Текст книги "Wicked Is the Reaper"

Автор книги: Nisha J. Tuli

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 7 страниц)

Chapter Four

Sure I had to have misheard, I frowned. “What?”

He didn’t answer as he tore off another piece of bread and pointed it at me. “Hungry?”

“Don’t change the subject. What do you mean I’m bait?” My voice had risen to a panicked octave.

He shrugged and popped the piece of bread in his mouth before he stood and approached the cage. I backed up, his imposing frame drawing closer. He pulled out a dagger from his belt, and I whimpered. “Get away from me!”

His shoulders dropped before he arched a dark eyebrow. “I was going to cut your restraints.” He nodded toward my hands, where they were still bound. “Unless you prefer to stay that way.”

Huffing out a breath, I slowly approached and held out my hands. He seized my wrist in one of his large palms, and I exhaled a pitched screech but didn’t pull back. This close, I could get a better look at him.

The only Fae I’d ever seen were those who came to visit once a year to ensure we were conforming to their unjust and numerous laws. But those Fae were very different. Their hair was light, usually so blonde it was white or silver. They had pale blue eyes, and their skin shimmered like starlight. They spoke in dulcet tones like they were trying to hypnotize us and moved through the castle as if they floated on gossamer clouds.

This Fae was entirely different with his dark olive skin and his black eyes. He didn’t shimmer so much as he hummed with a sort of leashed energy. His face was pleasing if you looked past the fact he’d just stolen me from my home and was planning to feed me to an ogre. Those strange markings tattooed on his skin ran over high cheekbones and a sharp jaw covered in a thin layer of stubble. He had full lips, and dark angled eyebrows, and the honed form of a man used to fighting.

He sawed through my restraints, letting them fall free. I rubbed my sore wrists and backed away again.

“I’ll let you out to eat something,” he said. “But don’t do anything stupid. You can’t outrun me, and I know every corner of this forest intimately. Do you understand?”

The last thing I wanted was to share a meal with this beast, but my stomach growled in protest and it seemed my physical needs overruled my desires. Though I wasn’t sure why he was feeding me, given he apparently wasn’t keeping me here very long.

He was already unlocking the door, his eyes never leaving me. After opening it, he stood in the doorway. He was huge. At least a full head taller than me and nothing but tendons and muscle. It was obvious he was right when he said I couldn’t outrun him. He moved like an apparition, all sinuous grace and lethal coiled energy.

“Your Highness,” he said in a sarcastic tone, gesturing me to a chair at the table. I hesitated for a moment, but the simple fare looked delicious, and I was so thirsty. Brushing past him, I picked up a glass and drank the entire thing without pausing.

Dropping into my seat, I filled my plate with bread and cheese and meat and started eating with my hands. This was hardly the meal I was used to, but right now, it tasted like heaven.

The Fae sat down across from me and watched me eat.

“Rowan, was it?” he asked, picking up his glass and taking a sip of water.

“Why? Like you said, I won’t be here long.”

He snorted and placed the cup down. “Fair enough.”

“What’s your name?” I asked. “I’d like to know who I’ll be cursing when the ogre is devouring me.”

“Wicked,” he said, and I burst into laughter and slapped my hand over my mouth. His eyebrows drew together, his intense gaze sparking.

“Is something funny, Princess?”

“That’s not your real name. That’s ridiculous.”

His smile was cold as he leaned forward. “Well, it’s the only one you’re getting.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I said, stuffing bread in my mouth. “Wicked, it is.” I made his name sound as absurd as it was, and his lip curled in a snarl.

“Watch it, Princess. You’re alive at my mercy.”

I leaned forward, baring my teeth. “You’ve already told me I’m ogre food. What incentive is there for me to behave, Wicked? If I’m perfectly sweet and docile, will you change your mind and let me go home?”

He pressed his lips together, anger flaring across his expression. Oh good. I’d gotten under his skin. At least I’d accomplished that.

I sat back and folded my arms. “I didn’t think so.”

He glared while he pulled his plate closer and finished devouring his dinner. We ate in silence for several minutes, tossing dark, meaningful looks across the table. I noted my surroundings, including the only door and the high windows, pondering the best escape route. I had to get out of here, and fast.

“Why do you want to catch the ogre?” I asked casually. Maybe I could figure out his plans and how much longer I had to live.

“None of your business,” he said, not taking his eyes off me as he chewed. He sat so still it was unnerving.

