He turned his head and a heated gaze latched onto mine. I had forgotten he could read my thoughts. Or maybe I just hadn’t cared.
What a shame it’s wasted on someone with such an ugly inside, I thought. The heat in his eyes stilled to indifference before he looked away.
Stress was easiest to deal with when one wasn’t awake; that was why I fell asleep moments later.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
PAST CATCHING UP
A soft voice caressed my face. It rolled around my entire body, singing a song of such beauty that it overwhelmed all my senses. A satin fabric of such warmth and softness slid across my skin. Goose bumps appeared with every crescendo. An unexplainable sensual scent was the only thing I could smell. Colors pulsed, dissipated, and appeared in front of my eyes with the rhythm of the song.
No small voice warned me this time.
I moved deeper and deeper into the song, barely registering the sticks and rocks underneath my feet. Soft water took over the fabric; it was so warm as it trickled down my skin . . . and then became ice-cold. I cried out from the jarring transition.
The song was ripped from me, and it felt as though it ripped a chunk of my heart out as well. It left it bloody and raw, and I pressed a hand against my chest to try and keep the rest of my heart from falling to pieces. The colors consuming my vision dissipated, and a woman in a white robe stood before me.
The full moon accentuated the dark hair twisted at the crown of her head in an elegant braid. Her eyes were wide, and black liquid dribbled out of her open lips. I didn’t realize it was red until it dripped onto her white robe. My stare moved to the man behind her. An indifferent gaze stared back at me while the woman sank to the ground, a knife tumbling out of her hands. Her eyes remained open as the last bit of her life left in the red waves that covered her back.
My vision blurred with tears as the ache in my chest took over. It was eating my insides like acid and feeding on the air in my lungs as if to spread to the rest of my body. I choked on a sob, and when Weston wrapped an arm around my waist, I convulsed. My eyes rolled back into my head, and I barely heard the deep voice in my ear. “Sleep.”
I woke up as I was being set down on my pallet by the fire. My muscles were sore, but the intense pain I’d felt dissipated. I had been so sure that I was dying.
I stared at the fire blankly. The pain had been so consuming that I didn’t want to feel or think about anything until a deep voice interrupted the silence.
“It was the song. Her death made you feel the pain,” Weston said. My eyes met his in a blank stare. I was surprised he was voluntarily giving me any information.
“Why did you kill her?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“She was going to kill you.”
Always saving me. When would I be able to save myself?
My mind was void of much activity. It had a shield up after I had sworn I would die; a simple protective maneuver to keep me from losing my mind, and making awful decisions. My body was so exhausted from the pain that I fell asleep minutes later.
* * *
Over the next two days, I traveled obediently behind Weston. The only kind of contact we had was with our eyes. I looked at him with hatred, and he looked at me with indifference. I didn’t know how the silent communication seemed to be working between us, but it was as if we were actually talking.
He didn’t even have the decency to appear guilty about what he was doing. It made my skin heat with anger, and I focused on that, instead of fear and self-pity.
He never gave an explanation for where he was taking me, and I didn’t ask for one. The only thing that made sense was that he wanted the seal open, and he thought he knew where it was. Or he had a thing for blondes and was taking me to a bizarre, sexual torture chamber. I thought that little theory louder than normal.
His amused eyes said, I could sexually torture you right here.
I stopped taunting him after that. It was too playful even in a disturbing way. And I didn’t want to play; I wanted to hurt.
He didn’t even glance my way when I went to the stream to collect my thoughts and wash up. I wished he wouldn’t have left me out of his sight. Because that would have told me that he was worried about me escaping. But instead, his indifference said everything.
He could find me anywhere in this forest.
* * *
When we finally stopped in a metropolis of a city, thoughts of escape were on my mind.
There were enough people here that I should have been able to slip away easier than in the middle of the woods. When Weston paid for two rooms and left the inn, my wide eyes followed him out the door in disbelief. I didn’t doubt he had heard my thoughts of escape, and he would give me free rein in the city? It had worry gnawing at me, but I wouldn’t let it sway my decision.
The sun hadn’t set yet, so I walked down the brick streets to purchase a few things. I bought some more soap and a couple of shirts and pants. I used the money that I was going to pay Weston with. I amused myself with the thought that he wouldn’t get it anymore.