The Chateau Read online

  He raised his head then moved his arms behind my knees, pinning me back so he could thrust into me while looking down at my face, pumping his dick inside me deep and hard, with full and long strokes.

  My hands held on to his arms, and I bit my bottom lip as I looked into his face above me, seeing the flushed color of his beautiful skin, the potent desire in his expression. Uncontrollable pants came from my lips, and then I writhed. “Yes…yes.”

  He lay beside me on his back, his hand resting on his chest, naked because we’d never gotten under the sheets. His eyes were on the ceiling, his mood dark once more after our passion was over. His hair was messy from where I’d fingered it, and his powerful chest rose and fell gently because his breathing had returned to normal minutes ago.

  I lay beside him, the sheets pulled to my shoulder because I was cold once he was gone.

  He didn’t show affection. He didn’t hold me close. It was back to how it was before—coldness.

  He sat up and got out of bed.

  I watched him stand straight and start to dress, sheathing his strong body in the clothes, his beautiful skin disappearing underneath his uniform. The cloak was the last piece of clothing, and he secured it in place like nothing had happened.

  I didn’t expect him to stay. He couldn’t sleep there, not when people would assume where he spent his night. I didn’t wait for a kiss goodbye or an affectionate touch, because I knew that night was a one-time thing.

  He had to be a one-time thing.

  He sat in the chair again and pulled on his gloves.

  I sat at the edge of the bed, and even though he’d already seen me naked, I covered my body with the sheet. “Can I bring something with me?”

  He finished with his gloves then regarded me coldly, like the heat of our passion didn’t thaw his heart.

  I grabbed the book by the edge. It was my bible. It was the story that mirrored my own, that made me feel connected to someone outside the four walls of this cell. It gave me hope when I was alone.

  He eyed it in my hands before he lifted his gaze and looked at me again.

  “This book has gotten me through a lot, and I want to keep it.”

  He rose to his feet and extended his hand to take it.

  I gave a silent goodbye, my hands aching the second I released it.

  He tucked it inside his pants and pulled his shirt back down.

  I watched him head to the door—and walk out.

  18

  The Chateau

  I sat across from Bethany in the clearing, eating one of my final meals.

  I wasn’t coming back.

  And if I was…I wouldn’t sit here ever again.

  I was guilty about the women I was leaving behind. While I would make it past the river and to the chateau, their lives would go on like nothing had changed. My successful escape might encourage them to rebel since there were far more of them than the guards. It might give them hope. It might give them strength to fight back.

  I felt terrible for leaving my friend behind, after everything she’d done for me.

  But if our situations were reversed, she would do the same.

  “Do you know when Magnus is leaving again?” she whispered.

  “In a few days.”

  “What will you do then?”

  I wouldn’t have to worry about it. “Not sure…”

  She kept her head down and continued to eat.

  “Thank you for everything.” I needed to express my gratitude, to tell her how much her friendship meant to be before I never saw her again. “You’re a good person, Bethany.”

  She lifted her gaze and looked up. “Don’t talk like that. You’ve survived this long…”

  I was dressed and ready to go.

  I waited for the sound of footsteps, waited for my final meal to be delivered.

  His feet climbed onto the porch. They came closer before he opened the door.

  I turned to look at him.

  He shut the door behind himself then sat across from me. There was no hot cocoa this time. There was just the tray of food. He handed it to me before dropping his hood and revealing his face.

  I started to eat even though I wasn’t hungry.

  “Take your time. We need to wait thirty minutes.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll see.” He kept his gloves on with his head bowed, barely looking at me.

  I ate the dinner in my lap, sitting close to the man who had bedded me the night before. That fire hadn’t returned, probably because we were both focused on the next part of this plan. “If I don’t get a chance to talk to you again…I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

  Like always, there was no acknowledgment of my words.

  I shouldn’t have to thank him for what I was entitled to—freedom. But that was the world we lived in.

  I finished everything on my plate then set the tray on the nightstand.

  Now we just sat together, the minutes trickling by.

  “I’m afraid.” I let the words escape my lips, abandoning all pretense because he knew me inside and out at this point. He knew me in a way no one on the outside did, not even my sister.

  He lifted his chin and looked at me, his brown eyes trying to read further into my words.

  “I’m not afraid of dying. I’m not afraid of pain. I’m afraid of losing this…of losing this chance.”

  He regarded me with his signature hard gaze. “Then cross that river.”

  I gave a slight nod.

  “You have the map?”

  I patted my thigh.

  He rose to his feet and returned the chair to the wall.

  I knew it was time.

  He moved to my tub and pulled out a tool from his pocket. Then he started to slam it down onto the faucet, breaking it from the wall until the metal clanked into the bottom of the basin.

  “What are you doing?”

  He grabbed the faucet then turned back to me. He came closer to me until he grabbed my hand and placed the piece of metal within my grasp.

  Still confused, I never took my gaze off his face.

  “Dinner is finished so there shouldn’t be any guards around. But someone will find me sooner rather than later.”