“I do think it’s my business,” I said in retort. “If you’re planning to feed me to it, the least you can do is tell me why.”

He leaned forward, and I mimicked his movement in expectation. “Get used to disappointment, Princess.”

I growled low in my throat. “Asshole.” He chuckled at that, and the sound was so human, so normal, it plucked my already stretched nerves.

Another minute passed before I tried again. Tracing a pattern into the wood of the table, I asked, “Then how about telling me when you plan to use me as bait for the reason that is none of my business?”

He didn’t even humor me with a snort this time. Instead, I was rewarded with a resonant growl. “Keep this up and I’ll make you sleep outside.” His mouth stretched into a feral smile. “And what lives out there is much less friendly than I am.”

Shivers climbed up my scalp at the menace in his expression.

“You just said you need me,” I whispered, not sure who I was trying to convince. “You can’t let anything happen to me until you get what you’re after.”

“I just need your blood, Princess. The rest of you is expendable.”

I gaped at him, hoping he was just being dramatic, but there was only truth in his words. The room suddenly felt very small.

“You finished?” he asked, and I blinked in surprise, looking at my empty plate.

“Yes,” I said softly, wondering how I was going to escape this nightmare. I thought of Ellis and Margaret and my parents. They must be beside themselves with worry. I thought of my soft, warm bed and my airy room in the castle. Of the feast I should have been enjoying after a betrothal to my oldest friend today.

Instead, I was here in this drafty, awful tomb with this cruel, wild Fae, about to become a snack for some monster I couldn’t even imagine. The creak of the iron door of my cell roused my attention. Wicked held it open, his head tipped as he waited for me.

“In you go,” he said.

“Can’t I sleep there?” I pointed to the worn sofa in front of the hearth. “I’ll even take the floor. Please don’t make me sleep in there.” I willed as much docile subservience into my voice as I could. If he locked me inside, there would be no hope of escaping.

But if I thought Wicked had a compassionate bone in his body, I was sadly mistaken because he let out an evil chuckle that reminded me of the rattling bones scryers used to predict the future.

“Nice try, Princess. I’d like to get a good night’s sleep without worrying about you trying to slit my throat and escaping.” I bit my bottom lip. I hadn’t even thought of the first part. Now I eyed the dagger hanging from his belt, mentally adding a new task to my list. He watched where my interest went, and it was obvious he knew exactly what I was thinking.

I bared my teeth in an attempt to look menacing, but he just rolled his eyes. “You can do as you’re told, or I’ll put you in there myself.”

Wavering, I wished I could tear out a fistful of his hair and feed it to him. I couldn’t fight him. I couldn’t outrun him. My only hope was to find some way to outsmart him, but the cunning gleam in his eyes told me that wouldn’t be easy to maneuver.

Slowly, I stood, my skirt clutched in my hands. My arsenal consisted of this wholly impractical dress, my cloak, and a pair of thin slippers. Basically, I had nothing.

With a withering glare, I glided into my cage and spun around to face him as he slammed the door in my face and locked it.

“Sweet dreams, Princess.”

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Chapter Five

I spent a miserable night on the cold, hard floor, huddled in the corner of my cell. The only warmth I had was from my cloak, which offered no insulation between me and the stone. Throughout the night, the fireplace burned lower and lower, the air growing so chilled I could see my breath in front of my face.

I called out to Wicked to stoke it with more logs, but either he ignored me or didn’t hear, because he didn’t stir from his bed on the far side of the room. I stared at the wide breadth of his back while he slept, hating him. Loathing him. He’d taken my entire life from me, and I would find some way to make him pay.

Plagued by murky dreams of the ogre and Wicked’s perverse intentions, I drifted in and out of sleep. Eventually, I must have drifted off because the sounds of movement and the glare of sunlight woke me. Wicked stood in the kitchen, something sizzling on the cooktop. It smelled so intensely good; I sat up, wondering if he was planning to feed me again or if I was the one becoming the meal today.

At my movement, he turned to eye me, one of his dark brows already arched in disdain. “Hungry?” he asked, and tension loosened in my stomach.

Perhaps I had a bit longer yet to live.

I nodded, and he turned away, continuing what he was doing. While he finished cooking, setting the table and piling eggs and bacon onto a plate, I watched. The scent of coffee tickled my nose, and I scooted forward, pressing my face between the bars of my cage as I inhaled. After the miserable night on the floor, the reminder of these comforts felt like tiny jewel-encrusted lifelines.

