“What is it?”
“I want you to swear to me that you won’t go and try to hurt him.”
“If I swear to this, will you tell me everything?”
“Yes, but if you don’t, I won’t say a word.”
“Then I swear, I won’t hurt him, now tell me.”
Taking a deep breath, she stared him directly in the eye. “My father, Fred, isn’t a very nice person.” She sighed, before ploughing on. “Who am I kidding, not a nice person? The truth is that my father is abusive. He’s a nasty, violent, drunk and I’m the only one left that he can take it out on. My father hits me... a lot, that’s why I’ve got all these bruises.”
He opened his mouth as though he wanted to speak, but she silenced him with a look. “You said you wouldn’t interrupt. If you don’t want to hear this then I can stop right now.” He remained silent and she continued. “Do you remember what I told you about four years ago?” He nodded, maintaining his temporary vow of silence. “Well I didn’t quite tell you everything. My mum didn’t just fall, Fred hit her. He came home one night totally pissed and started accusing her of having an affair. My mum would never have done that to him, ever. She was the most loyal person I’ve ever known. Anyway, he came back demanding she admit to the affair, she obviously denied it, there was no reason for her to admit to it, she hadn’t done it after all. Then he tried to find me.” His jaw clenched in anger as his mind was flooded with scenarios of what could have happened. “She lied; she told him she’d slept with whoever he thought she had just so he wouldn’t find me and he hit her for it. He hit her hard.”
“She didn’t die that night like I told you. I managed to call an ambulance and the paramedics saved her life. But there were times in the year after that I wished I hadn’t. If I thought he was bad before, he took it to a whole new level after that. He drank all the time, I swear the only times I saw him without a bottle in hand were when he had passed out and the drink had rolled out of his grasp.” She shuddered as she dredged up the unpleasant memories but continued regardless.
“The more he drank the worse he was and he made mum’s life unbearable. He turned her life into a nightmare. He was always beating her; God there wasn’t a day where she wasn’t in pain. He made her a prisoner in the house, boarded up the windows from the outside, put locks on the all the doors that led outside, took away my keys because if I’d had a set I would have let her out. He did everything he possibly could to make sure she couldn’t get help. Then he destroyed her garden, it didn’t die because she did, if anything it was the other way around.” Sniffling, she remembered the look of anguish on her mother’s face as Fred had cruelly hacked away at her pride and joy.
“I think the garden pushed her over the edge. If you had seen the look on her face…He forced her to watch him hack down one of the things she loved most in the world and he destroyed her. Before that, even though she was a prisoner and got hit everyday, she had somehow managed to keep going. After the garden was gone she just lost the will to live. About a week later we came home and found her lying in a puddle of her own blood; she’d slit her wrists and managed to cut open half of her throat. There was nothing the paramedics could do for her that time.”
Her eyes widened at the surprising warmth of Tobias’ fingertips as they rubbed away the tears she had unknowingly shed. Wiping the back of her hand against her face, she scrubbed away at the last few tears. Sniffling, she continued with her tale.
“I don’t think she would have left me if she had known he would turn on me. I mean she had no reason to think he would; he had never raised a hand against me when she was alive, but turn on me he did. I fought back when he first started on me; I didn’t just sit back and take it.”
That’s my girl. He smiled, clearly pleased with her defiance, encouraging her to continue with a light squeeze of his hand.
“But fighting back just meant that the beatings got worse. After the first time he broke my arm I decided I’d had enough and tried to run away. I didn’t get very far, I had no money and Fred called the police. When I tried to explain to the officers that I’d run away because I genuinely thought my father was going to kill me, either accidentally or intentionally, they went to ask him for his side of the story. He cried,” she scoffed, “The heartless bastard cried and then put on the whole concerned father routine. He told them I was acting out after I’d seen my mum commit suicide, that I had started hanging out with the wrong kind of people and he didn’t know what to do.”
“They sent me back with him. I guess they were overworked and didn’t want to deal with my case so they chose to believe him. He broke my other arm for that, but that didn’t stop me from trying again,” she chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. “I was caught again and sent home. That escape attempt earned me a broken leg and a cracked rib. He threatened to break both my legs if I tried it again and I believed him. I gave one more half hearted try, third time is the charm after all, and as usual I was caught. He didn’t manage to break them, but I think he came close. I stopped trying after that. I just couldn’t see how it was worth it. It’s amazing just how much regular beatings can suck the life out of you.”
She turned to face him, a weak smile flitting across her face. “I guess you think I’m pretty weak just giving up like that, if it was you I’m betting they wouldn’t have caught you the first time let alone the second.”
What? I’m beginning to wonder how my woman’s mind works. I’ve never met someone so brave. She kept trying even though she knew how badly she’d be hurt when they caught her. Many wouldn’t have even tried after the first time let alone doing it three times. He shook his head emphatically, shocked at the low regard in which she held herself.
