11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

GABRIELLE THORNE
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I never wanted the journey to end, I knew what awaited me the moment I would be alone with him.
In his house.
My eyes already stung from so many silent sobs, my heart was pierced with so much despair and helplessness that I felt it would overflow out of me.
How did my life turn out like this?
The slight pressure of the golden band around my finger provided a reminder that all of these were real.
It wasn't one of those nightmares.
I was trapped with the monster, and there was no escape!
Even now, I could feel that brutally possessive gaze on me, it made me wish I could disappear far away, probably forever.

I had been lucky enough during the plane ride, he had kept answering several calls and had no time for me. Now, I wasn't so lucky, he was sitting just beside me, I could feel the heat of his thighs where it brushed against mine. I was ever conscious of his powerful stare, as though I was an object that struck his fancy.
"Are you thirsty? " He spoke gruffly, even the sound of his voice spread goosebumps across my skin, I was also slightly surprised that he was asking? Why did he care?
I shook my head negatively, looking anywhere but him.
I had the feeling that he was scowling at me, I expected to hear a shout from him, but I was greeted by complete silence. I wanted to ask him about Derek's whereabouts, that was the only piece of information I was interested in. That he was alive was the only thing I knew, for how long would he be?
The silence lasted for about ten minutes before a male voice sounded.
"Boss, we are here "
The words were enough to snatch the air away from my lungs.
No sooner than the car drove to a halt, I looked through the window to see what he meant.
My throat went scorched, the panic I was feeling intensified.
We were in front of a huge mansion, at least three times bigger than ours, it was already almost dark outside, the lights gave the house an intriguing look. At any other time except presently, I would have appreciated the beauty and serenity of the place. The architecture was perfect.
Lucian got out of the car and walked over to my side to open the door, he shot me an expectant look, with shaky legs, I started to get out of the car, joining him outside.
I noticed that just like our house, this place was heavily guarded, perhaps even more so. My heart sank straight to my stomach, there was no hope of escaping.
His arms were wrapped around my shoulders as led us to the house, I started to shrug it off but a hard glare seized my movements. The moment the doors opened, I felt as though I was about to step inside my cage of death.
I was stunned by the beauty of the interiors, it was a well-furnished modern living room, so unlike our own very much traditional house.
We were quickly surrounded by some young and older women alike, judging by their identical uniforms, I could guess them to be workers, all of them had their heads bowed as though they were waiting for their master's command.

"This is my wife, make sure she's comfortable while I have some business to attend to"
He disappeared through the door after that, I was stunned. Maybe I expected him to soon jump on me like some caged beast.
I couldn't say that I wasn't relieved, but I knew it would last only for a short while, sooner or later, he would come for me.
*
*
I was led to a well furnished bedroom, it was large, almost like the one I had back at home. The bed was neatly made, I was so exhausted that I could jump on it, except now it was the thing that frightened me most in this room.
I felt a wave of dizziness even as my stomach grumbled, it took a moment for me to realize that I never did manage to get anything to eat since the whole morning.
I figured that if I have to fight him, I needed to conserve my strength. I didn't refuse the meal they offered me, including the cake and sliced fruit which were the deserts.
I was lost in thoughts when my eyes found the object.
The fruit knife!
It was hard and sharp enough!
So tempting.
I eyed it for several seconds. With it, I could manage to protect myself from him.
What if I got caught?
I looked around to check if any of the workers were watching me closely.
None!
There was no time to rethink this.
My heart was jamming rapidly against my chest, I started to retrieve it slowly and somehow managed to succeed without gaining the attention of anyone, I quickly hid it beneath my dress, feeling a whole lot confident than ever before.
When I was done, one of the workers entered to gather the dishes, her eyes never connected with mine, for a second, I was afraid that she could notice the missing knife, I held my breath tightly in my throat when she began to exit the room, I managed to resume breathing properly again.

"The master wanted you to change into this." A girl who looked to be about my age spoke, her face was void of emotions. I stared at the transparent red dress in her hands and an involuntary shudder traveled through me.
My heart was beginning to pound harder than ever before.
"I don't want it " I spoke, staring at the flimsy material.
A fearful look passed across her features.
"Ma'am, please don't make things difficult for me, you have to wear this or he will be displeased."
I wanted to be sympathetic towards her, but right now I could only think about myself and the fate that awaits me.
"I said don't want it! " I repeated in a firmer tone, feeling a stir of anger mixed with hopelessness.

"Ma'am, yo...." Her words trailed off, she was staring in the direction of the door.
"Master, I was...." Once again, she didn't complete her statement, the blood had drained out of her face, leaving her paper pale. I followed the trail of her gaze and found myself staring into Lucian's frosty eyes, his hulky frame blocking the entrance of the door.
A hard lump formed in my throat, I swallowed nervously, taking a step back.
"Leave us! " He ordered so coldly, the young girl scrambled away before I could even blink.
Now, I was trapped alone with him.
My body began to shake with fear as he advanced slowly with the grace of a predator ready to hunt down his kill, his eyes solely focused on me.
I found myself taking fearful steps backward until I was backed against the wall where I couldn't move.
And he kept approaching.

*
*