When breakfast was ready, he approached my cage and unlocked it. The keen gleam in his eyes told me he wasn’t about to let his guard down. With my gaze on my feet, I shuffled out of the cage, trying to look appropriately cowed. I had to trick him into underestimating me.

The derisive snort that followed in my wake suggested I hadn’t fooled him for a moment. I tossed a piercing look over my shoulder that I hoped conveyed the vast depth of my acrimony. He ignored it and skirted around me to sit at the table, tucking into his food. My stomach growled, and I did the same after dropping in the chair across from him.

I took a bite of eggs and nearly moaned. It turned out this rogue Fae in the forest was a surprisingly skilled cook.

“Good?” he asked, catching my expression.

“It’s fine, I guess. Not the absolute worst thing I’ve ever eaten,” I said with a shrug. He smirked before he focused again on his plate. “So, what’s on the schedule for today?”

When he looked up at me, I noted his eyes weren’t black like I’d supposed last night. They were the deepest green, like the stinging needles of pine trees, sharp enough to slice through skin and draw blood. How appropriate. “You’re going to stay here while I go scouting for a suitable location.”

My stomach dropped. “A location for what?” I asked, my voice a whisper, knowing I should stop asking questions I didn’t want answered.

“I’ve been tracking the ogre through the foothills of the Wasanan Mountains for the past three weeks. That will be a good place to set up tonight.”

The rock in my stomach expanded, filling my limbs with dread. “Tonight?”

When Wicked had said I wouldn’t be here long, he hadn’t been exaggerating.

“Tonight,” he repeated, his dark gaze meeting mine without flinching. If he felt any guilt about his plans, he was doing a very good job of hiding it.

Why would he feel any remorse, though? I was no one to him.

“Can’t I come with you?” I asked. I didn’t want to spend the entire day here alone in my prison, and if I could get some sense of my surroundings, maybe I could formulate an escape plan.

“No.” His tone brooked no argument. “I don’t need you getting in the way.”

I pouted and tried to look pathetic, but that didn’t move him at all. My appetite soured, I pushed the food around on my plate. He studied my motions like he was trying to read my thoughts, but said nothing as he rose and deposited his dirty plate in the sink. I did the same, standing up from the table and carrying it over to him.

He took it and looked down at me. I thought I saw a flicker of hesitation, but a moment later, he dumped the plate and then pointed to my cell.

“In you go.”

“I need to use the bathroom,” I said, trying to buy myself some time, and because I really needed to pee. He sighed, running a hand down his face.

“Right. Let’s go.” He opened the door and cocked his head for me to follow. I hesitated at the icy wisps of air that curled up my skirt and around my bared throat, making my skin dimple. “It’s this or you go in the cage, Princess.”

I nodded with my chin held high and followed him out into the cold, hating everything. When we were done, he ushered me inside and once again pointed to my cage.

I didn’t bother protesting, already knowing it would be no use.

Wicked stomped through the room, collecting his weapons and shrugging into his thick coat. As I stood in my cell watching, he approached and closed the door, locking it, not meeting my eyes. He then donned the rest of his gear, including the long furred cloak and his gloves. He left the skull mask hanging on its hook.

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” he said, still not meeting my gaze. Tears burning the backs of my eyes, I nodded. This was really happening. He was going out to choose the ideal location to offer me up as a sacrifice for a monster. The edges of my vision smeared as I watched the future I’d envisioned shrivel away.

I wondered what Ellis was doing and if he’d found a way to get me out of this. Even if he did, I knew it would already be too late when he arrived. And that was supposing he could find this forlorn castle buried so deep in the woods.

Just as Wicked was about to leave, he stopped and looked at me before stomping over to the smoldering fire and adding another stack of logs, muttering to himself as if he was angry about doing so. He then gave a tip of his chin to no one and tossed me one more look before he swung open the door and slammed it behind him.

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Chapter Six

After Wicked left, I paced in my cell, trying to hatch a plan. Maybe I could escape when he took me into the woods tonight. The problem was I was hours from home and getting there would mean having to find the pass that would allow me through the hills.

Even if I did, by the laws of Aetherus and the Fae, I belonged to him, and it would only be a matter of time before he found me and dragged me back here. I had no more rights than a sack of bruised apples.

The only way I could truly escape was to kill him. I needed a weapon. A dagger. A knife. Anything. I shook the bars of my cage, testing for weaknesses. But it was solidly built. If I screamed loud enough, would anyone hear me? Not likely. No one else lived in these woods and the villagers avoided the forest as much as they could because of the Reaper.

