Chapter 28

Sara's POV

Letting out a sigh of relief at managing to leave, well I was until the door slammed behind me...

My heart beats harshly in my chest as I hear the door slam shut and more than one set of footsteps behind me. Choosing to hope it was a coincidence, I set off walking through the town, casually speeding up as I went. My hope was vanishing with each step I took being echoed behind me. Swallowing back my fear, I spun around with courage I did not know I had. I was not prepared for the men I saw before me; if they could even be called men. They towered over me with ease, being at least 7 feet tall, I felt so tiny and fragile in front of them. They had long unkept hair in a shade of dirty brown, though the shade could be a mixture of dirt itself. They had wisps of beardy hair around their faces and double chins, with two tusk teeth that sat in their lower jaw. They were not attractive men at all and the sight of them repulsed me. I felt ashamed by this fact, as I had always believed everyone had beauty in their own way, but at that moment I couldn't see it. "How can I help you, fine gentleman today?" I questioned as sweetly as I could. "Boss ain't finished wif' you" His voice was slow and unsure.

"Boss?" I prayed the naive tone would buy me some time to find a way out of this.

"Mista Caraway insisted we fetch ya." Said the other, smirking stupidly at his cohort.

"Oh Mr. Caraway, of course! How silly of me. I would be happy to return with you, handsome men. I just have an errand I must get to at the end of this lane." I gestured at a store at the bottom of the street. They looked at each other and I wasn't sure they believed me as they smirked and chuckled at one another. "I will just be a few minutes." Smiling as sweetly as I could, I did not wait for an answer and slowly began moving toward the store, eyes darting in all directions. They are big men, there's no doubting it, and I'm sure those legs will get them far in fewer steps than my own, but I'm betting they can't change direction easily. My mouth dried up as I walked, a sense of dread filling me. Panic was controlling my body, it was as if it moved of its own accord. The second I stepped into the back lane I ran, faster than I ever knew I could, darting this way and that, completely unsure where I was and all the while hearing the thud of feet following me. A fire ignited within my lungs and each breath fueled it, setting my lungs ablaze. I desperately tried to keep going but my body was slowing, my mistake. A set of hands grabbed me forcefully, pulling me into the shadows, one hand over my arms, the other covering my mouth tightly. Not this way, this was not how I was going to go down. Electricity danced through my body as my adrenaline spiked. I thrashed about trying my hardest to escape, but the arms just held me tighter until I had no more energy to fight. My capturer just held me tightly, their heart beating into my back meeting my own, and a shallow breath on my neck that left me with goosebumps. The hand around my mouth loosened. Why would they loosen it? Cautiously turning around, I came face to face with him. Draven. I knew the moment I saw him with them he was trouble, and yet I was annoyed he had scared me. How dare he grab me - I slapped his chest demanding "Why?" He just put a finger to his lips and shushed me. I would not. Furious at him, I opened my mouth to speak "wh..." He slammed his hand over my mouth with so much force I thought my lip must be bleeding. Tears fill my eyes as I try to mumble through his hand, but he pulls me in tighter and tightens his grip on my mouth. He is hurting me right now and he can't even look at me. His whole body tenses up as the two thugs walk past us, sniffing the air repeatedly as they did. Draven's body relaxes, though I can still feel his muscular chest against my own since he hasn't let go. He finally makes eye contact with me and just stares at me, gently removing his hand from my mouth but not from around my back. The way he was looking at me set a nervous feeling off in my stomach and caused the blood to rise to my cheeks. Was he trying to protect me? Instinctively, I brought my hand up to his cheek and stroked down his face, down that thin silver scar. He recoiled, closing his eyes as if to disassociate from the moment. Although he was frozen in place, I was lost in the moment. At least until a set of huge hands dragged me out of the shadows laughing. "Always got to win, huh?" They laughed deeply as Draven looked furious, gritting his teeth. Was this all a competition, see who could catch the prize hare first!? How could I keep trusting him? I mentally kicked myself as the two giant oafs marched me straight past the pub toward a tall cylindrical, stone building, which seemed to take ages. It was much larger inside than it looked from the outside. They forced me to walk up several flights of stairs. I had no idea how high up I was when they threw me into a room and locked the door. "Ha ha ha, Mista Caraway will come for you soon." One of the brutes said in his stupid voice. Vomit rose in my throat, not just at the thought of Caraway but the betrayal I felt as Draven looked in at me through the bars on the door.

The room was dark and cold, with no furniture and an empty fireplace, it was a prison. I curled up into a ball on the hard cold stone. How could one girl end up in so many messes? The truth was overwhelming, I was never going to save the alpha, never get back to Drew, never see my best friend again - it was terrifying. My eyes began to adjust to the dark the longer I sat there and still there was nothing to see. Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall, gradually increasing in volume the closer to my cell they got. The sound of keys rattling in the lock defended me, followed by a blinding light as the door swung open. The angelic silhouette of a man surrounded by the light was all I could make out from the doorway, that was until my eyes adjusted, of course, and I realised that the angelic figure was more a demonic jailor than a holy saviour. "Who is responsible for this?" Caraway blasted out, his voice vibrating off the wall. None of the other figures dared to speak but shared glances suggesting they were confused. "This woman is my guest and should have been treated accordingly." A number of the staff flinched as the old man lifted his arm suddenly, causing his velvet red robe to fall down his upright arm. As he did this action, the room came to life; a fire began to roar and floor mounted candle sticks lit up to illuminate and warm the room. With another swing of his arm, grand furniture appeared to cover the room. Although it bore no resemblance to the prison it looked like a few minutes ago, I could still feel the prison it was. "Much better. Do you like it my dear?" he was talking to me.

