Ria:
I had woken up a little while ago. The only door unlocked is the bathroom, so at least there's that.
I am wearing jeans and a t-shirt. There was underwear and a bra as well. Everything still had the tags; that was the only reason I was comfortable using the underthings. I don't have any socks or shoes, which I think isn't an accident.
If you don't want someone to run, don't enable them to run. Not to mention, they locked me in. I have looked to find something I could use to pick the lock, but I have had no luck.
I drank the water after verifying that it was sealed and that there were no needle punctures. The muffins were in plastic, so I ate one.
I am about to figure out plan B to get the fuck out of here. I am not going to sit on my ass for them to come to get me. Fuck that!
I go to the curtains and look out the windows. I unlock one and lift it. There's no kind of screen to punch out, so that's good. There is a small balcony in front of the French doors, but they're locked.
However, it's not very far from the balcony railing to the window. Also, the building's exterior is stone. Old big stone, so there are surprisingly big hand and footholds. So it is definitely doable.
So I put the top half of my body out the window, and turn onto my back and grab the window so I am looking up. Then, very carefully, I sit on the ledge of the window. Then, still holding the window, I carefully pull out one leg, so now I'm straddling the window ledge.
Now my toes and the front of my foot slip into a space between two stones. I scoot closer to the wall across the ledge. Then, when I am basically hugging the window frame in front of me, I grab onto the stones. So, with one foot and one hand on the stone, I shift my weight so I am basically standing on one foot and hanging on with one hand.
I pull the other leg out through the window. Then fit my other hand and foot into the holds between the stones. I scoot sideways to the balcony. Then, grabbing the railing, I transfer to the balcony and go over the railing.
I shake out my body as I'm tightly wound. Then I look over the side of the balcony. There is another one directly below this one. So go over the railing by the wall again. I hang onto the railing spokes as I find holds between the stones. Obviously, no one has ever thought about the great hand and footholds in this wall.
I had thought I would go from balcony to balcony, but the holds in the wall are so good that I am just using the balconies as cover and a security blanket. By the time I am between the bottom of the second balcony and the bottom, I'm low enough that, God forbid, I fall, it'll hurt, but I'd walk away. When I reach the ground, I look around.
I need to get to a car or someone driving one so I can get to a police station. Surely if I can get to law enforcement, I can report my kidnapping, and we can get me in touch with the Embassy. Then they can get me home.
I start walking, keeping the wall to my side. This thing is huge, damn. By the time I get to the corner, I can see around. I see a fence about a mile away. So I take off running as quickly as possible. The bottom of my feet are being torn up all to hell, but I can't stop. I scale the fence and go over. I end up falling partway down, but I get back up.
I take off running through the trees in front of the fence. I stop and listen, trying to see if I can spot a road or hear cars. It takes a little while before I hear traffic.
I head that direction and find the road. I run beside it, and I finally see a car. I flag them down, and they pull over. Thank fuck, now I hope they understand me.
I run to the passenger side of the car. The man in the driver's seat unlocks the door. I open it and climb into the seat. I ask him if he speaks English. He smiles and nods his head. He reaches out his hand, and I let him hold my hand, thinking he is feeling sorry for me.
Suddenly, there is a fast movement behind me, and an arm goes around my throat. Before I can get out of it, I feel a pinch in my neck. I look to the side, and there's Natalia with a syringe in her hand. I feel heat sweeping through me, and my limbs are getting heavy.
I look at her in the face, "I fucking hate you, you betrayed me twice, you're my enemy."
Then darkness overwhelms me.
When I wake up, I am in a bed. I look, and it is the same room they had me in before. I am still dressed, thank god. I don't feel like I've been violated again. I throw the blanket off and sit up.
My head is throbbing, and my stomach is doing that thing again. Based on my previous reaction, I head to the bathroom. My feet are bandaged, but they still hurt like hell.
Sure enough, I end up puking my guts out. After I sip some water, brush my teeth, and use the restroom, I leave the bathroom.
I go to the window I got out of before. When I push the curtain open, I am met with bars on the window. So I can't get out that way again. So, I'll have to find another way.
I feel like shit, so I decide to take a hot shower, maybe it will help my head.
I spend a lot of time under the water, reveling in the seemingly unending hot water. I made sure I locked the door, but kept peeking around the shower wall to see if someone had come in.
By the time I'm done and get out, my head is better. I get redressed and towel-dry my hair. I don't have my ponytail holder; my hair has been down the whole time I've been here. I find a brush in a drawer.
So I go back into the bedroom. I move one of the armchairs back to the corner again and sit down. I work on my hair until all the snarls are out. The sun is fully up, and I see bright sunlight around the edges of the curtains.
I sit and wait. Soon enough, the door is unlocked, and in walks a man in a suit carrying a tray, and behind him are Drago and Cole.
The older man in the suit sets the domed tray on the coffee table. He bows to me and leaves the room.
"I need to take care of your feet," Cole says as he approaches me. I say nothing.
This is the first time I'm seeing them after the bombs they dropped on me. I am extremely leery of having them near me, but I can't appear weak, so I do nothing when Cole kneels in front of me.
He picks up my foot and examines the bottom. Then he takes a tube out of his pocket and liberally applies it to the soles of my feet. He then produced a roll of gauze and a sticky wound pad. I ignore him as he works.
"I need you to come to dinner tonight. We need to talk. I brought you this; it's full of books and movies."Drago steps forward and hands me a large tablet.