What would they think when they learned there were actually two monsters that called the forest home?

Frustrated, I let out a scream anyway just to relieve the pressure building in my chest. I screamed and screamed until my throat was raw and my voice gave out. It accomplished nothing, but it made me feel marginally better.

Sinking down into the corner of my cage, I wrapped my arms around my knees and waited for Wicked to return.

The sun was setting when the door slammed open, and he stepped inside. Snow dotted the furred shoulders of his cloak, and he shook it off, stomping his wet boots on the floor. I winced at the blast of cold air he brought with him. The fire he’d stoked had dimmed an hour ago, and the room had taken on a chill that left me shivering.

He rubbed his gloved hands, his breath fogging before he looked over to where I sat watching him. Without a word, he marched to the fireplace and added several more logs. Immediately, they caught fire, flaring brightly. It would take a while for the room to warm, and in the meantime, I tucked my frozen fingers into my armpits and glowered at my captor.

Wicked shucked off his overcoat and his gloves, hanging everything on the wall before locking his weapons in their trunk. Without looking at me, he headed for the kitchen, clearly intending to prepare supper. Would he feed me before he took me out into the woods? It hardly mattered. I had no appetite and couldn’t have eaten a bite if I tried.

Before long, the aroma of cooking food filled the air. A large pot sat on the stove that Wicked tended to periodically. He didn’t look at me the whole time, moving about his business. I sat in silence, simply observing.

When the stew was done, he portioned it into two bowls. He also placed a bottle of wine on the table. Now that was an idea I could get behind. Maybe I could get drunk enough to dull my apprehension.

Finally, he approached my cage, unlocking the door and leaving it open before he stalked back to the table. Slowly, I rose and shuffled out, sitting in the seat across from him. The stew was a rich brown gravy floating with pieces of meat, carrots, peas, and potatoes. Any other time it would have smelled delicious, but right now, all it did was twist my stomach.

Ignoring the food, I snagged the bottle of wine, pulled out the loosened cork, and filled the glass in front of me to the top. Wicked watched me warily, saying nothing when I picked up the glass and chugged half of it back.

My mother would have been horrified. This wasn’t the behavior of a princess. But I’d love to see how quickly she abandoned her so-called principles if she were kidnapped by a Fae and used as bait for an ogre.

Wicked remained quiet while I polished off the glass and then poured myself another. Outside, I noticed the snow falling more heavily, fat white flakes reflecting in the descending light.

Maybe he’d change his mind, but I doubted a little snow would stop him.

When we finished eating, he cleaned up the bowls and then turned to face me, grim resignation in his expression.

“It’s time for us to go,” he said.

I looked up at him with the most withering expression I could muster.

“How can you do this to me?” I whispered, my entire body trembling. With rage. With fear. With the sick, crushing certainty, this was my last night on this earth. “I’ve never hurt anyone.”

My venomous words landed where he was putting on his clothes, his shoulders stiffening. He paused for a breath and then resumed what he was doing, not looking at me.

“Get your things on,” he said as he strapped his sword to his back and tugged on his gloves. With a nod, I stood and walked to my cage, where I picked up my cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders. My back straight, I faced him with my chin high. I’d at least go out with some dignity.

He opened the door and gestured me outside, where we exited to a sprinkle of gently falling snowflakes, the ground already covered in a thin layer of white. I rued the delicate slippers on my feet, wishing I had my boots.

When I’d stood at the edge of the forest with Margaret and my parents yesterday, I hadn’t planned on going any farther than the tree line. We were supposed to wait for the victor of the Hunt and then return to the castle to settle into our rigid predestined roles. It was what I’d been prepared for.

Regardless, I vowed if I got out of this alive, I’d never leave my room again without thick socks and proper footwear.

Wicked slammed the door, causing me to jump and nearly stumble into the snow. My limbs were stiff and I couldn’t get enough air. I’d never been so scared in my entire life. He brushed past me, his boots crunching.

“Come,” he barked. Taking a deep breath, I picked up the edge of my skirt and followed, tears flowing down my cheeks.

The air was mild, the wind still, which was a slight consolation. My cloak wasn’t nearly warm enough for this weather, and my feet were already numb. Wicked stomped through the courtyard and into the forest, where our footsteps were muffled by the falling snow. In any other circumstance, it might have been beautiful.

