Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #5)

The light illuminated a leg in dark jeans. She followed the leg up to a body in in a red shirt and hesitated just before reaching the face. Did she send up a silent prayer? She wasn’t sure. Gathering her courage, she shined the beam on the person’s face, and his hand came up to block the light.

“Ow!” The voice grumbled. “Give a guy a break.”

“Sorry.” Mina moved the beam away but brought it back close enough that she could see his face clearly. Her heart was already thudding loudly in her ears, and the flashlight shook in her hands.

It looked like him, but he had his face turned away from the light as if he was purposely avoiding looking at her. She had to know.

“Is it really you?”

“Go away.” His voice was low, almost growling at her.

“Not until you tell me who you are.”

The man lunged at her, his voice rising in animalistic pitch. “Go away!”

Chains attached to the floor below him brought him up short. His body convulsed, and he stopped struggling against his bonds. He slowly turned his back on her, chains rustling. Now she had a full view of his back.

But she knew.

“Jared. It is you!” Mina moved to just outside the reach of his chains and tried to sit on the floor.

“It’s me, Mina.”

He hadn’t changed. His dark hair was longer, unkempt from lack of care. His face looked thinner, but it was still just as handsome beneath the layers of grime. She hadn’t seen his eyes, but she didn’t really want to know their color.

She told herself it wouldn’t matter. This was Jared.

He turned and gave her a long searching look. She waited for recognition to flare in his eyes, for the smile to reach his lips.

He just sneered. “Mina. What a pathetic name—for a pathetic girl.”

“I’m not pathetic. You are. You’re the one lying here in filth and dirt.”

His head rolled to the side, as if holding it up took too much effort. This time he did smile cruelly as he shook the silver manacles in front of him and shook the chains at her. “I, at least, have a reason, for it. You do not belong here. You need to leave,” he warned.

“I’m not leaving without you,” Mina promised, moving forward slowly, unthreateningly. She motioned to his manacles, and he held them up for her to inspect.

Her heart dropped when she saw how bloody and mangled his wrists were under the metal. No padding protected his skin from the iron, which was terribly painful to Fae. On someone not as strong, it might have killed them or driven them mad. Of course, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed on this mirror plane. How long had he been here? Was he still safe?

She closed her eyes, and her hand glowed over the lock. A loud click followed, and the first manacle fell from his wrist.

Jared groaned in pain as some of his skin came off with the manacle, but he held out his left hand as she did the same to the second lock. This time, he clenched his teeth as she held the manacle still and carefully pulled it off, mindful of his wounds.

His breathing had quickened from the pain. She bit her lip and studied the raw and bloody wrists. He needed more than just bandages—he needed a hospital. She ran to the basement door and pulled on the handle, only to find a solid brick wall. They were trapped in the mirror. A reflection of the Grimm family basement. A brick room with no windows, and the only way out blocked by a brick wall. It was the perfect cell. Designed to withhold Teague. Of course there wouldn’t be an easy way out.

“Okay, this might hurt.” She spoke soothingly as she placed her hands above his wrists and concentrated on healing his hands. She watched her work with surprised satisfaction—his wrists glowed, and the skin started to heal. When she was done, she frowned. Terrible scars remained on his wrists.

“I don’t understand. I thought it would heal.”

Jared rubbed his wrists. “Nothing can fully heal iron wounds. I’d been bound for a long time. I’m lucky to be alive.” He turned his back on her once again as he sat on the cold stone floor.

“What are you doing?”

She’d freed him. He should be jumping for joy, thanking her, kissing her even. Instead, he sat back down.

He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes like he was asleep. “I’m sitting,” he answered dryly. “It’s a bit cold, but I’m used to the cold.”

“No, why aren’t you trying to escape? I freed you. You should be thankful.”

He opened his eyes to slits. “Do you see a another door besides the one you tried? And thanks. You want me to say thanks. You came in here to my home—”

“Prison,” she interrupted.

“Prison,” he repeated. “With no clue what you’ve done or who you’re messing with.”

“I know exactly what I’ve done. I’ve come to save you.” Mina ground her teeth.

“I don’t need saving.”

“You don’t mean to stay here.” She gestured to the small room.

“This is where I belong.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

Mina came to sit by him and touched his arm. “No, you don’t, Jared.”

He pulled his arm away from her. “I’m not Jared.

She tried to not let his words hurt her. She steeled her resolve and her voice. “Teague can’t imprison you any longer. I’ve trapped him in seven mirrors. Four of those are destroyed already. All I need to do is destroy the others, and we’ll win. Teague will be destroyed and…” She couldn’t finish.

“I’ll be destroyed as well,” he finished for her. “It’s why I have to stay here.”

“Well, I’m not leaving without you.”

“Fine by me. Enjoy your stay, although I have to say, the meals are few and far between, the beds are non-existent, and the company is horrible.” He flashed his teeth at her, then pulled his knees up and rested his head on his forearms.

“Jared…”

He groaned. “Girl, I swear. Stop calling me that cursed name. I am not this… this person.”

“Mina.”

“Whatever,” he rolled his shoulders and ignored her.

How could she convince him she was here to help? “Okay, well I meant it. I’m not leaving unless you come with me. I’ll use the seam ripper. We have to try to escape. You can’t give up hope.”

“Not going to happen.” He yawned and proceeded to stretch out on the cold floor, his back to her.

Mina sat down and pulled her knees up to her chin for warmth. She could wait him out. She was almost certain of it. She knew Jared could be stubborn, but she was going to have to show him that she was serious.

Mina rocked back and forth trying to get her body to warm up. As Jared slept, she held back the desire to go over and kick him in the stomach for being so stupid. Instead, she settled for walking as far as she dared in the dark, while trying to keep an eye on him.

The longer they stayed in the basement, the more it seemed like the darkness was creeping up on them. The shelves and boxes slowly disappeared, and they were surround by it. A darkness that continued forever. Finally, perhaps hours later, she came back and sat on the cold floor as close as she dared to Jared without waking him up. Soon, the chill set in, and drowsiness overtook her.