"It's certainly warmer but I hardly feel like a guest right now, Mr. Caraway." Maybe if I truly am a guest he will apologise and let me leave? Who was I fooling? "Hmmm, yes quite right." He made another elaborate hand gesture and in front of me, a huge tin bath filled with bubbles appeared in front of the roaring fire, a mixture of smoke and rose filled the air. "Servants, help miss Sara get washed and ready for our meal this evening." How did he know my name? My body ran cold. I had wanted to ask but he was already walking out of the room as a single servant remained. I could hear him yelling down the hall "Ready my bed chambers, I will have company this evening." My body trembled at the thought of spending a night in his chambers, praying he was not referring to me.

"I would rather not," I told the servant woman, who was insisting I get washed.

"I understand, truly, but Mr. Caraway insisted, you would not like to see him when he is denied." I gulped. It's true, I've seen what he is capable of with his magic. He must be powerful and I struggle to believe this is all he can do. Begrudgingly, I step into the tub, the hot water coats my body, pulling out the aches and pains leaving me relaxed and refreshed - incredible. One by one, the ladies would come into the room, do their part to prepare me, and leave, closing the door behind them. The last came in to help me into a dress of Caraway's choice. The dress was full-length, completely black, with a pinstripe bodice and a high neck ruffed collar. I felt ridiculous, this was not something I would dare to wear in a million years. Oh, how far things have changed for me.

I was left alone with my thoughts until dinner was served, "Someone will be along to collect you when it's time, Miss Sara." they warned me. I paced impatiently, not that I was eager to dine with Caraway, but I felt chewed up inside. I walked over to the sofa Caraway had made appear with a flick of his wrist. Was it always there and he just made it appear or did he conjure it? I did not know the difference, if I'm honest, magic was always made-believe back home, but now it felt too real. One thing I couldn't understand was why they left me with my things. I thought about this while I picked up my bag. It had become a sort of safety blanket for me. Caraway had said I was a guest, but that was just a turn of phrase. After all, a guest wouldn't be locked in, as if to prove my own point with dramatics, I walked to the door and pulled it open. I was flabbergasted to see it open. This must be a ruse to catch me out. I tapped my foot out first but nothing changed, so I swung my arm out. In, out, in, out - I was doing the hokey cokey, but nothing changed. Maybe I should sit down and wait to have dinner. What would happen if I didn't; it would be rude to leave. "Ready my bed chambers..." those words pounded through my head and even if he didn't mean me, I couldn't chance it. My first time would not be with a man who could be my grandfather. No, that is not my story. Quickly and quietly, I walked out of the room, and down the spiral ramp. It was dizzying going round and round. I passed many rooms but nobody exited or seemed to be around. The tower was silent. This felt easy; too easy. At the bottom of the building were two grand doors. Checking all around, there was nobody to be seen and yet everything inside told me not to use those doors. I examined the area, there were doors everywhere and I didn't know which to take. Having set my mind on a door opposite me, I was readying myself to escape when a young servant boy walked into the tower from a door on the right. It was a small grey door, I hadn't even realised it was a door until he came in, a gust of cold evening air coming in with him. That was my escape. I bided my time until the young servant boy was out of sight and ran for the door, into the cold night air. My breath formed clouds in the night sky and I felt an awful sense of deja vu as I watched it float away, as if forcing the thought away, I voluntarily shook, a shiver riding up my spine. It was vital to move, to get out of there and the time to do it was now. Feeling embarrassed and betrayed, I made my way down a long path heading towards town - I hoped.

Keeping as close to the treeline as I could, to stay out of sight, though constantly aware of what could be lurking in them this time.

I was bordering on the town when a thunderous scream filled the air and lightning crackled above Caraway's tower. Something tells me I was right to believe I was a prisoner and someone took his show of me being a guest far too literally. Although I worry about the punishment they will surely receive, I can't help but feel it was fitting - they can't be great people allowing things like that to happen. Who would work for a guy like that? Guilt washes over me as I think back to all the kind people who worked for us at home, for a man like my father. They didn't want to work for him, I'm sure, but they needed to earn a living- maybe I was too quick to assume the worst in everyone. Not wanting their help to be wasted, I slipped into a small white building. My mind was befuddled as I walked inside the tiny building only to be faced inside with a grand library. Countless books filled it from floor to ceiling. The room is dark in colours and lit by hundreds if not thousands of candles in different colours and sizes. Clearly, some have burned longer than others and the wax has left drips down the length of the black wrought iron candle holders. The place was quiet, which only made it easier to hear the rain pelting down from outside. Luckily, I got in before that began. They won't expect me to stay so close or even stop moving, I tell myself. My best bet is to lie low and make a plan. I had to do some research. Here seemed as good a place as any. The few people I had spotted seemed to be dressed in a similar fashion to the dress Caraway had gotten me. I'm thankful I wouldn't immediately stick out even if wearing it had left me feeling ridiculous. Keeping my distance, I began browsing the shelves, trying to locate a book on flowers. Looking about the books all had strange names: "Shadow lurkers, Sea hags and ocean curses, Legacies of the covens". There were some books that were massive with black leather covers and pages filled with potions or incantations on old yellowing paper. They didn't seem to be what I was seeking, so I quickly moved on. Not knowing what I needed and having nowhere better to be, I picked up a few books and hid out of the way as best I could to read through them by the light of the candles.

