CHAPTER THREE

Julian's pov

A heavy, pounding headache was the first thing that brought me back to reality.

I groaned softly, squeezing my eyes shut as a wave of nausea washed over me. My whole body felt weighed down, completely useless, and my head throbbing with every beat of my heart. My throat was dry, coarse like sandpaper. For a brief, blissful second, I convinced myself that this was just a terrible hungover the consequence of whatever heavy shots Nico had forced down my throat at the bar.

Never letting Nico order drinks again, I thought, trying to muster a weak smile in the dark.

Still half asleep and blinded by the headache, I dragged myself upright, swinging my legs off the edge of the mattress to find my slippers and head toward the bathroom.

Halfway across the floor, I froze.

The floor under my bare feet wasn't the cold, scuffed linoleum of my tiny apartment bedroom. It was impossibly soft, thick carpet.

My heart did a sudden, violent drop into my stomach.

I opened my eyes and looked around, a cold wave of panic rising fast in my throat.

This wasn't my room.

The space was huge far bigger than my entire apartment back near campus. High ceilings decorated with delicate trim, massive dark mahogany furniture, and heavy velvet curtains draped over floor-to-ceiling windows that blocked out all outside light. A grand crystal chandelier hung from the middle of the room, unlit and casting eerie shadows. Everything about the room looked ridiculously expensive, elegant... and completely foreign.

Then, like a sharp slap to the face, the memory of last night came rushing back.

The dark street outside Vespera. The black SUV pulling up out of nowhere. The massive men in leather jackets. The rough hands grabbing my arms. The chemical, sickeningly sweet smell on that rag pressed against my face.

My breath hitched violently in my chest, my eyes widening in absolute horror as the realization hit me.

"Nico..." I gasped, my voice barely a cracked whisper in the empty room.

Oh God. What happened to Nico?

The terrifying image flashed through my mind Nico being violently thrown onto the hard concrete, lying there motionless while those men yanked me into the back seat. Was he alive? Did someone find him on that dark street, or did those monsters take him too? Was he locked up in some other room in this massive house right now?

Panic surged through my veins like ice water. I scrambled off the bed, stumbling over my own feet as I bolted toward the heavy wooden door on the far side of the room. I grabbed the polished brass handle and yanked it with all my strength.

Locked. Tight. It didn't yield even a millimeter.

"Hey! Let me out!" I screamed, slamming my open palms against the thick wood until my skin burned red. "Is anyone out there?! Open this door!"

I jiggled the handle frantically, throwing my shoulder against the frame, but the heavy door didn't even shake.

"Please! Let me go!" I yelled louder, my voice breaking and raw under the strain. "You have the wrong person! I don't have any money! I'm just a student!"

I pressed my ear against the wood, listening desperately for a key turning, a deadbolt sliding, or even footsteps in the hallway outside.

Nothing. Not a whisper. Just a heavy, suffocating silence that made the huge room feel like a burial vault.

My breathing became fast, short, and ragged. My chest tightened so hard I felt like I couldn't pull a single breath of air into my lungs.

"No... no, no, no... this isn't happening. This can't be happening..."

Hot tears burst past my eyes, stinging down my cheeks. My legs couldn't hold my weight anymore, and my knees gave out completely. I slid helplessly down the smooth wood of the door until I was curled up on the carpet, pulling my legs tight against my chest to stop myself from trembling.

How did my entire life get destroyed in a single night? Yesterday afternoon, I was just a stressed-out medical student complaining about anatomy lectures and worrying about upcoming exams.

Now I was trapped in some rich nightmare, helpless, terrified, and completely at the mercy of dangerous strangers.

If only I had just said no to Nico when we stepped out of class. If only I had been firmer and taken a cab straight back to our place like I originally wanted. If only I hadn't let him drag me to that stupid club.

The regret crushed down on me, heavy and suffocating.

I buried my face in my knees and wept until my shoulders shook violently, sobbing until my chest ached and there were no tears left to shed.

The relentless fear and physical exhaustion slowly drained every last bit of energy out of my body.

My head throbbed, my vision blurred, and eventually, darkness crept back around the edges of my mind, pulling me down into a deep, restless sleep right there on the cold floor.