Chapter Four plaything

Avery's POV

I shoved up from the chair, rushed towards him, and my hand found the blade at his hip before my mind caught up with what my body was doing. I yanked it free.

His hand grabbed my wrist before I could raise it. Twisting my arm behind my back so fast, the blade dropped, and my knees nearly buckled from the angle.

"Do you really want to kill me? Many have tried. It is not that simple."

"Let me go," I twisted, trying to yank my arm free.

"I am blind." His grip didn't loosen. "But I hear every shift in this room. You will not catch me off guard. Not today. Not ever."

He released me.

I stumbled forward, breathing hard, and turned to face him.

"Your father has been paid. But that does not mean you were sold for love. Or mating.

"You are here to serve. That is all. You will not be my mate. You will be my plaything."

"You must be sick." The words came out before I could stop them, and I did not want to stop them.

"I am not an object. I am not a plaything. And you—" my voice cracked full of rage, "you are blind. You cannot even see me. How would you even know what to do with a woman?"

The corner of his mouth moved to something that was almost a smile.

"I don't need my eyes to know exactly where to put my cock."

He walked closer, pulling me against his chest. His hand slipped beneath the hem of my dress, sliding up my thigh.

I shoved at him. “Get off me, you animal.”

He didn’t budge.

Instead, he forced me back into the chair. His thighs pressed between my legs, his hands gripping my boobs hard.

“I could have you right here,” he muttered darkly, “but I want you cleaned first.”

Then from the doorway Raith's voice. Low, clipped, urgent.

"Alpha. You have a message.” Lucian went completely still. He turned away from me like I had ceased to exist.

"Raith. Take her to her room. Feed her. Have the maids clean her."

"No!" The word tore out of me. "No, let me go! Let me go!"

Raith's hands closed around my arms and I fought him. Kicked, twisted, screamed and none of it made any difference.

"Let me go! Let me go, you hear me? I said let me go!"

Lucian did not turn around.

He listened to the sound of me being dragged from the room. My screaming, my sobbing, my curses echoing off stone walls until the door closed and swallowed all of it.

***

Raith left me in my room with two words: maids are coming. Then the door clicked shut and his footsteps faded.

I sat on the floor for thirty seconds.

Then I got up.

The window. The decorative iron bars I had noted in the living room, this room had the same. I worked it with my hands,until it created a gap just wide enough.

I dropped to the ground outside.

I moved through the shadows. I was almost at the tree line when I heard it.

Voices. Coming from the stone outbuilding to my left. I should have kept moving but instead I stopped. Pressed myself against the outer wall and looked through the gap.

What I saw made blood drain completely from my face.

There was a portrait hanging there.

Large. Framed. Lit by the flickering torch mounted beside it.

My portrait.

For a second my brain refused to process it. I just stared, trying to convince myself I was wrong.

But it was me.

My pulse started hammering in my ears. I leaned back slightly, suddenly very aware of how exposed I was standing in that doorway.

I needed to leave. Now.

But my foot shifted against loose gravel.

The sound was small. And yet inside the room, the voices stopped instantly.

One of the chairs scraped against the floor.

“Who's that?” Lucian's voice cut through the silence.

My heart slammed hard enough it felt like it might give me away. I didn’t breathe.

Footsteps started toward the door. I forced my body to move, peeling myself off the wall.

The door slammed open.

Light spilled over me.

I ran.

“Stop.”

The word cracked behind me like a gunshot, and my body finally obeyed. I bolted for the tree line, branches clawing at my arms, my breath tearing out of my chest in uneven bursts.

Footsteps exploded behind me. “Don’t let her get away!”

The forest swallowed me whole. I jerked forward with a gasp, nearly losing my footing.

My foot caught on something.

I went down hard.

The impact knocked the air out of me, pain exploding up my side as I hit the ground. Dirt filled my mouth. For a second, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move.

Footsteps closed in.

I scrambled, hands slipping in the soil as I tried to push myself up, but a shadow fell over me before I could get my knees under me.

A hand grabbed my arm.

I twisted, kicking out blindly, connecting with something solid. A grunt. The grip loosened just enough.

I tore free and staggered back, sucking in air like I’d been drowning.

Raith's hand locked around my arms like steel clamps. “Let me go! Y– You're all monsters!” I screamed, my voice cracking as he dragged me back toward the house.

Raith didn’t say a word. Not even a flicker of emotion crossed his face.

Lucian was already in his room when Raith dragged me through the doors. Standing completely still.

He was furious.

Raith released me and I stumbled forward, catching myself before I hit the floor. Barely.

Lucian did not move. "Leave us."

Raith was gone before the echo died.

Then Lucian moved without hesitation. And when he was close enough he whispered, “Why are you so stubborn? You want to be made to obey? Then I will teach you how to be a slave.”

“Get down.” He grabbed my hair, yanking my head back until my neck strained. “You think you are tough? I'll kill you if you push me, girl.”

My hand tightened around the sharp object I'd grabbed from the corner earlier. With all my strength I drove it into his hand.

“Fuck!” He roared. Pain twisting his voice. He shoved my head away, his grip loosening as he stumbled back.

The door burst open and Raith rushed in.

“Alpha, what's wrong?”

“Lock her up!” Lucian snarled, his unseeing eyes flicking towards Raith's voice, his face contorted with rage.

“No, please, let me go! I want to go home!” I screamed, my voice breaking as I pressed myself against the wall.

“Let me go! Why are you keeping me here! Why is my portrait on your wall! You blind psycho!”

My bare feet stumbled across the cold floor as I struggled to keep up with his harsh grip. I turned to look ahead and that's when I saw it.

A heavy, iron door. Dead silent.

“No…No, no. What is this?” I stammered, trying to dig my feet into the floor.

Raith ignored me as he pulled out a set of heavy keys and started unlocking the bolts one by one.

“Are you — are you going to leave me in there?” I cried, voice shaking. “Please, it's too dark… I'm scared of the dark… don't leave me alone in there!”

Still nothing. He didn't even look at me.

“Raith! Please!” I begged, tugging at his arm now. “You can't leave me here, please. I don't want to be alone, please don't.”

He shoved me hard.

I hit the floor of the room with a heavy thud, the coldness biting into my skin instantly. My palms scraped against the hard ground as I twisted to look back at him.

But he was already locking the door.

“Raith, please. I’m sorry. Please let me out—I’ll do anything. Don’t leave me here alone,” I cried, my voice breaking as I pushed against the door.

The last lock clicked.