There was plenty of information on all sorts of things, things I didn't even know existed and things I didn't believe existed; but so far nothing on the flower I was looking for. My eyes grew weary after hours of reading. I closed the book I was partway through and left it on the table with the other books. Standing tall, I stretched in an attempt to wake myself up. Wandering around the room, I was looking at the different accents and books but I kept being drawn back to the black book filled with incantations. As if my gut was drawing me to it, my feet walked over, not checking to see who was around. It had become quiet in here over the last hour or so, guesstimating, I would say it was still pretty late, probably after midnight. Would it be safe to leave now? With nowhere to go, I'm not sure why leaving even crossed my mind; I didn't know where to go. All the while I paced, resolving to get some sleep. I would rest my eyes in the far corner with the books, get some rest, then continue researching. There has to be something here that will help me. The exposed pages of the book were in a language I wasn't familiar with, Latin perhaps? The words were handwritten with the most beautiful script and flourished with small decorations on the edges of the page. It was a work of art. I flicked through the pages and each one was as beautiful as the last. A yawn escaped me, letting me know it was time. Nap time. I opened the book back to the page it showed originally when I walked over. "Leave something the way I found it" was something my mother taught me for as long as I can remember. "Oh, Sugar!" I blurted out in a tone a pitch too high, due to being caught by surprise by a young blonde woman with a pixie cut, laughing at myself for getting shocked I continued " Sorry about that you caught me by surprise." I smiled at the young woman but it was not returned. Her dark mahogany eyes were coated in black smoky makeup and they bore into me intensely. She was dressed in black leather pants and knee-high boots, the metal buckles kept them in place tightly, on her top she wore a translucent top, her modesty covered by a black wrap around her breast. She was completely intimidating and the longer she was silent the more uncomfortable I became. "I'll just get out of your way..." I trailed off, stepping around her, and turning back to look at her as I walked away. To my confusion, as I tried to check she was gone. What in the world? Perplexed, I stopped staring behind me, instead focusing back on where I was heading. s**t! I jolted, how did she do that? She was standing in front of me, staring at me with venom. "Who are you?" the tone of her voice was alluring, but I was under no illusions, nobody here is my friend. I needed to keep my guard up. " Nobody simply stepped in to escape the weather, and will be leaving soon." I tried to step but my feet were stuck to the ground as she tilted her head examining me as a wild animal would. A trickle of blood trickled down the corner of her mouth as she smiled, her eyes growing wild. Was she a vampyre? Obviously not content with my answer, she interrogated me once again "What are you doing here?" I heaved my feet, willing them to move, but again they wouldn't move from the spot they were at. "As I said, nothing." Her eyes grew wild as she stared at me before my whole body was thrust into the air, an invisible force tightening around my neck. She widened her eyes as if egging me on, begging me to continue to evade her questions. "OK, it's true I did just come in here for shelter..." Struggling to speak as the force around my neck tightened, I choked out, struggling midair to get my breath, fear truly getting me at this point. "... a flower. A flower, I am trying to find some information about it." She smirked, her eyes dancing with glee at the reaction she had pulled from me. Typical bully, but what can I do? There is no point fighting back - I have no weapons here, they hold all the cards. She reached out her hand and I floated closer to her, as much as I wanted to move in the opposite direction. Flames from all the candles shot up, burning ferociously. Her hand gripped my cheeks as she squeezed. Her razor sharp nails pierced my cheek and I could smell it first flooding my mind - salt and pennies... the warm blood trickled down my cheek and she laughed, tightening her grip on me " blue narcissus". I cried out in a last attempt to get her to listen. The world began to disappear from my vision, replaced with darkness, as I felt her wet tongue travel along my cheek, lapping the blood up. Just as I was sure I was dead, the world came back into focus. My blonde attacker lay on the floor, her eyes wide open but not moving and a smile plastered unnaturally on her face, as her body had random bursts of movements. A wolf? My mind couldn't understand what was happening as this great grey wolf nudged me frantically. Marching toward the girl I found intimidating just a moment ago. "I hope you choke on me," I whispered into her ear, that same stupid smile still plastered on her face. The wolf growled at me as I hopped on onto its back. At that moment in time, I felt unstoppable. They blast out into the path and continue out deep into the night.