Lock Me Up, But Not My Heart Novels & Stories

Jericho asked. "You won't understand. You haven't been through what I've been." "Enlighten me" He smiled as the voice of the train got louder. "All I've learned is never to fall for a heart that doesn't beat as loudly as you do for it. I thought she loved me but she broke me. And I'm under a debt I can't ever get over with." "So, you thought life's not worth living because of some petty mortal who didn't treat you right?"

I had no idea that the door had been jam locked. One of the guards nodded toward me, his gaze just a little bit sympathetic or so I thought. “I’m sorry, Miss Cooper. But the Alpha’s orders are clear, you’re not to leave this room.” Before I could argue, the door clicked shut behind me, the sound echoing ominously in the silence. My heart raced with several thoughts and I ran to the door, pressing my ear against it, hoping that I had heard wrong, that they’d left a key in the lock or forgotten to latch it properly. But when I twisted the handle, it held firm, trapping me inside.

Ryan's face hardened. He didn't even look at me. His voice was ice. "Lock her in the west wing's silver cell. She doesn't leave until I say so."

No big declarations or dramatic confessions. Just the soothing sounds of the house and the gentle rhythm of two hearts learning to be soft again. ---

Her illness made her memories slip away so often that she likely wouldn't even notice my absence. I wandered aimlessly, my feet carrying me back to the basement, where I was locked up for half a month. I pressed my face up against the freezer, its surface wrapped tightly in a dust cover, completely obscuring whatever lay inside. My blood had seeped from the drainpipe below, soaking through the base of the cover, making it stick firmly to the freezer like glue. It had been two weeks since Sam locked me inside this soon-to-be abandoned freezer. All because I had turned off the water heater while Nancy was in the shower. For that, he decided I needed to suffer alongside her.

Startled I looked at the intruder, my heart skipping when I realized I had not locked the damn door. How stupid can I be!? I swallowed and scurried to my feet, ready to scream bloody murder when his voice reached my ears. "I'm starting to think dark rooms are our thing, flower." The lock clicks in place and my heart began to beat impossibly fast.

"If I were you, and my girlfriend had been pushed down the stairs, I would've called the police instead of imprisoning a suspect myself. And if it's true that your girlfriend framed me, then she's the one who should apologize. But that doesn't erase the fact that you committed a crime by holding me captive. "I need to rest now. Please leave," I announced. Harvey stepped forward and gestured toward the door. "If you two don't leave, I'll have to call security." Phoebe's delicate facade cracked, her face twisting with malice as she glared at me. "Raelynn, stop pretending to be innocent!" she spat venomously. "You're lucky this past month didn't kill you—it even helped you start talking again.

“She makes me dangerous.” They stepped back. Good. “You will NOT question my mate again,” I told them. “Or you will answer to me.” Hugo gritted his teeth. Mira looked offended. But neither spoke. Because they knew I meant every word. ************ MARILYN POV The moment the door slammed shut, my heart dropped. Then I heard the sound that made my blood run cold. “click.” Liam had locked it from the outside. I stared at the door, frozen. My hands began to shake. My throat felt too tight to breathe.

“And if you forget how you loved me… then I will show you how to fall again.” A sob tore from me, silent and crushing. I pressed my forehead against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around me slowly, carefully, like holding a glass heart that could shatter with too much pressure. We stayed like that for a long time. Breathing. Trembling. Holding. Outside, the moon climbed higher. I could feel time tightening around us. When I finally pulled back, his hand lingered against my jaw. I caught his wrist gently and pressed it to my cheek, eyes closed.

I felt like I was living inside a heartbeat that wouldn’t slow down. My hand slipped, fingers scraping along the frame. My nails caught on something soft inside the inner seam—a cable. Emergency release cable. Old. Probably rarely used. But there. I hooked it and pulled. For a moment, nothing happened. Then— A sharp mechanical clack cut through the smoke, louder than it should’ve been. The lock disengaged. Footsteps thundered behind me. Hard. Fast. Someone charging at full speed, close enough that I felt the rush of displaced air.