“I didn’t stop trying to get away; I just chose a different method of doing it. I was trying to save money for a plane ticket out of there. As soon as I hit twenty-one and got my degree, I was going to leave regardless of if I had the money or not. Finishing university was the last thing my mum asked of me, after all she’d gone through for me, the least I could do was grant her her last wish. We’d both spent so long choosing it, she fought Fred for me to be able to go to university and I had to honour that. There it is Tobias, the truth is my father has been beating me senseless for the past three years oh, and apparently I’m a witch.”
He stared at her intensely allowing the silence to continue to grow between them. She squirmed under his scrutiny. “You can talk now Tobias, I’ve told you everything.”
He continued to silently regard her before he began moving, his motions slow and cautious as though he was afraid she would suddenly flee. He inched closer until they were face-to-face his warm breaths feathering over her skin. Using his bigger body to crowd her, he forced her back until she was lying flat against the mattress. Raising both hands above her head he quickly shackled both of her small wrists within one of his large hands.
“Tobias, what are you doing?” she demanded struggling to escape his grip.
“Don’t fight me on this Xandria, I kept my word and stayed silent and now there’s something I need to do. I won’t hurt you I promise. Just relax.” Turning away from her he stared calmly at his free hand, smiling in satisfaction as a lone nail elongated into a sharp claw.
Fighting her instinctive need to scream, she watched as he moved the claw to the neckline of her shirt. He easily sliced the thin material in half before continuing to claw the rest of her clothes, exposing her to his intense scrutiny. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks once he had reduced her attire to her underwear.
Mine. His wolf growled possessively upon seeing the expanse of almost naked skin.
Focus, he snapped, we have a job to do. Now isn’t the time to be ogling her. His wolf growled low but was apparently content to sit back and allow Tobias to continue his examination. His eyes roamed over her almost naked frame, a growl rising in his throat as he took stock of the scars and bruises that peppered her small body.
“Tobias?” she squeaked, becoming increasingly uncom
fortable as his eyes became amber and his throaty growl filled the room.
He released her wrists, quickly rising from the bed. She clutched the sheets to her chest to cover herself as he paced the length of the room. His strides ceased abruptly, before he turned to smile at her, his eyes now completely amber and his sharp canines increasingly prominent. Reaching into one of several drawers, he pulled out a simple t-shirt and a long pair of sweatpants.
“Put them on sweetheart.” Placing the clothes beside her, he stood back expectantly waiting for her to dress.
Her blush increased and she could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. “Turn around.”
“What?”
“Turn around so I can get dressed.”
He frowned at her, sighing before turning on his heel to face the door. She dressed quickly, tapping him on the shoulder to let him know he could look at her.
“The clothes are too big,” she mumbled shyly.
He silently agreed, his clothes effectively swallowing her in their mass, but the sight of her wearing his clothes was definitely an appealing one, one that called to his possessive instincts.
“Tobias I think I should go now, it’s late.”
“Go where exactly?”
“Home, where else did you think I’d be going?”
“You aren’t going back there.”
She groaned feeling the beginnings of a long and protracted argument emerge. “I have nowhere else to go.”
“I gave you my word that I wouldn’t harm your father, but after all that you’ve told me, after all that I’ve seen for myself, you expect me to just let you go? Let you go back there?”
“What other choice is there?”
“You’re coming home with me. You’re my mate and I’ve done nothing but fail you. You’ve been beaten, cut and injured by one of my own people while under my care. It’s my duty to see to your protection and safety and I won’t stand for this anymore. I’m taking you home with me where I can keep you safe and protected. There are no other options.”
“Tobias, you can’t just make that kind of decision by yourself, what if I don’t want to go with you, what if I want to stay where I am?”
“That isn’t an option, you’re coming back with me and there will be no further discussion on the subject. It’s my duty to protect you, even if I have to protect you from yourself.” Turning away from her, he strode to the door and flung it open wide. “Sebastian, Ryan we’re leaving. Pack up all the stuff and get it shipped back.”
I can’t believe he’s doing this. Rushing to his side, she grabbed his arm and forced him to face her. “Tobias, you’re being unreasonable. You can’t think you can just up and take me from my life and I’ll be fine with it.”
He smiled, cupping her face in one of his hands and her treacherous body responded, leaning into his warmth. “That’s exactly what I plan to do. You can’t want to go back to that life.”
“Maybe not, but it’s my life, you can’t just decide this by yourself.”
“I think that’s exactly what I’m doing. If you won’t see to your own safety, then I have to do it for you.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself my entire life. I don’t need you telling me what to do!” she yelled, frustrated by his outlook.
“You’ve been battered for the past two years, and I intend to remedy the situation.”
Entering the room cautiously, Ryan eyed the bickering pair hovering by the door in case they chose to turn on him. “Tobias, when do you want us to head out?”
His eyes never left Alex’s, defiance stamped clearly across his features. “Pack up now. We leave as soon as possible.”
“Ryan, you don’t know what he wants to do, don’t listen to him.”
“I intend to protect my mate.” Tobias smiled, walking closer to her.
Nodding, Ryan turned as though to leave the room and begin obeying Tobias’ command. “Stop!” Alex yelled. “You can’t just go along with him; if you do then it really does count as kidnapping.”
