Fable of Happiness Book One

by Pepper Winters

  I’d barely been able to breathe after I’d come. Barely able to think. And then, he’d gone and scooped me up, positioned me gently against the side of the Jeep, placed a fresh water bottle in my hands, a new Snickers bar, and cupped my cheeks with his large calloused fingers.

  And he’d just held me.

  Held me as if I’d crushed his heart, smashed his world, and set fire to all the ruins.

  We were silent.

  Still.

  Suffering.

  His cock had been wet from my orgasm, his tip still oozing with his. The night had thickened until the entire world seemed to hold its breath. Waiting for...something. Waiting for our games to end and fate to set us free.

  I’d waited for him to kiss me.

  To tumble off the ledge he’d shoved me off and shatter at the bottom beside me.

  I waited and wanted and wished harder than I had for anything.

  But then, the moment was over, and he’d swallowed hard, pulling away as if it physically hurt him to sit in the dark, wordless and full of warning.

  “Offering yourself to me again so soon, Gemma Ashford?” he murmured, stepping into me, grazing my nipples with his heated chest.

  We shuddered in equal measure.

  Fire sprung between us, tiny flames licking across our skin and slithering through our ribs to our messed-up hearts.

  My eyes struggled to focus as I drowned in his dark stare. Even in the sunlight, I couldn’t tell what color his gaze was. Not black, not brown, not dark blue or green. They were colorless in their shadows.

  His hand came up and cupped my breast, rolling my nipple with talented fingers. “Get dressed before I string you to a tree and feast.”

  I did my best to hide how he affected me. “I can’t dress.” Raising my bound wrists, I smiled coldly. “Not unless you untie me.”

  He cocked his head, dropping his hand from my breast and taking a step back. “There won’t be a day in your future that you won’t be tethered to me. I suggest you get used to it.”

  “Then I suggest you get used to waiting on me hand and foot, seeing as I won’t be able to do a single thing for myself.”

  Plucking the dangling rope, he pulled the leash so I tripped into him. “If anyone is going to be the slave in this scenario, it’s you.” His eyes glittered with something unreadable. “And don’t worry. Tying your wrists is just a temporary measure. I have something far more suitable back home.”

  Anger swelled within me. Anger at myself and him. I’d let sex cloud my mind. I’d allowed softness given in sleep and slivers of kindness in the dark to conveniently forget our dynamics had not changed.

  He still intended on keeping me a prisoner.

  I still intended to escape.

  And no matter how skilled I thought I was at seduction, I hadn’t been successful at changing his mind.

  With sudden swiftness, he pushed me to the side, grabbed the bag of spare clothes, and yanked out a pair of merlot-colored leggings. Bending, he grabbed my left foot and shoved them up my leg, then repeated with my right. He pulled them up matter-of-factly as if he’d dressed another once upon a time.

  Not saying a word, he fumbled at the knot holding my hands together and unwound the rope just long enough to shove my arms into a T-shirt with my local climbing gym’s logo on the breasts, then drape me in a gray windbreaker.

  I’d be too hot, but at least I was covered.

  With biting fingers, he pulled my wrists back together, wrapped the rope, knotted my imprisonment, and pushed me away.

  He didn’t even bother watching me to see if I’d stay put, too focused on leaving camp immediately. With hurried hands, he tipped out my backpack containing my backup laptop, extra video recorder, and spare hard drive.

  “Hey!” I darted forward. “Be gentle with that.”

  “You won’t be needing it.” Elbowing me away, he scooped up the rest of the chocolate, candy, packet pastas, and water bottles and stuffed them into the bag. With a glower, he hoisted the stash onto his bare shoulders, fisted the rope keeping me prisoner, then dragged me away from my Jeep.

  Away from my freedom.

  Away from any hope of seeing my family and house again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  WHAT THE FUCK HAD I been thinking?

  Touching her while she was asleep?

  Allowing myself to kiss her? Permitting that gooey, fluttery feeling to infect my chest?

  The minute she’d fallen asleep, all my hate and hurting had vanished.

  I’d frozen in disbelief that she’d willingly fallen unconscious in my presence.

  Me?

  The guy who’d trapped her, used her, and promised a lifetime of ownership.

  Not even my Fable family had been so trusting with each other.

  Her vulnerability carved giant holes inside my heart. I’d felt...protective toward her. My entire purpose on earth was no longer about me, but her. My job was to shelter her during the night, safeguard her from monsters, and ensure she remained safe, warm, and comforted.

  Christ, could I be any more of an idiot!

  Stalking ahead, I tugged the rope binding her to me.

  For the past five hours, we hadn’t said a word to one another. We’d trekked through the still damp forest, following the trail that we’d run the night before.

  It seemed we were both content to ignore one another.

  I didn’t look back.

  I couldn’t look back.

  If I looked at her again, I’d suffer the same agonizing sensation in my gut of spilling secrets she would never be worthy of.

  I wanted her to ask more questions. I wanted—

  You don’t have a clue what you want.

  You buried that part of yourself years ago.

