Cassie hurried to the window and knelt upon the bed as she eagerly peered into Julian's room. He was already lying on his bed, his arm tossed over his eyes as he tried to block out the harsh illumination. There were fresh burn marks marring the pale skin of his arms, and his hair was singed at the edges. She didn't know what they had done to him today, but it had been far more than a taser, and Dani.

She gaped at him as she noted more burn marks lining his firm jaw line and cheeks. Her heart constricted; sorrow filled her at the obvious signs of torture he'd endured. These marks could be hours old, which meant he would have had hours of healing behind him already and yet the wounds were still quite visible.

Cassie swallowed heavily; fresh tears stung her eyes as she pressed her hands against the glass. She longed to touch him, to ease the suffering radiating from his body. "I'm ok, Princess."

She started at the sound of his hoarse, strained voice. "How did you know I was here?" she whispered.

"I would know you anywhere."

Cassie hastily wiped away the tears streaming down her face. She knew he would hate them. He would especially hate they were for him. Her chest constricted with the strain it took to keep her sob suppressed. "What did they do to you?" she breathed, unable to keep the hitch from her voice.

He didn't lower his arm to look at her, didn't turn toward her, but she knew her tone had affected him as a shudder ran through his body. Cassie rested her forehead against the glass; she wished he would talk to her or at least look at her. He seemed beaten, defeated, and she needed him to be strong and positive they would escape this alive.

Finally he turned toward her, but he didn't lower his arm from his eyes. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

"You don't look fine," she retorted. "What did they do?"

He hadn't been in his room when she'd been returned to hers, and though they'd actually taken it somewhat easy on her today, it appeared they hadn't been so kind to Julian. In fact, it seemed they had been twice as brutal to him. He lifted his arm a little to peer up at her. Cassie stared in dismay at the sight of his blood red, swollen, and brutalized eyes. He squinted up at her, his normally lively blue eyes blank. Cassie's hand flew to her mouth as she realized he couldn't see her. He was blind.

"Julian," she breathed unable to hold back her tears.

"Don't cry, Princess."

"You can see me?" she gasped in relief.

He shook his head and dropped his arm back over his tortured eyes. "Not for a few more hours. I can smell your tears though. Don't cry over me, I'm not worth it."

Cassie's breath hitched as heartache bloomed through her chest. "Yes, you are," she whispered. "You really are Julian, and don't you ever doubt that."

He remained unmoving for a moment, and then his head turned toward her. He didn't lower his arm, but she knew all of his attention was focused on her. "I'm glad you think so."

Cassie was unable to stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. She knew he hated them, but his torment was more than she could bear. "I know so," she whispered. "What did they do to you?"

He stiffened for a moment and then relaxed visibly. "They just wanted to make sure I hadn't picked up Devon's nifty trick for surviving the rays of the sun."

How long had they tortured him after realizing he wasn't capable of moving about in the daytime? "I'm sorry."

"I don't want your pity, Princess," he grated out.

"I'm not pitying you; I'm sorry you had to go through that today. How long did they keep you outside?"

Julian shook his head and shifted a little on the bed. "Didn't go outside, they had one of those UV lamp things."

"How long?"

"I don't know," he mumbled.

Cassie's gaze raked over his lean body. Though he wore scrubs, she knew his legs would be as burned as the rest of him. She didn't know how the UV lights worked, but she bet he'd been subjected to their rays for a while. Sighing heavily, she dropped down on the bed, and rested her head against the glass.

"How was your day dear?"

Cassie couldn't help but smile as she shook her head at him. Though he was in obvious discomfort, he still hadn't completely lost his sense of humor. "Just peachy," she told him. "I think my veins are going to collapse."

"Hmm, I bet. Did they give you another shot?"

Cassie braced herself before looking down at her arms, but there was no discoloration today as her arms remained pale, and needle puckered. "No."

"Hmm," he grunted again. "That's good."

She leaned against the window and pressed her hand to the glass. She missed the imaginary feel of his hand pressed to hers. Resting her cheek against the glass, she stared down at him as a riot of emotions tore through her and made it difficult to breathe. There had to be some way out of here, but she had yet to find a chink in their captor's armor.

"Cassie." She turned back to Julian as she stifled a yawn. His arm was still draped over his eyes, but the burns on his arms looked somewhat better. "We have to get out of here."

"I know. They're going to kill us soon."

"Yes," he agreed. "And one thing I will not survive is the loss of your life."

Cassie tried not to cry harder at his words. She would only bring him misery, but he seemed set in his feelings for her, no matter how much she didn't want them. Or at least she told herself she didn't want them, repeatedly. Julian had made his way into her heart and she loved him in a way she'd never thought possible. He was her friend, her rock, and she needed him. She loved Devon, she really did, but her feelings for Julian were new and strange and confusing.

And she didn't have time to sort through them. Not in here anyway, not until they were free.

Cassie bit on her bottom lip as her gaze shot toward the bigger mirror. She was always concerned they were listening to them, laughing at them for their stupidity at thinking they could escape. But she had to think of a way to get them both out of here, before there was no chance of escape anymore.

She turned back to Julian and winced at the brutal wounds. His pain was her pain; she felt it as acutely as she would have felt her own burns. She had to get him out of here before they destroyed him. She wouldn't survive his loss either. He owned a piece of her heart now, and he always would. She would be broken without him.

Cassie hugged her legs to her chest as her resentment toward this whole awful situation grew. Tears rolled down her face as her thoughts turned to Devon. She longed for him constantly; she missed him more than she would miss the loss of her own arm. Yet she was sitting here, confused, uncertain, and in turmoil because of her growing feelings for Julian. Biting on her bottom lip, she tried to keep her sobs from Julian, but she knew she'd failed miserably when his palm suddenly pressed against the glass.

Cassie knew she shouldn't touch it. She should start to sever the tie between them, but she couldn't bring herself to do so, not now. Not when she was so alone, and frightened, and in need of his strength and love. Not when she knew he required this more than she did. She was being selfish, and she hated herself for it, but she couldn't stop herself from pressing her hand to his.

She buried her face in her knees as her tears flowed freely. She had to get them out of here before she destroyed all of their lives by crossing a line she'd never thought she would. She knew where her heart belonged, who owned her soul, but things were so different in here. Julian was going to be hurt if they ever made it out of here, and Devon wouldn't understand her strange new feelings for a man who had been their worst enemy. No, Devon wouldn't understand it at all, and he may never forgive her for it.

She didn't know if she could forgive herself for it.

She curled up against the wall as she kept her hand to the glass. She allowed the drugs to pull her under, grateful for the escape they now offered her.