by Claire Marta
“That would be great, thanks.” Smiling so hard the corners of my lips fight to regain their normal composure. I know it’s not mirrored in my eyes. I’m trying to convince her everything is perfectly fine, when it’s not. “I guess we should think about wedding invitations, right? Invite my family.”
Kelly’s face creases in a frown. “Sarah, you don’t have any family. Your parents died in a plane crash a few years back and you don’t have anyone else.”
Fuck. Guess it was expected I’d make a mistake when I’m groping in the dark for answers.
“I meant Ethan’s family.” I amend quickly. “After all, once we get hitched they’ll be mine too.”
Sinking down onto the beige sofa, she collects a writing pad and pen. “Yes, of course they will.”
Lowering myself down to join her, I tuck a pillow behind my back.
“We can make a list of what needs done.”
Nodding in agreement, I leaf through some letters that have been left on the table. Sarah Smith is written boldly on the front of them.
I note the way Kelly flinches when my hand brushes the letter opener. She’s nervous. As if she doesn’t trust me around something sharp.
Before I consider it more, a sudden bout of nausea rolls through me so fast I barely have time to react. Hand pressed to my mouth, I awkwardly wiggle to my feet and rush for the downstairs bathroom.
Heaving and retching, I remain on my knees, head over the toilet until the violent cramping passes. It robs me of my strength. Shaking, skin clammy, I stagger up onto my feet.
Morning sickness sucks like a bitch. The fact I’m dealing with it brings my predicament even more sharply into focus. I’m lucky I didn’t spill the contents of my stomach all over the hallway floor.
Relief is released in a sigh when I discover I haven’t been pursued, but left to vomit up my guts in peace.
Quietly opening and closing the door, I head back to the sitting room.
Kelly’s hushed tone is the first thing I hear.
“She seems different. I don’t know. More aware than the last six days.”
Halting in the corridor, I continue to listen.
“She’s in the bathroom throwing up.... No, I thought it was better to phone you. I still don’t understand why you had to leave this morning. We’re supposed to be here together.” Kelly sounds angry. “No, I’m not over reacting.... Fine, but I’m not cooking tonight. You can forget that crap. I’m not being paid enough to be a domestic servant, just a babysitter.”
Realizing the conversation is ending, I silently slink back into the bathroom, closing the door behind me with a soundless click.
Gripping the sink counter, I clutch it so hard my knuckles turn white. Chaos is reflected in my gaze in the mirror.
Everything about this feels more and more fake. Not my life. As if I’ve been transplanted into it.
Eyes flittering to the latch, I reach up, opening the cabinet. There’s plastic bottles, toothbrushes, then I snag on something metal.
Taking the small nail scissors, I keep them held in my palm. For some reason it’s instinctual. An action that finally makes me relax.
Until things become clearer, I need to keep alert and continue the pretence. Right now, I don’t trust anything about my reality or the people in it.
Chapter Three
Taking a bite out of a dried cracker, I drown out the sound of Ethan’s droning voice. He’s done nothing but talk about himself nonstop since he got home with takeaway Chinese for dinner. My stomach hasn’t been able to cope with the greasy food and it resulted in making me sick. The whole thing has been awkward and strained.
Why the fuck would I date a prick like this? It’s the only thought that keeps circling to the front of my thoughts every time he opens his mouth. He’s so self-absorbed. The fact I’m stuck with him irks me.
Home.
I just want to go home because I’m sure as shit it’s not here. It’s hard to maintain the smile on my face as he rambles on.
“What do you think about June?”
His question jolts me from the mind-numbing haze my brain has sunken into.
“June?” I question absently.
A frown crinkles his brow, drawing in his good-looking features, making them look less charming.
“For the wedding.” Kelly cuts in from her place on the sofa.
“Oh right. Summer sounds great.” I reply with no real enthusiasm. Another sham? It has to be. It’s all masked in bullshit to keep me busy. Kelly hasn’t left my side once all day. Any mention of going out was shot down quickly and efficiently. I feel trapped in a gilded cage.