  “Find you…?” My voice broke because I already suspected where this was going.

  “When I open the door, you’re going to have to hit me with that.” He spoke so plainly, like this wasn’t a big deal at all. “Hit me in the head. Knock me out. Then go.”

  I lowered my hand to my side. “No…”

  He released a deep sigh. “It’s the only way—”

  “I’m not going to hit you!”

  “If you don’t, they’re going to assume I helped you escape. You need to hit me, and you need to hit me hard enough to make this believable. I’m a strong guy, so it would take a lot to slow me down.”

  My eyes watered because I was disgusted by the price of my freedom. “No…”

  “You’re protecting me. The way I protected you.”

  I shook my head, the water welling up in my eyes until I formed tears. “It’s not the same—”

  “It’s exactly the same.”

  “If I hit you with this thing, I could kill you.”

  “I could have killed you.”

  I shook my head, tears dripping down my cheeks. “Please don’t make me do this. Please don’t make me—”

  “It’s the only way.”

  I quickly wiped my face with my hands, fighting the panic spreading through my body.

  “I’m leaving in a few days—so this is your only chance.”

  I took a deep breath and forced my tears to stop. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I can’t hurt you. I just can’t do it…” This man was the only thing separating me from execution. He was the only reason I still breathed.

  He stepped closer to me, his hand moving to my arm, giving me a strong squeeze. “You can do this. Do it to protect me. Everything is already set up, and I can’t go back a
nd hide it. This needs to happen now—for both our sakes.”

  I raised my hand and looked at the faucet he’d beaten off the wall.

  “I can handle it. I’ve had worse.”

  I lifted my chin and looked at him again. “I’m so sorry…”

  “Don’t be.” His eyes were a little warmer now, like my pain softened him. “Hit me a couple times until I’m down.”

  How could he say that so nonchalantly?

  “I already took some pills to make it easier for me.”

  I was going to be sick.

  “Hit me in the back—so you don’t have to look at me.”

  If he had told me the plan beforehand, I never would have agreed to it. “You didn’t tell me before on purpose.”

  He didn’t confirm my suspicion because it was obvious. “One final thing… I’m going to be down for a day or so. So, if you get caught, I won’t be able to help you again.”

  Now the stakes were even higher.

  “Don’t get caught.” He stepped away and headed to the door. After one final look, he gave me a nod, telling me to do it once he stepped outside, and then walked out.

  I gripped the bathtub faucet in my hand and felt a rush of nausea because of what I had to do. Not only did I have to hit him, but I had to hit him until he lost consciousness. I had to make it look real, like I really did sneak up behind him after he delivered dinner and beat him to a pulp. It would make him look innocent in all this, that I stole his keys and got the horse because I thought he was dead.

  I had to do this.

  No turning back now.

  He stood outside and faced the camp, waiting for it to happen, knowing it would happen at any moment.

  This was my savior…and I had to hit him.

  I slept with this man…and I had to hit him.

  Now I knew exactly how he felt when he had that whip in his hand and stared at my bare back, knowing he’d have to whip me bloody. If he didn’t, I would die.

  I told myself he would be okay. He was a strong man who would bounce back. If I survived the whipping, he could survive this. I walked up to him and held up the metal pipe. My hand shook before I did it.

  I hit him.

  He scuffled forward slightly but remained upright, not making a sound.

  I did it again…and again.

  Until he collapsed.

  He fell on his side, blood dripping from the back of his head to the floor.

  I looked at the strongest man I’d ever met and cried. Tears filled my eyes and dripped down my cheeks, bringing salt to my lips before they fell down my chin. My chest heaved with the need to sob.

  I felt so sick that I didn’t want to leave.

  I kneeled next to him and looked at him, seeing his closed eyes. My hand went to his chest and felt it rise and fall with his breathing. I wanted to patch him up, put a blanket over him, but I had to leave him like that. “I’m so sorry…” I left the pipe beside him and leaned down to kiss him on the lips. “I’m sorry.” I spoke against his lips, crying because of what I’d done to him.

  But I couldn’t linger. Light was fading, and I was working against the clock. “I’ll see you in a few days…” My hand touched his cheek before I rose to my feet. I took a look around, seeing no one in sight. The guards who were posted last time weren’t there anymore because I was no longer considered a flight risk.

  They were wrong.

  I left and didn’t turn back again, because if I looked at him one more time, I might not have the strength to leave.

  I moved into the forest and followed his guidelines until I found the place where the horse was tied up. She was saddled and ready to go, the reins tied to a low tree branch. Her huge eyes immediately looked at me approaching, vapor coming from her big nostrils. “Hey, girl…” I rubbed her snout before I gave it a kiss. “Can I get a ride?” I loosened the reins then pulled myself into the saddle.

  I’d never ridden a horse before. It was terrifying being this high off the ground, on top of a strong beast that could buck me off if she didn’t like me. But I’d never get there quickly enough on foot, so she and I would just have to trust each other.

