A/N: Whew this chapter took forever to write… But it’s done! Thank you all for waiting so patiently, I hope you enjoy it 🙂

I leaned back against the stone wall, letting the sharp bite of cold air fill my lungs. I’m stupid. I’m so stupid.

We should have left when we had the chance. Instead, I let my goddamn emotions get to me and I became a stupid, betrayed coward. And Elubarin had followed me, faithful until the end.

Footsteps thumped outside the door as the vampires paced. There were hushed whispers and the occasional raised voice, but nothing I could make out. Dawn had to be near.

We were actually trapped.

The door slammed open soon after. Vox stormed in, his face set in a scowl. Jerking me to my feet, he hissed, “I told you to leave.”

“I-” I started to defend myself, then stopped. Vox isn’t on your side.

Elubarin watched silently from the plank as Vox dragged me out the door. We had learned not to complain. Generally that just made things worse.

Vox stopped me in the small living room where Treznor first beat me. Speaking of whom, the head vampire himself was leaning against a door frame in the background, watching me.

“Are you ready to talk?” he asked, casually glancing at his nails.

“You can hurt me all you want, but I’ll never tell you a thing about my father.”

“Charming loyalty, but it won’t be me doing the beating today. I’ve hired someone else to do my dirty work,” Treznor smirked. “Begin.”

I twisted my head around, searching for Russell or, god forbid, Duncan. But the room was empty except for Treznor and his son. A hand lightly slapped my face and I turned back around to face Vox.

“Son, you must hit harder than that…” Treznor sighed from the door.

My stomach did a flip-flop and sunk as Vox gritted his teeth and muttered, “I was warming up.”

I stumbled backwards and braced myself against the wall.

Vox stepped forward and caught my arm, pinning it to the wall as well. He leaned in. “Talk. I don’t want to hurt you, I really don’t.”

My legs shook. But I kept my lips sealed. Defiantly staring into his icy eyes, I willed him to take as long as possible on this beating. I needed time… for Elubarin to escape. He had the key. He knew the way. We’d planned it all out. It was the only way to guarantee Vox and Treznor wouldn’t catch him.

Vox glanced over his shoulder, presumably at his father, then sighed and brought his fist back.

My head slammed against the wall with a thunk! and blood began dripping from my nose.

“Ow, stop!” I screamed and fell to my knees, instinctively swinging a punch of my own at Vox. He caught that arm too. “Let – me – go!”

I struggled and thrashed my arms around, desperately trying to break his grip. But to his credit, he was strong.

“Quit resisting and this will go a lot better,” he whispered.

I quit struggling for a second and looked into Vox’s eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would have said they were pleading. But I knew now. It was all just an act.

“I thought you wanted to save me,” I choked out.

Now it was his turn to be silent. He glanced away for a second and I seized my chance. Yanking my right arm free, I slapped him hard across the face and shoved away.

Vox didn’t even flinch. He got up and slammed his fists on a table, muttering something to himself.

Meanwhile I put a hand to my face and tried to feel how bad my injury was. In the heat of the moment I hadn’t noticed it much, but now it was starting to throb. I quickly wiped away as much blood as I could.

“Is that all you can do? Such a disappointment.” Treznor frowned and tapped his foot.

Vox lowered his head for a second, still mumbling, then turned back around. “No. I’m not done with her.”

Re-energized, he stepped forward and socked me in the face again.

“Vox, I…” He paused and looked at me expectantly. And I don’t know why, but suddenly I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and I spat out, “I hate you.”

The salty sting of blood was filling my mouth. Vox shoved me away from him and I fell on my back, my head pounding. Everything hurt.

“Hit her! Harder!” Treznor was yelling from the door.

Vox held me down with one hand and raised the other. At the last second I twisted away, but his fist still collided with my ribcage.

A hot, sharp pain exploded in my chest. I heard myself screaming. Every breath felt like a knife stabbing into my lung.

“Again,” Treznor said.

“All he does is cling to his father’s every word, desperate to please…”

You start blocking out the memories after a while. The ground was the only thing I could feel. The ceiling the only thing I saw.

“Enough. Take her back… How dare you…” The slap of skin against skin snapped me out of my daze. Treznor had left and Vox was standing by the door, his hand cradling his cheek. He turned and saw me looking, then dropped it.

“I’m sorry, Treznor made me do it.” He knelt by me and reached out, but I jerked my arm away, biting my lip to hold back a whimper. “C’mon, get up. I have to take you back to the cell.”

“Don’t touch me!” I shrieked. My chest burned with pain.

Vox ran a hand over his forehead and closed his eyes. “Please don’t make this any harder than it already is. Just… here.”

He picked me up and I screamed as my entire midsection was jolted, sending sharp twinges up my right side.

Vox carried me down the hallway, then abruptly changed directions and climbed a staircase. Even half-unconscious I knew this wasn’t the way to my cell. We reached the top and I recognized the path to the turret.

He dumped me a bit roughly on the floor. “Go. Get out. I don’t care anymore. Treznor already knows I was helping you escape.”

I forced my eyes to focus on his. He instantly looked away.

“Leave. Now. This is the last thing I can do to help you. I wish-” He stopped and reconsidered. “I’m sorry for the beating.”

Vox backed down the stairs and vanished, still never meeting my eyes.