  The sun beat down on us, burning my bare chest and making her moan of heatstroke behind me. Occasionally, I’d stop and throw her a bottle of water and a chocolate bar, but apart from that interaction, I’d put a solid brick wall between us.

  When we returned to Fables, she was going back to the basement.

  She would be allowed out during the day to help me gather supplies for winter, but she would stay in the dark at night. She would learn her place.

  She will accept that whatever happened between us last night was a mistake and one that will never be repeated.

  When I took her again, it would be on my terms. My rules.

  Sex only.

  Nothing else.

  I would not permit the cracks in my psyche to continue.

  Another hour passed.

  I kept my attention on the tracks we’d left behind last night, following the valley ridgeline that was so overgrown in places it looked just like part of the woods. Birds followed us as we stirred up insects. Animals scurried away from our footfalls.

  Morning turned to afternoon, and my exhausted body and mind began to falter.

  I’d told her the truth that I couldn’t sleep anywhere but in my single bed in the dormitory. That lesson had been drilled into me until it was not only a quirk I’d adopted but a law I had to follow.

  Each time I’d fallen asleep in a guest’s bed, I’d woken to worst horrors than what’d been done to me while I’d been awake. I’d been sodomized in my sleep. Sliced in my dreams.

  I’d woken with someone’s lips on mine and hands pawing at places I couldn’t think of.

  Never again would I let myself be so vulnerable with someone.

  Not even her.

  Another hour passed, and my head continued to feel heavy and imbalanced. My vision played tricks, bouncing over leaves and refusing to focus. Trees blurred, their leaves turning into a rainbow kaleidoscope. Autumn gold with summer green, swirling and blending until the air danced with foliage filaments.

  The swelling on my forehead from her shovel strike had receded a little, but the symptoms of a concussion still remained. I’d had a few concussions before from overzealous guests. I’d read, in one of the medical texts in the library, that too many concussi
ons could be bad for the brain.

  Perhaps, thanks to her, I’d reached my quota and this time, I wouldn’t recover.

  Maybe I was taking her back to be my doctor instead of my prisoner.

  My jaw clenched.

  The thought of any weakness around her made my stomach churn with acid.

  That could never happen.

  As we got closer to my valley, the faint ringing in my ears that’d been in the background since yesterday grew louder. It buzzed like angry wasps, making a wave of nausea crawl up my throat.

  I needed sleep.

  I needed safety.

  I’ll rest when we’re home.

  As I pushed the final mile, my knees almost buckled as the crisscrossed ceiling of my home came into view. From here, it was a carpet of colorful leaves, hiding the mansion that I had such a complicated relationship with.

  I stopped.

  I sucked in a breath.

  For a second, I felt that strange kind of warmth from last night. It filled my heart with contentment. A faint version of happiness.

  I was home.

  I was keeping her.

  I’m not alone any longer.

  Turning, I braced myself to lock eyes with her.

  To trip like I did each time I dared look at her.

  To continue the inner destruction of my soul.

  It was the last thing I remembered.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  THE THING ABOUT LIVING on the edge of safety and sin was...it made you do things you never thought possible. It pushed you into situations you never imagined. It opened up pieces of yourself you weren’t acquainted with, revealing just how cutthroat you could be.

  The man I’d slept with, fought with, and ultimately couldn’t decide if I hated or hungered for stalked ahead of me.

  His nude back rippled with power, his long legs striding confidently over tree roots. He was in his element out here. A wild creature that would rather take on a bear than drop his shields and be nice to me.

  For most of the day, we didn’t say a word. Not a single look. Not a second of connection.

  I needed that distance.

  I needed time away from his dangerous distractions.

  But with time came clear headedness. Shame too. And utter disbelief in what I’d done.

  I’d chosen to see the suffering buried within him instead of the malice glittering in his every stare.

  I’d once again romanticized a hostage situation, and I was appalled with myself.

  What would Josh say?

  What would my online fans think if I shared this crazy part of my life?

  They’d tell you to run.

  As we trudged back to the valley, my mind raced.

  He gave me too many hours of silence.

  Too many moments to go over every interaction, every mistake, every triumph.

  The things I’d done with him, the domination over my body, the softening of my heart, it all began to darken. A patina of mortification coated everything, leaving my mouth sour and mind full of scorn.

  What was I thinking?

  Had I honestly, willingly kissed him?

  Had I truly come so hard, stars literally exploded behind my eyelids?

  Stupid, stupid girl.

  Whatever physical reaction I’d had to him would never negate the truth of the situation.

  I’m his prisoner.

  And I have an obligation to fight.

  I couldn’t permit someone—a man who fully expected me to keep my legs open and mouth closed for however long we lived together—to have such power over me.

  It just wasn’t doable. Not possible.

  Regardless of the scant few moments of friendship. Regardless of the fire that burned whenever we touched. Thanks to our insidious connection, every moment in his company threatened to undermine my entire self-worth all because it made me want to protect what was left of his.

  No.

  I’d always been a caring person. I doted on my brother. I loved my mother even when she didn’t particularly love me. I spoke to my dead father at the top of every boulder I scaled. And I’d be damned if I let that caring part of me be used as my bondage.