Setting aside her half-eaten meal, she gets to her feet to snatch up a small plastic bottle from the coffee table in front of her. “It’s time for your medication.”
“What are these for again?” I watch as she peels off the lid to sift out a small white pill.
“Vitamins for the baby. The doctor said it was important you take them regularly, three times a day.”
Accepting it, I hold it between my forefinger and thumb. I’m aware two sets of eyes are on me as I do. Tension vibrates through the room. Trying not to obviously tense up, I pick up a glass. Popping the pill into my mouth I pretend to swallow. Sipping the water, I slip it under my tongue. I don’t give a fuck what the label says. Instinct is what I’m trusting and it’s telling me not to go along with their neatly laid plans.
“I’m tired. I think I'll go to bed.” My announcement is met with no resistance. I imagine their relieved to have me out of their hair.
“I’ll be up in a bit, babe.” Ethan tells me with a wink as I discard the glass and rise to leave. “Don’t get too comfortable without me.”
If he thinks I’m sharing a bed, he’s mistaken. I’d rather sleep with a starving anaconda. I leave before I do something like smother the fucker with a sofa pillow. The urge is so strong I curl my fingers into my palms to prevent myself from carrying out the action. Instead I give the other person in the room a nod.
“Night, Kelly.”
“Good night, Sarah.”
I pause when I reach the top of the stairs. Leaning over the banister, I listen carefully to anything below.
“What do you think? She’s acting stiffer, more reserved, a lot less dazed than before.”
“If we have a problem we’ll deal with it. Back at the hospital she had no problem recalling what we’ve been teaching her to say even with the amnesia.” Ethan’s tone is cold and clipped. “Things have been going smoothly so far let’s not start worrying yet. The fall might have shaken her up a little.”
“And whose fault was that?” Kelly snaps back. “I’ve repeatedly told you not to toy with her.”
“But we both know it’s fun. You can’t tell me you don’t enjoy it too.”
Resolutely, I turn the key in the lock as soon as I reach the bedroom, the click giving me a sense of satisfaction. Next, I kick off my shoes and pad into the bathroom. Ridding myself of the pill, I flush it down the toilet. Hopefully they won’t catch on I’m not taking them. Whatever their purpose, I have a feeling I’m better off not ingesting them.
Snatching up the scan photo where I left it next to the bathroom mirror, I hold it against my chest. I hum. It’s a fleeting tune that’s been circling in my head all day. A wordless melody, something that drives me with purpose. Where I picked it up from I can’t be certain. All I know is it imbues me with courage.
Spying a sturdy chair in the corner, I securely jam it under the handle of the door. If anyone tries to get in I will be aware of it before they breach it.
Rubbing my belly to smooth the kicking of the baby, I ease down to sit on the side of the mattress. Fishing out the nail scissors, I keep them laying in my open palm, the picture clutched in my other.
I need to figure out what the fuck is going on and fast. If this is all an elaborate hoax I need to find the truth before things run their insidious course.
Chapter Four
Teetering on the edge
of sleep, I slip into dreams of destruction. A silent battlefield strewn with the dead where warriors have battled for their lives.
Death.
It’s everywhere. Bodies hacked to pieces, marking the thickly packed snow in a carpet of bright red. The place has the aroma of stale blood.
Barefoot, the cold burns into my soles making me shudder as it sucks the heat from my skin through the thin material of my night dress. Déjà vu. I’ve been here before, but I don’t remember when or why. Fear slices through me. Wherever I am it terrifies me on such a primitive level I can barely breathe.
The landscape melts away in a swirl of white, the snow beating around me in a frenzied whirlwind. Blinking in confusion I find myself in an office. Swanky, upmarket, I can spy a London skyline beyond the window. Words, soft and murmuring mingle, indicating both male and female. Although I can hear them I see no signs of the owners. They’re spectres. Ghosts out of sync with my dream world.
