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  After a moment, the clanking sound of a heavy door being closed echoed, and she knew she was alone.

  With caution, Gabrielle slowly peeked through one eye. The room was warmer than the previous one and much better lit. Confirming that she was alone, she opened her eyes wide and ravenously filled her lungs with air as if she had been holding her breath for years.

  Gabrielle started to sit up, surveying her surroundings in the process. The stone floor where she sat was cold and smooth, like the granite countertops her mother had back home in her real life.

  She was sitting on the floor wondering what she should do when — as though she were being screamed at — something tore through her thoughts.

  Heather!

  Suddenly, the world came pouring back, and Gabrielle desperately searched the room for signs of where her sister had been dumped. She squinted as a large room came into focus, and she could focus on her surroundings.

  The walls and floors were made of the same stone that she had seen in the hallway as she was brought in. A large rug sat in the middle of the floor in front of her, and after further examination, she determined that it was some sort of animal fur — although she could not tell from this distance what animal the rug was made from.

  A fire crackled and burned brightly in a fireplace next to a grand armchair. For a second she thought she was in Alexandra’s loft, but the thought was silly. That had been so long ago, and she didn’t even know what was real anymore.

  Gabrielle wiggled her fingers at her sides and slowly pushed herself up off the stone floor to a standing position. A small amount of blood remained on her nails from defending herself, and she wiped her hands on her dress as she continued to study her surroundings.

  Gorgeous pieces of art adorned the walls and beautiful furniture filled the room. The room looked like it was designed for a king, and she began to turn circles to better view the area.

  As she turned, she realized that she had been placed at the foot of a giant four-post bed. On the bed was Heather; she was lying still and breathing deeply.

  Gabrielle ran to Heather's side but stopped when she saw the large welt atop her head. Feeling the newly familiar feeling of rage bubbling up, she climbed on the bed and crawled over to her sister, finding the softness of the mattress inconvenient as she sank nearly a foot into it with each step.

  She grabbed Heather by the shoulders and shook her as strongly as she could, but Heather merely flopped about, as a field of grain flops in the wind.

  “Heather, wake up!” Gabrielle pleaded as she shook her. Tears of desperation and hopelessness filled her eyes and clouded her vision.

  “PLEASE!” She yelled as she sucked back the tears that threatened to burst from her eyes and drop onto Heather’s face. She could see her sister’s eyes rolling behind her closed lids.

  THINK, GABRIELLE, THINK! She frantically looked around the room for something, anything that might help wake Heather up.

  Gabrielle noticed a vase with flowers on a small table across the room, and her mind raced back to when she was woken up from a similar state of unconsciousness earlier that day. Without pause, she rushed to retrieve the vase, tossed aside the flowers, and looked into the container.

  Her stomach did a flip of excitement when she saw that there was water in the bottom. Gabrielle ran back to the bed wiping the tears from her cheeks and stood over Heather with the vase raised high. With a small whisper of a prayer, she poured the contents over the girl’s face.

  There was a brief pause, and then suddenly, Heather began to violently cough as she tried to sit up. She looked up at Gabrielle, who still stood above her with the vase raised. The top of Heather’s dress was soaked and her wet hair clung to her face. Heather eyes shot around the room wildly.

  Gabrielle was so taken aback by her sudden resurrection that she flew backward, trying to get out of her frantic grasps, and hanging on to one of the bed posts to avoid falling from the bed.

  Once she was stabilized, Gabrielle lunged back at Heather and wrapped her arms around her as though they would never meet again.

  “I’m so sorry, little one,” Heather cried into her shoulder, squeezing her tightly.

  Gabrielle could not speak but merely sobbed in Heather’s embrace. She allowed the rage and fighting sensations to pour from her being, leaving only sadness and exhaustion.

  The cold water she poured over her sister soaked through her gown as they hugged, giving her a chill and causing her to shiver. Heather’s embrace did little to remove the cold as the two held on to one another in their moment of desperation.

  “W-What are we going to do?” Gabrielle sniffled, trying to remain strong and fight back the tears that threatened to deceive her strength. “We have to leave. We have to get to the village. To Fionn—”

  Gabrielle stopped when she noticed the look on her sister’s face. It was going to be their responsibility to see the situation through and to help themselves. Her bracelet began to warm and she felt her blood pumping through her veins.

  “We can’t leave. They will stop us before we make it out of the castle walls. Girls who are brought to the castle never leave,” Heather said with defeat.

  Gabrielle removed herself from the embrace, climbed down the side of the bed and stood at the foot with a look of panic on her face.

  “We have to think of something. What are they going to do to us? We can’t stay here.” Gabrielle motioned for Heather to get off the bed and join her.

  Heather sat in silence for a moment, looking at her. Gabrielle was more terrified than she ever felt in her life; if Heather wouldn’t go with her to help her escape, she stood no chance of getting out of the castle alive. Taking a deep breath, Heather stood and brushed her hair away from her face.

  “You’re right, but what can we do? There will certainly be guards outside of the doorway, waiting. We can’t just simply walk out,” Heather said matter-of-factly.

  The two girls moved to the center and looked over every corner of the room, looking for anything that may aid them in their escape.

