I fight the urge to close my eyes, tapping a finger against the glass in front of me as it starts to darken.

Blinking, I scan the room next to mine, nausea rolling through my stomach at the empty space. Breathing out, I let my head fall back against the frame of the bed, the pounding headache snapping to the forefront of my mind.

Looking over my shoulder, I look into the room at my other side, Clay pacing the walls back and forth. Feeling my gaze on him, he looks up, his chin dipping in concern.

I shake my head, ignoring the emotions swimming in his eyes and shrug, lifting a hand to tap the wall between Archer and my room again when it darkens.

I look back to Clay when I see him waving from the corner of my eye, titling my head at him and pushing myself from the floor.

'Stop worrying.' I see his mouth move, and he knocks a knuckle against he glass as if the punctuate his statement. 'He'll be fine."

"I know." I reply, wishing I believed the words. I know he's a fighter and I know what he's capable of but I can't help worrying. Curling a hand around my stomach, I glance over Clays face, checking his body for any signs of what they've been doing to him.

If they're doing to him the same thing they're doing to me, to Archer.

I want to ask him is he's seen Cleo, if he knows of her and Liam are okay but I can't find the words.

Finding his eyes again, I make sure he's looking at me before I ask the question.

"Have you seen Cleo?"

Clays brows draw in with confusion before his face clears, eyes darkening with a sadness I understand and he shakes his head, his face suddenly looking too tired, under eyes dark with lack of sleep.

His head whips up, attention behind me and I glance over my shoulder, stepping away from the wall and Clay to face my father where he stands in the hallway, his eyes narrowed and flicking between us.

He lifts a hand and noise comes flooding in, the sounds too loud in such a silent space.

I want to slap the grin on his face off as he sees my reaction to the noise.

"How are you, Holland?"

I narrow my eyes, folding my arms in front of me as I walk closer, standing toe to toe with my father, my eyes not looking away from him.

"What is your plan, Samael?" I lift a brow, "What makes you think you're going to get away with it?"

His laugh is grating on my ears, rough and full of arrogance.

"Because I've done this dance before, Holland."

"With Scarlett?" I tilt my head, "Who else have you ruined?"

His eyes flick past me, no doubt looking at Clay where I guess he is still standing, watching the both of us interact.

His finger stays on the button, letting the noises of the hallway outside my glass cage whisper through the room, the sound of his breathing, the footsteps of another person, the squeak of a door opening and closing.

I can almost see the thoughts forming in his mind, the satisfaction I can see growing in his dark gaze before his mouth opens, the words that spill forth causing a high pitched beep to rush through my head, and I swallow.

"What?"

"Lilac." He repeats her name, "Do you know she is still alive?"

I'd hoped. God, had I hoped.

Dropping my arms, I curl them around my stomach, and his eyes flicker to the movement and he grins, shaking his head.

"You didn't? So she didn't come to her sister?" He focuses back on my eyes, seeing the way his words have impacted me. "Guess you weren't as close as your thought."

"We were." I snap out, dropping my arms and stepping closer to the window, "We are." I choke out, "Where is she?" 

"See, I was kind of hoping you would tell me that." He look back towards Clay and then me, "Your sister has been causing problems the last few months, and when I find her-" he doesn't finish the sentence, removing his finger from the button and silence reigns once more, the sudden wall of nothingness causing me to stagger back, a ringing in my ears.

Samael steps back, turning his back on me to leave and I slam a fist against the glass, needing to know more but he ignores the sound, or he can't hear it and my body slumps with exhaustion, a sudden sickness overtaking me.

Turning from the wall, I move to the side, barely slumping over before I vomit, coughing as I drop to the ground, tears stinging my eyes and I spit the soiled taste from my mouth, wiping a hand across my chin and tipping my head back, trying to breath properly.

Pushing back from the pile of vomit, turning my back on it and facing Clay, almost crying from the look on his face, the concern and anger, seeing his mouth moving but no sound reaches me.

Through blurry eyes, I move closer, arms shaking as he continues to yell.

'Holland!' I can see my name on his lips, his eyes frantic as they watch me. 'What's wrong?' 'Holland.'

I shake my head, breathing out, watching as the movement calms him down but still his shoulders shake with rage and he says my name again.

"I'm okay." I say, "I'm okay."

Maybe if I repeat it enough, it'll come true.

'No you're not.'

I shake my head, nodding. "I'll be fine."

He calms down, frowning and watching me, the brotherly concern in his gaze causing an ache in my heart.

"Lilacs alive." I say, the words feeling foreign in my mouth.

He shakes his head, pointing to his ears and shakes it again.

"Lilacs alive." I say it slower, lifting a hand and putting it on the glass.

Shifting forward, I breathe onto the glass, relief filling me when the condensation and heat from my breath cause it to fog up and I wrote her name.

Lilac.

He reads her name, his lips forming the words before he looks back at me, pity and confusion clouding him.

I breath out again,

She's alive.

Clay blinks back at me, his face slack.

'What?'

"Lilacs alive." I say, poking a finger on the slowly fading words I'd just written.

His eyes close for just a second before they snap open, flying over my shoulder. I whip my head around, a breath releasing from me at the sight of Archer leaning against the glass wall, his face stricken with exhaustion.

He taps a finger against the glass, the print coming back with blood and I struggle up, rushing to the other side of the room, the smell of my own vomit wafting though the air and I almost gag before I reach him.

His eyes fly over me concerned, and he taps the glass again, getting my attention.

Once he has it, he nods.

'What's wrong?' I focus on his lips while he speaks, repeating it back to myself in my mind and look back to his eyes when I answer.

"Nothing." I say, relaxing.

Archer shakes his head, 'Liar.' He mouths.

The tears start and I lift a hand, wiping at my cheeks before placing my hand on the glass, and he follows, placing it on mine.

'Everything's going to be okay.' He nods, shifting down so his head is level with mine. 'Okay?'

I nod, 'Okay.' I take a deep breath in and do the same thing I did with Clay, breathing out onto the glass and writing the same thing I'd written only minutes earlier.

His eyes flash to mine when the words disappear and I watch as he mouth them back to me.

'Lilacs alive?"

I nod my head.

He smiles, 'That's good news.'

"She's alone." I reply.

He takes a deep breath in, 'we'll find her.'

My head falls forward, "How?"

'When we get out.' He mouths, ducking lower so I have to look at him.

I nod, feeling nausea swirls through me once more. I can't help but feel guilty. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't be in this situation. I had led them into this trap, and now they were paying the price. 

My eyes take in the new bruises and the blood on Archers hands and arms.

I feel like I'm losing my sanity, being trapped in this room, too silent for even my own thoughts to be heard.

Everyday I was feeling worse, the stress from being in here taking a toll on my body. I could hardly keep any of the food down they were bringing us but I forced it down anyway.

It was worse not knowing where Cleo or Liam were or if they were even in the building with me.

Were they even alive?

I had to believe they were.

Archer eyes snap over my shoulder, the anger on his face unmistakable and I look back, finding my father waiting for me once again, another man as his side. And when I finally get a good look at him, my head goes numb.

"Holland, I wanted to introduce you to Dimitri, he's my new business partner."

White noise rushes through me as I stare back at the man with those amber eyes, my back aching in response to his slowly growing smile.

"Hello, doll."

I don't react as they walk from my room, heading towards Clays, my eyes never leaving the back of Dimitri's head even when I see Clay with them, slumped between two guards bodies.