There’s something about the desk by the window that draws me. Intuition. A gut feeling I can’t ignore. Padding slowly across the carpet, my gaze fixes on a frame. Face down, it’s been left abandoned against the wooden surface.
I must see it. The burning need comes out of nowhere. It takes a hold so strong my hands move before I give it thought. Clutching the corner, my fingertips caress the edge before I flip it over.
A girl stare’s back at me. Long black hair loose, it tumbles around her slender shoulders. There’s a smile on her face which doesn’t reach her eyes. Deep blue and haunted, they carry a burden of a thousand secrets. Pain ripples through my forehead. I know her. How, I’m not sure.
“Mavi, I won’t stop until you’re back in my arms. If I have to tear down the gates of Heaven to achieve it, I will.” There’s raw emotion in the male voice. So much pain as it echoes through the room.
He’s lonely. It throbs in his every word. Why does he sound so familiar? His voice cradles my mind and holds me safe.
Chanting fills the air. Male voices mingle, magic throbbing in every word, as they weave their enchantments. My dreamscape shifts like the ease of waves lapping against a beach.
A maze of empty halls lit by flaming torches stretches before me. They twist and turn, drawing me deeper into their shadowy obscured embrace.
Feet barely touching the stone floor, I venture like a phantom further within. This place is familiar. I don’t know how but the surety resonates through my soul.
“I can sense you, my Flower. Do you think you can hide from me so easily? We are bound. Your dreams are a place of secrets I will shred apart to find you.” Anger transforms the same voice. It chases away the sense of peace I felt and replaces it with fear at the sudden intensity of his emotion.
I find myself standing in a great hall. A fire is burning merrily in the huge hearth. Its warmth caresses my chilled skin. Before me sits a throne of human bones which gleam bright in the light from the fire place. My eyes latch onto the enigmatic presence of the stranger.
There’s no mistaking those green eyes. Intense, burning. I know them. The owner is strikingly handsome with a perfect, yet cold, arrogance to his face. Clothed in an expensive suit it extenuates the broadness of his shoulders and hints at the muscled body beneath. Sophisticated, suave but somehow, I know he’s not as civilised as he looks.
As if sensing my scrutiny his attention snaps my way. Everything around us blurs away. Nothing else exists but the blistering connection between us. The sheer energy he wields around him makes me drop my gaze to the floor. He makes me feel defenceless. My stomach clenches into a knot with fear.
Silence. It takes me a moment to realise there’s no noise. As if someone has muted the world with a single thought. A pair of expensive black shoes appear in my line of vision. He doesn’t speak a word just stands before me, waiting. I’m afraid to look up. Afraid he’ll disappear in a puff of smoke.
Licking dry lips, I hesitantly raise my eyes. A mouth slams down on mine. When I gasp his tongue finds its way inside. The assault is aggressive, demanding me to submit. As I struggle his kiss shifts becoming sweeter, more coaxing.
“Don’t, please, let me go.” I whimper, somehow finding the strength to turn my head away.
Grip hot and menacing, he holds me in place. “Mavi, at last you have come back to me.”
The voice is familiar, but my addled brain can’t place it. “Who’s Mavi?”
There’s a change in his fearsome expression, subtle and fleeting. “I’m not in the mood for games, my Flower.” His finger traces my lips. “Your dreams betray you.”
“My name is Sarah...I think you have me confused with someone else.” It still sounds like it doesn’t belong but I say it all the same.
He stares at me with such a piercing look I fear I might disintegrate.
“Is this one of Gabriel’s tricks? He thought he could keep you from me? Double-cross me? This was not the deal and he should know better than to try and play games with me because I always win.” With purpose, he backs me up against the wall.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
I see calculation and something malevolent dance across his handsome features before he drags me closer.
“Then I’ll make you remember.” He licks my neck, making me shake. “Mavi.”
