Psychopathy

Chapter 35- Wine, Friends, Nightmares

Isabel slumped against her throne, idly playing with the chains that held her down. She'd been stuck there ever since he'd dragged her away from the lake. Before, he'd only attached the chain to her ankle, but now, it was completely wrapped around her legs, chest, and one of her arms. He'd only unwrap the chain from around her when he wanted her, and when he was done, he'd wrap her back up again. That was what he meant when he said the lake wouldn't be able to reach her. He was going to keep her chained here until she once again fell into submission.

But she was stronger this time. She could remember her friends this time, and could once again conjure up visions of them. And when that wasn't enough, she focused on the feeling of the lake rocking in her bones. Sometimes it would talk to her, but its voice seemed so far away. But as long as she knew it was there, and that it would still be willing to help her, she knew she could hang on until she either broke free or her friends finally found her.

Her thinking was interrupted by a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down to see a trickle of blood running down her stomach, originating a few inches above her belly button. She took her free arm and ran her finger along the trail, coating her finger with blood. She looked at it curiously, wondering what was happening to her. She gasped as another sharp pain pulsated in her stomach, and she looked down to see more blood oozing from a cut on her stomach.

It felt like something was trying to claw its way out of her stomach. Isabel screamed as the sharp pains grew continuous and the cut grew to extend all the way across her stomach. Blood ran down her stomach, coating the chains on her leg and pooling in the seat of her throne. Her free arm clawed at her stomach, not really sure what else to do, but knowing she had to do something. The cut opened up, and Isabel swore she could see her insides. She closed her eyes, knowing something was about to happen, but not wanting to see what.

The pain finally subsided as something came out of her and she felt the gash in her stomach begin to knit itself together. After a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes to see a blood-covered demon crouched on her chain-covered thighs, and she tilted her head. That was easily the strangest thing she'd experienced in the whole time she'd been here. Now she just had to determine what would happen next. The demon turned around and looked at her, blinking a few times.

Isabel screamed and covered her face as the demon bared its teeth and started to attack her.

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Akilah held Morgan's hand as they walked together to Rossi's mansion. She hadn't been sure Rossi was actually going to go through with the cooking lesson, but she was excited that he had. Now, she could cook, that much was true. But her special was Middle Eastern dishes and she could whip up decent dishes that hailed from both East and South Asia. But when it came to European and American foods, she wasn't that great. That was Ciara's specialty.

She would have loved this. Ciara could make a mean pasta and Akilah swore up and down there was some secret Italian blood running through her veins, though Ciara always denied it. She always told Akilah that she'd just perfected the craft through trial and error. But the opportunity to learn to cook pasta from an actual Italian? Ciara would have jumped all over that. And if Ciara had been there, there would have been no hesitation from Reid to come, Akilah knew that much.

"What's on your mind?" Morgan asked, and Akilah shook her head to clear it. She hadn't realized how lost in thought she had been.

"Do you think Reid will come?" she asked, and Morgan sighed.

"I don't know. He's still angry at all of us," he said, before looking at her. "Well, not all of us. He's not angry with you, or Garcia, or Rossi. But the rest of us, he's still angry at us, and I'm not sure he's ready to try and mend those bridges."