I take it as I am bored out of my mind just sitting here. I don't say anything in response, though.
Pretty soon, Cole is finished, and they leave. I figure it's useless, but I try the door anyway, and it's locked.
I checked out the tablet, but it's blocked from using any internet or phone apps.
So I mess around watching movies and reading, but nothing really holds my interest.
I hear the door open again, this time Natalia steps in. She's not alone, though. There is a really big guy with her. He sees her in the room, then I hear him say something to her, and he goes outside the door and shuts it. I'd bet money that he is standing on the other side of that door.
I wonder how badly I could have hurt her before he was able to stop me? I don't say a word, but no doubt she sees the hate blazing out of my eyes.
She sits on the end of the bed, wringing her hands.
"I'm sorry, Ria, but I swear it was for the right reasons. You are my brother's mate, dragon's mate for life. They will always come for you."
I glare at her, saying nothing.
"They care about you so much and just want to make you happy. Besides, you need us to know how to handle your dragon."
Fuck, not this crap again. I think they slipped me a hallucinogen. So much fucking bullshit.
"I know you probably still don't believe us, but it's true." With that, she holds out her hand and does what Drago did, only her scales are a golden yellowish color.
"See, everything they said is true."
I looked at her, "Does that help me get out of here?"
She looks kinda sad. "No, you need to stay here."
"Then I don't fucking care."
She blows out her breath and walks to the tray on the coffee table. Of course, I didn't touch the fucking thing. These assholes have drugged me twice; I'm not touching anything they made.
"You should eat something. Mary is a really good cook."
"I'm not fucking stupid. You people have drugged me twice, do you really think I'd give you the opportunity for a third?"
"I swear to you the food's not drugged." She takes a bite of several things.
"You're a fucking liar, why would I believe a god damn thing you say?"
Her face falls, "I really am your friend. We had to stop a war. When you meet the people, you'll understand."
"You weren't my friend, you were just the bait. You pull me in so they get what they want. I just wonder how many other girls fell for your act, how many times have you helped them rape someone?"
She cringes at the word, and I see a tear fall down her cheek. "They only did it because they had to mate you by the time they got home, or it would be a disaster. They have obviously never been mated as Dragons mate for life."
I snort in derision, "bullshit, all I am is their captive."
She gets up and walks to the door, "I'll see you at dinner. I really am your friend, Ria."
"No, you are and always will be my enemy."
She leaves the room, and they lock the door behind them.
Drago comes to get me for dinner. I thought about refusing to go, but they could physically force me, and I need my energy for escape. Besides, being out of this room lets me scope out the house to find possible exits.
We walk down a massive staircase. Neither of us says anything. I did notice I still don't have shoes.
He leads me into a large dining room. Everyone is here: Drago, Ash, Cinder, Cole, Natalia, and another man. He is older with a very expensive tailored suit. When I get closer and see his face fully I know who he is.
What the fuck is a US senator doing here. Unless he's here to get me or something.
There is only one other chair besides the one Drago occupies at the head. As soon as I sit, in walks an older plump round woman with a big smile, shinning blue eyes, ruddy cheeks, and huge breasts, her black hair is streaked with grey and in a bun at the back of her neck.
She pushes a cart with several trays of food. She sets them all out and retreats back to wherever she came from. Everyone starts serving themselves the food. When I don't Drago grabs my plate and fills it up. I just stare at him trying to mame him with my eyes.
"My dear, I'm so glad to see you today, as it appears we need to explain a few things." Senator Keeting looks at me while speaking.
"Dragons are one of the governments best secret weapons. Not just the US, but governments all over the world. Without them it would be death and mayhem."
He butters a roll and takes a bite watching me. He's like the oily cheap used car salesman.
After he swallows, he continues, "all of that being said, one of our absolute top priorities is to keep them happy and doing their jobs. So when one asks for a favor, of course the answer is always yes."
He is watching me, and he's hoping for a reaction he won't get.
"Now, being the Senator from New York I was able to help them with getting you to Cornell University and set up the scholarship. Now that they have mated you and brought you home, we needed to tidy things up, so to speak."
He took a drink of wine,"after all we can't have that foster mother, or your friends in that house asking questions can we? I mean that would stir up all kinds of shit. No, since you are here permanently, it's best to just have a clean break."
He pulls a manila folder out of a case at his feet. He pushes it over to me. I don't touch it.
"Go on take a look." He is staring hard at me, so I pull the folder to me and open it.
There is a photo of a totally burned out car, it looks like it might have been like Natalia's. The next page is a copy of a news article about an auto accident. Then there is another article with a picture of my family, and their faces are devastated. I flip back to the first article and read it quickly. My heart breaks, my stomach drops, and I can feel all the blood leaving my face.
"I see you understand now. You my dear were in a horrible car accident when you borrowed your roommate's car. The car burned so bad that they needed to use DNA to confirm Identity, but yours was all over that car. So my dear you are officially deceased. Your social security card, your driver's license, your bank account, absolutely everything is marked as you being deceased. So to the US, anyone trying to use your name would automatically be flagged as a fraud. So you have no way to ever enter the US again."
I just sat there. At this point I wasn't sure I was breathing. They had absolutely destroyed everything. I was their prisoner, and they made sure they showed me how powerful their friends were. I wonder who died in that car accident. Who's body did they cover in my DNA? Who's to say they wouldn't slaughter my entire family. No, this was their checkmate, but I still have mine to play.