CHAPTER EIGHT

“You can’t kill Kara,” I whisper.

“Oh really?” his eyebrows arch. “I can and I will.

“It hurts me to think you might only be agreeing to marry me because you want to save Kara. I feel like she could get between us anyway. She hates me. I don’t want her saying awful things about me to you, putting negative ideas in your head. I don’t want to risk the two of you plotting against me.”

Tobias shakes his head and I want to rip it right off his neck. He can’t kill Kara. I won’t let him.

“There’s no saving her” he says. “She has to die. It’s for the best. It’ll save our marriage.”

“Lying to me isn’t a great way to start our marriage,” I remind him. “If you really want to be married to me, if you really want me as your mate, you shouldn’t lie to me. You should show me I can trust you.”

“You can trust me,” Tobias says. “You can trust me to always do what’s right for you. What’s right for us. Killing Kara is what’s right for us.”

“It’ll only hurt me,” I argue.

“Pain is how you grow stronger,” Tobias says with a sick smile. “That’s how you’ll become the mate I need.”

I argue with him over this for far too long. I try to reason with him, and in doing so, the act I was putting on becomes tarnished. I think it’s clearer and clearer that I don’t want to marry him.

So, I stop.

“You’re right,” I say, which seems to take him by surprise. I allow tears to fall. “It isn’t easy to accept, but you are right.

“I haven’t even known Kara for that long. I have no reason to have such a strong loyalty towards her. Though we bonded at a particularly tough time when we were both vulnerable, she doesn’t mean all that much to me.

“She’s not going to be in my life for as long as you are going to be. She doesn’t decide my future like you do. Moving forward, you are the biggest part of my world.

“Though I don’t agree with you, I’ll have to learn to. I’ll have to accept what you think is best.”

He looks at me with pride as I swallow my pride to say that. I can tell he still doesn’t fully believe me, but he becomes more relaxed as the night wears on.

Tobias even unhooks my hands so I can eat dinner with him. He allows me to use a knife, which I know is a test.

I pass the test by not even trying to escape. I can’t escape anyway. He’d only use it as an excuse to punish me.

So, I’m polite. I maintain normal conversation.

When he gets ready for bed, he strips down right in front of me. I pretend to like what I see.

“Soon, I’ll be all yours,” he says. I try to pretend like I’m not disgusted.

And after waiting for so long, he finally falls into a dead sleep.

I wait until snores fill the hut, then I move towards him.

Carefully.

So carefully.

He keeps the key around his neck.

I’m terrified. If I’m caught, he’ll kill me.

Or worse. He’ll hurt me so badly I’ll wish I was dead.

I hold my breath as I walk up to him. I weigh each step. Though he’s snoring loudly, I still worry.

I carefully work the key off of his neck.

The snoring stops midway through, so I stop too and…

It resumes.

I’m able to slip the key off his neck and quickly undo the chains before running out of the hut.

*

Though I want to, I don’t escape into the night. I long to run and keep running, but I’m afraid they’ll come after me and catch up to me easily.

They’re faster, stronger.

Besides, there’s someone who I suspect deserves freedom even more than I do.

I get the cage and watch the guards patrolling it.

They don’t patrol it the whole time though. They glance over at Kara, then they sit by the fire and drink, eat, and talk to each other. It seems like they don’t see Kara as a risk.

They don’t know I’m hiding in the shadows though.

So, I creep up to them through the bushes. Carefully. I’m so careful.

That’s how I was able to kill all the rouges before. I never relied on pure strength alone. Success came from my agility, cleverness, and the ability to be sneaky when I need to.

As the sparks dance, I take my chance and grab a key, hoping it’s the one I need to free Kara.

They’re distracted for now, but I know they won’t be like that forever. They’ll check on her eventually, so I run straight to the cage.

“You’re here,” Kara whispers, as I approach the cage. “How are you here?”

“We don’t have time for that,” I tell her. “I don’t know how much time I have, but you need to escape and you need to do it right.”

I pass her the key through the bars.

“You’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” I warn her. “If you wait until then, everyone will be distracted by the wedding. It’s your best chance at getting out of her alive.”

“What about you?” she asks. Her voice shakes.

“I don’t know what I’ll do,” I admit. “But I’m getting closer to Tobias. I’m going to look for opportunities to escape. I’ll take advantage of it as soon as I come across one.”

Kara looks uncertain, as if she doesn’t quite believe I’ll be able to escape. I’m not too sure of it myself, but I have to at least try. I’m not giving up hope yet.

“I have something for you,” she says. “Something they didn’t manage to take away.”

She slips a key into my hand that looks strange, worn out with a single diamond on it.

“It’s magic,” she explains. “It’ll unlock your handcuffs and chains, but it can only be used once. So, use it wisely. You won’t get another chance.”

“Thank you,” I say, as I tuck the key away.

I’m still not sure how I’ll be able to get away, but at least now we each have a tool to help us.

“Be careful,” she warns.

“You too,” I say. “I’ll meet you outside this camp. Everything will be okay.”

I just wish I believed it with as much confidence as it sounds like I possess.