He cast a look in my direction, his expression dispassionate, and then turned and started walking again. I did my best to keep up, but the ground grew increasingly slippery and my feet had turned into stumps of ice. I cried out when I lost my footing and landed on my ass so hard my neck cracked.

Wicked stopped and whirled around, fury in his dark eyes. With the glow of the moon and the falling snow and those strange markings on his face, he resembled an avenging god sent to deliver me to Hell. I cowered at the anger in his expression, no longer able to leash my fear.

Without a word, Wicked approached as I scrambled back. He bent down and then scooped me into his arms, cradling me against his body. I was too surprised to say anything as he once again started winding his way through the forest. I wanted to tell him to put me down, but it was a relief to be off my feet and he was so warm that I felt myself curling into his welcoming heat. I couldn’t stop shaking.

He picked up his pace now that I wasn’t holding him back and was flying through the trees at a speed that was dizzying. My arms circled around his neck, and I closed my eyes while my vision spun. Eventually, I chanced a look up at him. He stared straight ahead as though I wasn’t there. He seemed to be holding his breath, his chest barely moving.

While he continued running, I buried my cold face in the curve of his throat. Gods, he was so warm. Right now, I didn’t care that he’d brought me here to kill me. I was so frigid and miserable I would’ve snuggled up to the devil himself if he’d offered me a blanket.

We continued through the trees for a while longer before Wicked finally came to a halt, the forest so silent it seemed as if it, too, felt the weight of the crime about to unfold. Wicked set me on my feet and then dragged me to the center of a small clearing. Rocks and boulders surrounded us on all sides, blocking off my view and reminding me of the boundaries of my existence.

I was trapped here, and I was going to die.

Lying in the center of the clearing was a set of chains and manacles anchored into the ground. My mouth opened in horror, realizing this was what he’d been doing out here today. He didn’t meet my eyes as he fell to his knees and secured them around my ankles and wrists. I said nothing while he worked, simply staring at him, wondering what kind of monster would do this to anyone.

Tears slipped down my cheeks, turning into burning rivers of ice in the cold air. Once he finished chaining me to the earth, Wicked stood and surveyed our surroundings.

“Are you really going to leave me out here?” I asked, forging steel into my voice. “I knew the Fae were terrible, but I didn’t know you had absolutely no conscience.”

He pinned me with a cold look. “Don’t lump me in with the Fae.”

I snorted out a hysterical laugh. “Are you kidding me? You’re the worst of the lot! You stole me from my family! From the man I was supposed to marry! You ruined my entire life to use as bait for a monster. And you won’t even tell me why!”

Wicked curled his lip, his dark eyes flashing, but said nothing in response to my outburst.

“I’ll be hiding in the trees,” were the only words he uttered before he stalked away.

“Fuck you!” I shouted at his back, relishing the words I was normally forbidden to utter. It felt good to let go of the metaphorical chains that once bound me, even if I’d now been snared by physical ones. It was the only comfort I had left. “You bastard! Come back and face what you’re doing to me! You coward! You asshole!” I yanked on the chains, the iron manacles biting into my skin.

Once his dark form disappeared into the forest, panic twisted in my nerves. He said he’d be in the trees, but I felt completely alone. I listened to the noises of my surroundings, interrupted by the clicks of my teeth chattering. The snow continued to fall, covering me, soaking into my hair and clothing.

“Please don’t do this,” I pleaded to the darkened night. “I’ll help you find another way. Anything you want, it’s yours.”

If Wicked could hear me, he gave no sign as I begged and pleaded for my life. When my voice gave out, I finally caved into silence. I’d lost all sense of time, but I was getting colder by the moment. I couldn’t feel my toes or my fingers. The least this bastard could have done was ensure I didn’t freeze to death before the ogre came for me.

Snow continued to fall until everything was coated in white. My eyelashes stuck together when I blinked, and the cold air made my lungs ache. Eventually, I sank to my knees, tired, exhausted, and no longer able to keep myself up. Instead of pleading for my life, I now pleaded silently for the ogre to end this misery.

A rustling in the leaves drew my attention, but the darkness prevented me from seeing anything beyond the clearing. My eyes drifted shut, and I collapsed to the ground, sliding in and out of consciousness.

Then I heard a snarl right next to my ear, but I was too cold and too tired to be afraid anymore. I welcomed the end.

But then I felt it. The soothing warmth of the fires of hell wrapping around me, bundling me into a cocoon of relief. As I let out a pitiful whimper, something lifted me into the air before I completely drifted away.

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