I woke up in the middle of the night, my throat dry as a bone. I tried closing my eyes, hoping I could just ignore it and fall back into whatever dream I was in the middle of, but it was no use. Throwing the covers back, I groggily got to my feet and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The kitchen was dark when I walked in and I didn't bother with a light.

I pulled the refrigerator door open, the light bathing the kitchen in a soft, white glow. Grabbing a bottle of water, I leaned against the counter and took a long sip, soothing my itchy throat.

A sound whispered down the hallway, causing my ears to perk up. I peeked my head out of the kitchen, looking for the source of the sound. It happened again, this time louder and I realized that it was coming from behind me. I turned to the door that led to Jaime's office. It sounded like a cry of pain.

Shouldn't everyone be asleep?

I paused. I could go back to my room and pretend like I never heard anything or I could risk trouble by snooping around somewhere that I probably shouldn't be snooping. But if someone really was hurt, who else was awake to help them?

I followed the heartbroken sound through the unlocked door. The office door was closed and when I put my ear against it, all I heard was silence. I looked up and down the hallway, baffled. Maybe I was imagining things.

Just as I was about to go back to bed, I heard it again behind me. It was closer now and I drifted past the office door into an unfamiliar hallway. At the end was another closed door and whatever lay beyond it.

Taking a deep breath, I grasped the doorknob and turned. There was only a set of stairs, leading down into a dimly lit basement. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, but the cries of pain urged one step after another. Plastic crinkled right beside me and I jumped before I realized I was still holding the bottle of water in my hand. I let out a shaky breath when I reached the last stair.

It was hard to make out much in the poor lighting. It seemed as if I just found an abandoned hallway scattered with closed doors until I saw light peeking out from a small window at the top of a door about five rooms away. I let the light guide me down the hallway. Standing on my tiptoes, I could barely see the crumpled figure sitting in a chair, pools of blood splattered around him. A gasp escaped my lips and the bottle of water fell from my hand, crashing to the ground.

This must be who I heard earlier, but why were they down here? I gripped the doorknob in one hand and tugged, but it didn't budge. Looking down, I flipped the lock on the handle and slowly, the door eased open.

"Hello?" My voice came out as a strained whisper, but it roused the man anyway. He lifted his head and I couldn't hide the shock on my face from his appearance. One eye was swollen shut and the other side of his face was varying shades of blues and purples with small cuts across his jawline. I crouched in front of him, my hands hovered but didn't touch him. His hands were pulled back behind him and his ankles were tied to the chair.

Ivan. The name floated its way to the front of my mind and I struggled to remember where I knew it from. Ivan?

Do you really think I care about one innocent life, Ivan?

When I looked back at his gruesome face, there was a wicked smile on his lips. He leaned forward, fixing his one good eye over my shoulder. Confused, I glimpsed behind me at the doorway, but no one was there. I turned back around just as Ivan lunged from the chair, his hands wrapping around my throat and he pushed me to the ground. His ankles were still tied to the legs of the chair and we fell awkwardly, his full body weight landing on me. The air was knocked from my lungs and with his hands squeezing my airway, I could barely manage to suck in a small gasp of air. I clawed at his fingers, but he didn't let go. Black spots started dancing across my vision as my lungs burned for air, and my grip loosened.

I was vaguely aware of footsteps thundering into the room and someone shouting through the haze that had settled over me. My eyes slipped closed at the same time Ivan's body was thrown off me. I turned over instinctively, inhaling precious gulps of air that smelled of copper. Once I'm able to open my eyes without fear of passing out, I saw the commotion behind me.

Jaime held Ivan by the collar of his shirt, sending punch after punch. Ivan's eyes were closed and his face didn't register any of the pain that he should be feeling. I fought to get to my feet and staggered over to Jaime. I grabbed his shoulder as he pulled his arm back for another hit, and Jaime stilled under my palm. His eyes didn't leave Ivan's face and his chest rose and fell with quick breaths.

"Jaime." The one word seemed to reach inside of him and pull him back to the surface because his arms dropped to his side and Ivan crumpled to the ground. Before I realize it, I'm wrapped in Jaime's arms, trapped against his muscled chest where his heart thumped wildly as he struggled to calm down. Gingerly, I wrapped my arms around his torso.

We stood embraced for only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity, when I pulled away from him. Jaime's eyes still held that murderous edge to them but there was something else there too. Something fervent and powerful. I wanted to look away, but I feared that my eyes might land on the unconscious man beside us.

Jaime grabbed my hand, leading me out of the room and locking the door behind us. We made it only to the first step when my legs gave out. Warm hands grabbed me before I cracked to the ground and gently lowered me until I was sitting on the step. I wrapped my arms around my legs, drawing them to my chest and sunk down into myself.

"Ava?" Jaime reached out to touch my arm, but I flinched back, noticing the blood across his knuckles.

"What is this place?" I trembled. I couldn't shake the feeling of Ivan's hands around my throat.

"Ava..." Jaime drifted off.

When I finally got the courage to look at him, tears stung my eyes. "Who are you?"