Chapter Four

My head was swimming with all this new information and it felt like my brain wasn't comprehending most of it.

The plane jolted to the ground, landing in a wide expanse of empty space cleared in the middle of miles and miles of woods. We skittered to a stop and the man stood. "Up." He commanded. I just stared at him blankly, blinking slowly. This couldn't possibly be real. I was going to wake up in my bed at home with the worst hangover imaginable. None of this could be real.

"Up!" His voice rose and I flinched. I continued to stare at him. But I finally found my words.

"No."

There was a moment of dead silence between us before a cruel smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"I'm going to give you one more chance. You can either stand up and I can guide you out of here nicely, or you can f**k around and find out."

I turned my head away from him. He let out one dark chuckle.

"Fine. We'll do it your way." He knelt down in front of me and unlocked the shackles from the floor. Before I could even try to kick him, he grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me over his shoulder.

I kicked and punched and clawed, but it he noticed, he didn't show it. He simply tightened his grip and walked down the steps from the plane onto the ground, where a sleek limousine was waiting. A small dirt road wound its way through the forest.

"I was going to let you sit in the backseat with me, but you just had to test your limits, didn't you?"

Before I could answer, he opened the trunk and threw me in. The lid slammed closed and I shrieked. With my cuffed hands, I pounded on the lid with all my might.

"Let me out! Let me out!" Terror and claustrophobia clawed at my insides and a bead of sweat formed on my brow. Oh my God, I was locked in a trunk. It was stifling, dark and stuffy and I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Please let me out!"

"Shut it or I'll put the tape back on. "

This got me to instantly quiet. I really wouldn't be able to breathe if he taped my mouth shut. I curled up, tugging my knees as close to my chest as I could and I tried to focus my breathing and not panic. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as realization set in. This was all real. This wasn't a dream or a hallucination. I was kidnapped, I was locked in the trunk of a car, I had no idea where I was, and I was being brought to Princes, who were vampires.

I don't remember what my horoscope was this morning, but I'm sure it wasn't this.

I felt the engine of the car roar to life and I clenched my eyes shut, willing myself to not cry. But I couldn't help it. Small droplets dripped down my cheek.

With every turn of the car, I was slammed until the sides of the trunk, aching and bruising while doing so. I'm not sure how long we were driving. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. But it felt like eternity.

The car hummed to a stop and I waited without breathing. Finally, the trunk burst open.

I gasped in the fresh air and blinked rapidly to adjust my eyesight to the lit sky. The scent of pine trees assaulted my senses and I crinkled my nose.

The man, the bartender, the royal kidnapper, or whatever the hell he was, came into my view and hoisted me out of the trunk.

"Can I trust you to walk or should I escort you?" I found my voice.

"I can walk."

"Smart girl." He examined my face and grinned. "Were you crying? Oh, that's precious. I love when they cry. "

I scowled at him and he shoved me forward, making me stumble. I staggered forward, trying to not trip in the shackles, but I stopped short whet I finally got a look around.

It was a castle. An honest to God castle. It towered above us, at least four stories tall and spread back far larger than anyone could rightly occupy. The walls were fortified stone and ivy crept up the sides, creating patterns on them like an etch-a-sketch. Windows of stained glass exuded grandeur and sunlight streamed through, making the place look less like my new prison, but an actual fairytale. Turrets and towers jutted from the roof and looked down at me menacingly.

Acres of rolling hills dotted with wildflowers flowed as far as the eye could see. Beyond that, forests stretched even further. There were a few buildings on the grounds not attached to the castle. I could only imagine what they were. If it were any other scenario, it all would be have been magnificent. But the isolation out here made me realize that I would never be found. My heart sank.

The man pushed me forward again and I had to regain control of my legs. They simply weren't attached to my brain at the moment. As we came to the imposing front door, old wood that likely was older that the actual castle, I felt my mouth go dry. This was actually happening. I clambered up the stone steps, nearly tripping. The man took an ornate key out of his pocket and inserted it into a beautiful brass lock that clicked once he jiggled it. He swung it open with an ominous freak and he shoved me inside, my footsteps echoing.

My mouth dropped. I had seen plenty of castles on television, but nothing could have prepared me for this. Marble walls and floors spanned out towards an enormous grand staircase. Suits of armor and busts lined the walls. Hallways spiked out in all different directions, leading to who knows where. Sunlight streamed in through the stained glass windows, showering the floor in reflections and refractions. An ornate chandelier dripped from the ceiling, millions of crystals bouncing the light beams toward the ground. Oil paintings and tapestries hung from the walls, showing decorated pictures of royalty donning crowns and scepters.

A loud creak cut through the silence and I whirled around, watching the door close. The man locked it and turned to face me with an evil smirk.

"Welcome home. "