  Draperies that hung from the wall across the room next to the fireplace caught Gabrielle’s attention as they fluttered and waved in the wind.

  WIND!

  Energy surged through her legs as they shoved her forward toward the drapery, with Heather right on her heels.

  The girls grabbed fistfuls of the curtains and threw them aside, finding a small balcony hidden behind them. Gabrielle’s heart fluttered with hope as the two dashed outside of the room to the railing.

  All the air was forced from Gabrielle’s lungs as she gazed down at their large obstacle. They were so high off the ground that Gabrielle’s head spun with vertigo as she looked down over the edge.

  “We can’t go this way.” Heather shot a glance at Gabrielle. “The fall would certainly kill us.”

  “What can we do?” cried Gabrielle, panicked and distraught as she looked at the stone walls alongside the balcony, hoping to see a way down.

  She thought perhaps they could climb down the rocky wall to the ground and escape that way, but she decided against it since one slip would mean the end of them both.

  A cold wind blew through Gabrielle’s hair as she gazed up at the night sky for answers. The sky was crystal clear, and she took a moment to think to herself that she had never seen stars such as this. It was beautiful.

  Gabrielle looked at Heather and saw that she was staring up at the same stars, crying. She slowly reached over and took her hand. The two stood in silence for a brief, fleeting moment, unaware that they had an audience.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Both girls let out startled screams as they were grabbed by two unknown assailants from behind the curtains and dragged back into the room. The two men held them with their arms behind their backs and led them across the room to the foot of the bed.

  After a short moment, two men stepped around to face them. Gabrielle immediately recognized them as the guards that forced them from their cells. The guards
were both quite sizable this close, and they stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the view from the girls to the doorway.

  A small smile escaped from her lips, and a sense of pride shone on her face as she looked at the scratches on one soldier’s face.

  Again, the sisters’ hands found one another as they sidestepped closer to each other. Standing in a silent stalemate, the guards stared at their captives and did not make any movement or sound; it was as though two statues came to life to play a joke them.

  “Off, you fools. This is no way to treat my guests!” commanded an unseen voice. The voice was old and feeble, yet somehow it held great entitlement. The guards snapped to attention, puffing out their chests, and with a sweeping motion, they moved to either side, revealing an older man standing in the doorway.

  Gabrielle couldn’t see his face because it was covered by shadow, but she had the sickening sensation that this was Lord James. The grip on her hand tightened, and Gabrielle knew that Heather had come to the same conclusion.

  “Well now, my dear, it appears that I can, and do, have you.” Lord James sniggered, still bathed in shadow. The fear that Gabrielle felt was transformed into anger as Lord James continued to chuckle and stepped out from the shadows to present himself.

  He looked as though he may have been a few years older than her father had been. He was dressed in very ornate clothing, yet he was by no means attractive. As he laughed, Gabrielle could see a mouth of brown teeth and smell his foul odor from the doorway.

  Lord James continued to sneer as he walked to the gap between the guards and paused giving, what Gabrielle thought, was his most intimidating stare.

  “Why have you fought me so? Why would you not want the amazing things that I offered you?” he said, reminding Gabrielle of a cat that toys with a mouse until it becomes bored and devours it. He took another step forward and then paused, eyeing the two girls.

  “You may leave us, but stand outside the door,” he ordered his guards. In unison, they turned and marched out of the chamber, closing the door behind them.

  “You sick monster!” Heather screamed out as she took a step towards their host. She stopped when she felt the tug of Gabrielle’s hand still clutched in her own, unwilling to let go of her older sister.

  Lord James did not flinch as she stepped toward him. Rather, a large smile spread across his face, and his eyes glistened with excitement.

  “Well, that’s unacceptable! As a guest in my home, I expect you to show some respect,” he said, a small laugh threatening to give away his fun.

  “If you cannot behave, I may have to call my guards back. I can have them teach you manners so that we may try this again.” Lord James looked from Heather to Gabrielle.

  When his eyes met Gabrielle’s, he turned his nose up at her as though she were disgusting to him.

  “I see that my men were able to collect you both. Can you see how generous I am now? When I first asked you to become mine, you refused because you didn’t want to leave this.”

  He motioned his finger at Gabrielle as though he were pointing at a mess from a bad dog. “Now you can have her with you. Am I not a giving master? Do I not give you lovely gifts?”

  He paused as he looked down at their hands. His eye began to twitch as he glared at the bracelet sitting on Gabrielle’s wrist.

  “I see that my gifts have found themselves a new owner. Is that not—grand.” He trailed off and broke his gaze from the bracelet, bringing his eyes back to Heather.

  The Lord walked back and forth in front of the girls as if he was thinking of what to do with them. The pace and look on his face worried Gabrielle as the three shadows danced on the floor in front of the fire. Lord James's ornate clothing made his shadow look like a demon prancing in the fire.

  “I refuse to be yours. No matter what you do to me. You will never have me!” Heather insisted, stomping her foot and stepping away from the pacing man.

  Gabrielle thought she saw a glimpse of the same look that had shown itself on Samuel’s face back in the cabin; it was the look of a rabid animal. The look was only visible for a moment, and then it was washed away by a crude smile as he stopped pacing.