Shoving at his chest, I frown. “I told you that’s not my...”
A large hand manacles my wrists, pinning them above my head to the icy stone wall. “I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want. No matter the name, I know who and what you truly are.”
He attacks my mouth again with such ferocity it shatters my resistance.
I need him. It’s like a sickness in my blood. A certainty. I’m unable to express this feeling with words.
Fingers stroke the moist heat between my legs. I fight the urge to clamp my thighs together. “Yes. Yes, please, I need you.”
“That’s it, babe I can make you feel really good. You know you want it.”
A wave of coldness creeps over me. It’s not the voice I was expecting. Not deep and commanding as it should be. It lacks the wickedness that makes me lose control.
Snapping awake, I find myself on my back, a naked male body pressed to my bare side. The hard length of an aroused cock pulses against my thigh as it rubs suggestively.
Panic setting in, I push him away. “Ethan? What the fuck are you doing? Stop it.”
How did he get in? The chair was barring the way. The door was locked. I vividly remember turning the key and making sure no one could get in. And why the fuck am I naked? The night dress I had fallen asleep in is nowhere to be seen.
His brown eyes, dark and glittering, he gives me a sensuous grin subduing my struggles. “What’s the matter, love?”
“I’m not in the mood.”
I don’t like his expression. Handsome face flushed, it’s ugly and predatory.
“You were just moaning like a bitch in heat. Don’t tell me you weren’t dreaming about fucking me.”
His touch makes my skin crawl. “I said no. Fuck, Ethan, can’t you take the hint?”
He doesn’t like my outburst.
“What’s the matter? Don’t like it rough?” He sneers. “We both know you do, so you can drop the frigid bitch act.”
Jerking a hand up, I claw at his face, my nails leaving red welts in his flesh. “Get off me.”
Flipping me onto my side, he uses his larger body to pin me down. One hand imprisoning my wrists on the pillow by my head.
“I don’t think the pills are working like they should.” His raw voice is brutal against my ear. The hand around my throat squeezes. “I can’t afford to let you remember.”
“Ethan, what’s going on?”
Kelly’s concerned voice draws his attention. Tilting my chin, I see her silhouette in the hallway.
“Change of plans. She’s starting to remember. We need to give her the injection now.”
“We should contact him and wait for his arrival. That’s the correct protocol.”
Stepping closer to the bed, she comes better into view. Long blonde hair rumpled from sleep, she’s in nothing but a silky, short, black night dress, her delicate hands resting on her slender hips.
“You’re just scared he’ll find out you’ve been fucking the merchandise all week as well as me. Do you really think he’s going to like your sick game of playing fiancé? I told you when you started it that it would only lead to trouble.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“I’m not getting dragged into your shit when you get caught. We were only supposed to watch her and keep her in the dark. I won’t let you jeopardize my shot at immortality.”
Ethan’s answering laugh is humourless, malevolent. “Oh, please, do you really think I was about to pass up the opportunity to test out this cunt? All those rumours she was hexed and so far, my dick has done nothing but fit snugly in her pussy. You’re just jealous I fucked her first.”
Padding to a drawer, Kelly slides it open. “You may like living dangerously, but even a sleeping tiger will eventually turn on you if you keep fucking with it. You know what she’s capable of, and her reputation, as well as I do.”
“Just give her the damn injection, Kelly. I’m tired of listening to your bitching.”
With his weight, he wedges his knee firmly between my thighs. Shuddering in revulsion, I can’t bare the feel of his eager cock pressed against my buttocks. A scream builds in my chest, bottled by the pressure of his grip, still strangling me, keeping me from escape.
Rape.
This fucker has been taking forced satisfaction from me.
The smell of semen and sweat seep into my nostrils. A flashback. I’m lost in a nightmare of pain. Brutal hands. Grunting, panting, his body moving over mine. The burn of his seed inside me as he ejaculates with a groan. How he dismounted every time, leaving me defiled and weeping.