“I would do the exact same thing in his situation.” He grinned. “If it were me I wouldn’t have even waited the week, I would have taken you as soon as I saw you.”
She threw her hands in the air, clearly exasperated. “What the hell is wrong with you guys? Sanity, anyone ever hear of it? This isn’t normal.”
“We aren’t normal Alex.” He quickly left the room, leaving them alone once again.
“Ryan is right sweetheart. We aren’t normal but then neither are you.”
“And what if I decide that I just won’t go?”
“Then you’ll force my hand,” he growled, stepping closer, causing her to take a step back as the habitual fear rose within her. “You’re afraid, I can smell it. There’s no need for it. I would cut off my own arm before I laid a hand on you in anger.”
“Then what exactly did you mean by that force my hand comment?”
He smirked, “Do you really want to know?”
Nodding, she watched as he approached her, refusing to move a muscle. Placing his hands at her waist, he easily lifted her into the air, before resting her on his shoulder.
Her breath left her body in a large whoosh as his shoulder met her stomach and the blood rushed straight to her head as she was placed upside down. It took her a moment to regain her bearings but she soon realised that they were moving.
Thrashing about wildly, she tried to dislodge herself from her resting place. “Tobias, put me down. Put me down now!”
“Have you changed your mind? Are you going to come willingly?”
“You can’t just do this Tobias, you can’t take away my ability to decide things for myself and then expect me just to go along with your choices.”
“You wanted a choice?” Chuckling, he raised an arm to secure her more firmly in place. “Fine I’ll give you a choice. You can come with me or you can come with me. What do you want to do?”
“That’s not choice!” She spluttered indignant.
“Well it’s the only choice you’re going to get in the matter. I don’t really see what the problem is. You wanted to escape and I’m helping you. This was going to happen eventually. All you have to do is sit back, relax and let me take care of you. Trust me, dearest, this really is for the best.” He laughed, palming her upturned buttocks as he headed out of the open door into the outside world.
Chapter Twelve
Walking into the darkened house Fred felt a deep scowl forming on his face as he fumbled for the light switch by the door. The bright lights stung his bleary red eyes and he threw an arm over his face to protect them from the onslaught. Soon becoming accustomed to the light, he realised that the scent of cooking food had failed to reach his nose.
Stupid girl had better have a good excuse for why she hasn’t made my dinner. He smiled to himself. It doesn’t matter even if she has a great reason for not being here, it won’t save her from a beating. He chuckled aloud, the harsh sound reverberating around the room. A low groan forced him to turn his head and his laughter died immediately at the sight that awaited him.
A large body lay in a pool of congealing blood, deep scratches marring the flesh of the man’s back. Easing away from the semi-conscious form, he rushed to the empty kitchen, quickly acquiring a large knife before moving back to where the intruder lay resting. The scars on the man’s back had healed slightly in his absence and Fred took a moment to regard the figure, amazed as the flesh continued to scab over under his gaze.
Tightening his grip on the blade in his hand, he placed a well-aimed kick to the man’s ribs, eliciting another groan from him; he frowned as the figure continued to lay unresponsive. Kicking harder against the man’s ribs, he managed to roll the figure on to his back. His eyes narrowed as the familiar face was exposed to the light.
“Sean?” Blue eyes shot open at his name and he groaned again, becoming increasingly aware of the stabbing pain in his back and the burn in his side.
Struggling, he managed to raise himself enough so he
was sitting against a wall, his head turned frantically as he scanned the room for Alex’s presence. “Where is she Fred?” He demanded, gripping his side to staunch the flow of blood from the gaping wound as he continued to heal.
“Where’s who Sean?” His eyes were once again drawn to the large pool of blood on the floor as he became aware that Sean was still bleeding over the dirty carpet. “Never mind that, what the hell happened to you? And what are you doing in my house?” he yelled.
Ignoring his friend’s questions, Sean continued to scan the room, desperately hoping that she was still in the house, although he was becoming increasingly aware that the likelihood of her sticking around was very slim. “Alex,” he pressed, “Alex, Fred, where is she?”
“I have no idea. I just got back and found your ass passed out on my floor. Now what the fuck is going on? What happened to you?”
“I was attacked. I would’ve thought that was obvious.” He sneered, the pain causing him to snap at his friend. Disappointment filled him at the realisation that his prize had slipped through his fingers, just as her mother had managed to keep her powers from him by killing herself.
“And what the fuck are you doing here?” Fred demanded becoming increasingly frustrated with Sean’s evasive half answers.
“I needed something from Alex.” Fred’s small eyes narrowed further at his friend’s off hand comment and he reached forward pulling Sean towards him by his collar.
“Did you know about it too?”
“Did I know about what exactly?” Sean gasped.
“The money, Sean, the money. Did you know? Even if you knew it doesn’t make a difference, that money belongs to me and I’m going to get it,” he snarled, spittle flying from his mouth to land on Sean’s face.
“I don’t know anything about the money Fred, that isn’t what I wanted from her.”
Releasing Sean’s collar he allowed him to slide back to the floor before he sat down beside him on the cold and unyielding floor. “Then what exactly did you want?”
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