  “My dear, that’s where you are very wrong. You see, we are no longer a couple, but there is a third in our midst. If you do not follow my every command as I see fit, it will not be you that suffers.” His placid eyes ventured up and down Gabrielle, causing her to look away in disgust.

  He then brought his eyes back to Heather and, knowing he had won, began to laugh whole heartedly.

  “You see, it’s easy to get what you want when you hold all of the power — something your kind will never know. Regardless of what you may feel, it’s my right to do with you as I want, and there is not a thing that you can do about it.” He ceased his pacing, turned, and walked over to the girls.

  The two stood statuesque as the man swooped toward them and positioned himself nearly nose to nose with Heather. Gabrielle’s nostrils flared with anger and disgust as his stench nearly made her cough.

  Lord James smiled at Heather — giving Gabrielle a good look at his brown and rotten teeth — and ran the palm of his hand slowly down her cheek.

  At the feel of his hand on her face, Heather lost control of herself and spat in his. The Lord viciously grasped a large handful of her hair and yanked her head backward. With his free hand, he pushed Gabrielle to the floor.

  Fearing what may happen to Heather, Gabrielle did not dare react. He then used the same hand that was used to strike Gabrielle to grab Heather’s chin and bring it to his face.

  “How dare you dishonor me in my chambers? You filthy little peasant!” He slapped Heather across the face and cast her to the bed.

  Gabrielle charged his legs in a defensive rage, only to be kicked in the chest and sent back down to the floor. He was breathing heavily as he stepped away from the bed and dusted off his robes.

  “Now that we have established some discipline with you two, I feel that it’s finally time to inform you of how things will be handled from this moment forward. Firstly, and most importantly, you will speak only when spoken to.” At this, Lord James shot a sharp glance at Gabrielle.

  “Fail to do this, and I will have your tongue removed…and hers,” he idly gestured to Gabrielle. “Secondly, you will only go where I have given you permission to go and will only act as I deem necessary. Thirdly, you will tend to every one of my wills and desires.” At the mention of the word ‘desire,’ he licked his upper lip and fondled Heather with his eyes.

  “Fail to do so, and I may have to find my comforts elsewhere.” At this he fell silent, bringing his eyes to Gabrielle, who stared back at him fearlessly.

  She felt the strength of a wild animal come over her as she stood and charged the man, screaming like a banshee with her arms out in front of her. He stumbled backward and attempted to brace himself for Gabrielle’s wrath.

  She connected her hands with his chest, and the two fell to the floor with her landing on top. She scratched and slapped at the Lord’s face, causing him to let out a series of painful yells as she gouged deep wounds into his cheeks and throat.

  She had no idea the extent of the damage she was inflicting on him; all she saw were his soulless eyes staring back at her.

  His panicked screams alerted the guards that stood outside of the chambers. They anxiously entered the room and pulled Gabrielle away from their leader. She kicked and screamed as she was hoisted up and restrained by one of the guards.

  Lord James breathed heavily and stood, clasping his face and yelling obscenities. She smirked as she noted the number of scratches and thought to herself that his face looked like it had been ravaged by an animal.

  The Lord repeatedly slapped Gabrielle while one guard held her arms behind her back to prevent further injury of his leader.

  A savage scream echoed from behind the group, causing Gabrielle to jump and look behind her. Heather was advancing on their captor, swinging her arms like she was trying to fly.


  Heather landed several blows before the shorter, pudgier guard grabbed her and pulled her away. Lord James shot Gabrielle a look like a child winning an argument and then continued to slap her. With each blow, she felt like she would faint from the pain, but she focused on her small victory. Over and over he slapped her until he ran out of stamina and backed away.

  The taste of blood filled Gabrielle’s mouth as her cheek tightened with the swelling. She smiled at the warm sensation of hot liquid steadily running from her nose, because she knew that he couldn't take back the scratches on his face that would surely scar over time.

  A look of sheer fury captured Lord James’ face, and he struck one of his guards on the back of the head for not capturing and restraining Heather before she could strike.

  He stood in lethal silence for a moment, hatred pouring from his eyes as he looked from one girl to the other in utter disappointment.

  “It seems,” he began, still panting from the attack just moments before, “that we may be at a bit of an impasse here. I thought that you, of all people — who has only seen loss and squalor in her life — would respect my offer for what it is, a blessing.” Lord James spoke to Heather as she kicked a leg and narrowly missed hitting him in the head. He sighed and shook his head.

  “Do what you will to me, but it will only end with you killing me. There is nothing more left to be done.” Heather spat, a similar fury raging through her.

  “It appears that I have greatly misjudged you for what you are. Perhaps you are too far gone for me to find any use for you, just as the last one.” Gabrielle felt the tug of one of the soldiers’ grips that held her arms twisted behind her back as she began to squirm in his embrace.

  “It’s a pity, really. I had such high hopes for you, Heather. I could have given you a wonderful life.” Gabrielle’s heart started to pound furiously in her chest. This was not going to end well.

  CLICK.

  She paused as she felt the bangle digging into her back.