  The camp was on my right, so I dug my heels into her belly and clicked my tongue. “Let’s go.” She started at a walk, which was comfortable, but I knew I had to get there quickly, so a walk or a steady gait wouldn’t be good enough. I knocked my boots into her again, telling her to run.

  Then she took off.

  “Oh my god…” The reins were wrapped in my hand, but I gripped the pommel because it was the only thing to hold. “Jesus.” My whole body shook as she ran into the forest, moving around tree roots and choosing her own path away, deeper into the wilderness. But I held on and watched the light start to fade over the horizon. The snow had melted in the past week, so the land was mostly flat. The horse could see where we were going and avoid the obstacles. I started to loosen up when I got more used to it, but it was still one of the scariest experiences of my life. “I trust you, girl…”

  It was pretty much dark, the sky slightly blue like I had a minute or left before I plunged into complete darkness.

  “Where the fuck is this river?” I had my flashlight out, scanning the landscape, listening for the sound of rushing water. “Do you hear it?” I’d started to talk to her like she was my friend, because she was the only thing I had right now. And she was literally getting me there.

  She suddenly slowed down, going from a run to a walk. Then she stopped in front of the river.

  “Yes!” I clapped my heels against her belly. “Let’s go.”

  She released a neigh and wiggled her ears.

  “I know it’s going to be cold, but we have to do it.”

  She still wouldn’t move.

  Then I heard a distant bark.

  “Oh fuck no…” I turned in my saddle, and far in the distance, was the far-off burning of torches. “Girl, we’ve got to do this.” I clicked into her saddle again.

  She didn’t budge.

  I got off the saddle and moved to the river. The water was wide and moving slowly, but I knew the current could be swift underneath. He never told me where to cross, probably because that was too difficult to detail.

  I looked back behind me then grabbed the reins. “I can’t leave you here, so you’re coming with me.” I started to pull her toward the water. I put the flashlight in my mouth and pointed it forward to see where I was going. Then I stuck one foot in the water. I groaned with the flashlight in my mouth.

  Jesus Christ, that was cold.

  But I didn’t have time to take this slow. I had to just get through. I moved deeper into the water and pulled her with me.

  She wouldn’t budge.

  I turned back to her, the water up to my thighs. “Girl, I know this fucking sucks, but you’ve got to do this. Please.” I gave the reins a gentle tug.

  Her eyes twitched.

  I clicked my tongue and started to pull her.

  She let me this time.

  We both moved into the water. It was deeper than I wanted it to be, reaching all the way to my neck. But I kept going, fighting the current of the stream, and focused on the other side so I wouldn’t give in to the cold, in to the fear.

  If it went any deeper, I wouldn’t know what to do. The current would pull me away.

  But it started to become shallow.

  “Oh, thank god…” My body emerged out of the water, even colder when it was exposed to the dry air. I began to shiver as more of my body was revealed. “Almost there…” I made it to the other bank, the water dripping from my clothes and onto land, the shivers taking me hard.

  The horse came with me.

  I was so cold I almost couldn’t move.

  She neighed and looked at me.

  “God, I’m so cold…” I looked behind me and saw the distant torches. The hardest part was over. They would probably assume I didn’t cross the river, because if I didn’t find shelter soon, I would die. Magnus never told me if they knew about
his chateau, but if they didn’t, they would never suspect anything.

  I just had to live long enough to get there.

  I pulled myself into the saddle and dug my heels into her sides. “L-let’s…g-go.” My teeth chattered so much that my jaw ached. I could barely get the words out.

  She started at a run, and that was enough to jolt my heart to life and get me going again.

  I brought the horse to a stop, unfolded the soaked map, and then nearly dropped my flashlight.

  The ink had run.

  I could barely make it out.

  “No…” I pointed the flashlight at the details, trying to make some sense of it. When I turned it over to look at his notes, I could barely read anything. “Fuck me…” I held the flashlight close and tried to make sense of it. There were only a few words here and there. “He said there’s a forest to the east, hiding it from view…something like that. Something about rocks…” My heart started to race because I was fighting a different clock now.

  I would freeze to death if I didn’t get to shelter soon.

  It was pitch dark, so I couldn’t see. All I had was the compass he packed for me.

  At least I knew what direction I was going.

  “Let’s keep going this way and hope for some trees.” I folded the map and pointed the flashlight ahead so she would be able to see where she was going. The only sounds around us were the creepiness of the wind, the rustle of the grass and branches below her hooves, and the random neighs she would make.

  My mind drifted back to Magnus.

  They had obviously found him, and he was probably warm in his cabin. He probably already received medical attention. He was probably asleep…and alive. He would meet me in a few days. All I had to do was make it.

  Then I could apologize for the horrendous thing I’d done.

  And we could move on.

  The horse slowed down when we made it into a line of trees.

  “Okay, this has to be it…” She moved at a slow walk, her neck bobbing up and down with her progress. I shone the light into the trees and scanned the area, looking for the chateau where tolled the bell every morning.