  This man—whoever the hell he is—was in pain. I knew that. I wanted to help with that. It made me far more giving and kind than I would’ve been if he’d just been a bastard.

  But.

  And this was a big but.

  I was in pain too.

  I was being denied the chance to go home. To speak to my family. To tend to my career. He’d taken my future, and I couldn’t allow that to go unpunished.

  And so, I used our silent time wisely.

  My wrists worked the rope. My fingers fumbled with the knot. My feet walked on autopilot as I dedicated my entire attention to being free.

  That was the thing about climbers.

  We knew rope, and we knew knots.

  Unless a fellow climber had kidnapped and tied me up, I would find a way to loosen it. It was just a matter of time.

  Time he’d given me.

  Time that allowed space between us and for the erotic pleasure of last night to fade. Just because we were good in bed together didn’t mean a damn thing. It didn’t mean we were destined or betrothed. It just meant I’d let this go too far, and it was time I put a stop to it.

  Thread by thread, the rope gave up its tightness. The knots loosened, the leash no longer binding me as his.

  Occasionally, he’d throw me some water or one of my stolen chocolate bars, and I’d keep my wrists locked together, hoping he didn’t have the foresight to check the knots were still tight.

  He never did.

  Either he believed in his own skills at trapping someone, or he’d forgotten my profession. Either way, it was his undoing.

  Hours trickled into one chunk of time.

  The sun walked from one side of the sky to the other. The path I’d taken once out of sheer dumb stubbornness and curiosity was now trudged with impatience and plotting.

  The moment I’d dealt with him, I’d demand the backpack full of food, and backtrack to my Jeep. I wouldn’t bother wasting time trying to find my keys. They were most likely covered in a foot of mud by now, but I would pack the rest of my clothes and blankets and begin the long trek back to the populated area of the national park.

  It would take a full day, possibly two, by my estimate. I would be hungry and thirsty by the time I ventured out of the forest like some dirty heathen. But the moment I was in the company of park rangers, I could ask for food, transport, and a phone to ring my very worried mother and brother.

  The rest of the journey back to the valley was occupied by going over my plan. Trying to see loopholes or dead ends. There was a faint possibility I could get turned around and completely lost. I might die of dehydration or be attacked by something bigger than me.

  But then again, I had a second compass back in my Jeep. I knew how to follow the sun and stars. I had a better than good chance at being found before it was too late.

  Squaring my shoulders, I prepared to put my plan into action. The closer we got to the valley and his home, the more my heart raced.

  Okay, go over it one more time.

  When we reach the drop-off, tackle him and wrap the rope around his hands.

  I’d already made a lasso and quick draw knot out of the rope that no longer wrapped around my wrists but was ready to capture another.

  The moment he’s tied up, I’ll attach the rest of the leash to a tree branch.

  Steal the backpack.

  Say goodbye if you must.

  Triple, triple check your knots are undoable for at least a day.

  And then...leave.

  Eventually, he would use a rock or something sharp to saw at the rope or break the branch he was tied to. He was strong and seemed to know how to harness nature to benefit him.

  Unlike when I’d hit him with the shovel, he’d be fine. He’d just rage, have a nap, get angry again, realize I was too far gone to bother followin
g, and return to his valley.

  Alone.

  And this messy piece of my life will be forgotten.

  I nodded, warming to my crusade.

  He would never know where I’d gone, and I would never tell anyone where he lived. I would honor his secrets. We would forget this past week ever happened.

  Up ahead, he slowed.

  His bare footsteps became lighter as if he’d learned to sneak up on the mansion instead of announce his arrival. The foliage looked familiar as we approached the drop-off where I’d stopped for a drink and lost my water bottle over the edge.

  Aha!

  My backpack with all my gear, other food, recording equipment, and first-aid kit rested where I’d left it by a tree. How convenient that I’d left it up here instead of taking it down into the valley with me.

  Okay, new plan.

  He can keep the backpack with the chocolate and water—just in case it takes him longer than a day to get free. I’ll take my usual rucksack full of everything I need.

  I’d make sure to fill up my spare water bottle from some puddles along the way and use one of my purifying tablets to ensure it was drinkable.

  Courage made me step forward with purpose.

  This will work.

  He didn’t know it yet, but this was goodbye.

  Drawing to a stop, he shook his head as if a concussion still plagued him. Glancing at my abandoned backpack by the tree marking the first rung of the natural ladder we’d have to climb down, he worked out the kinks in his neck and went to turn around.

  To look at me.

  I couldn’t let him.

  I honestly didn’t know if I’d have the courage to go through with this if those unfathomable eyes of his captured mine.

  Do it!

  Do it now!

  Dashing forward, I erased the small distance between us and collided with his back before he could fully twist to see me.

  Adrenaline whipped down my limbs, turning me shaky as I snatched his left wrist and shoved it into my rope lasso.

  His other one!

  Get his other one!

  “What the—” He spun on his heels, raising his arm as he did, tipping me off balance.