“That’s nice, dear,” she murmured sleepily.
Amara found Chevalier’s fishing equipment in the closet the next morning while she was cleaning and decided to go fishing that afternoon after she caught up on some sleep. She packed two large omelets, a half-pounder turkey sandwich, a heated canteen of chicken soup, and egg salad for lunch. For dessert, she brought a bright red apple.
Amara had only gone fishing once in her life and that was on the botany class’ camping trip while she was still attending university. Their class was studying plants in their natural habitats. The pond they were fishing from was muddy and stagnant, not clear and reflective like the lake here.
She cast the line and then set up the fishing rod between the rocks so it would stand by itself. While she was sun bathing on a flat, smooth boulder, she had the wildest thought. She sat up and peeked around to see if anyone was around. Feeling secure and alone, she stripped out of her jean shorts and t-shirt. She made a final peek before she took off her bra. She removed the clip from her hair and let her long black hair flow over her form.
It felt wildly exciting.
She took small steps into the lake so that her body would get used to the water temperature. It felt just fine. She stopped going further when the water level was just above her breasts. She wasn’t a very strong swimmer so she didn’t want to risk her life in the deeper end.
The view from where she was standing was absolutely breathtaking. The crystal clear lake was mirroring everything surrounding it, even the gentle clouds floating beneath the baby blue sky. It was beautiful and unspoiled in its natural state.
“Mighty nice day for swimming.”
A deep masculine voice startled Amara. She turned around from the view and saw the same rugged man from the other day on horseback. He smiled and casually tipped his cowboy hat. She bent her knees so the water would reach her chin.
“I’m so sorry… I thought no one would come here.”
“Oh no, don’t apologize. I never thought the view would get any better, but I was wrong.” The comment was supposed to bring a blush to her face, but it made her felt a lot more uncomfortable instead. “So, I assume you are staying at the cabin up there?”
She had more sense in her than to give away her address to a complete stranger, but there weren’t any other houses around for her to deny his assumption.
“I have a horse ranch nearby. We’re practically neighbors.”
“Um… that’s nice…”
“I’m making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?” He chuckled. “I will come by to visit you at a more appropriate time then. Good day.”
He tipped his cowboy hat again and then rode away. She waited until she was sure he wasn’t coming back to get out of the water and get dressed. Feeling awkward and thoroughly embarrassed, she swiftly gathered her things and ran back to the cabin.
Trent found his wife sleeping in their bedroom in the middle of the day. He came to her bedside and placed a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. Her complexion was sickly pale and her golden hair had lost its luster over the years. She hadn’t been eating enough to sustain a healthy body weight. Her condition worried him more and more each day. Her natural lifespan was already too brief as it was.
“Raya…” he whispered her name softly. He nudged her soft cheek to wake her.
She caught his hand and pressed his palm against her cheek. She opened her earthy brown eyes and looked back at him with a soft smile on her lips and a touch of rose on her cheeks. “You’re home…”
“Have you eaten yet?”
She nodded. “I miss you.”
“You don’t look so well.”
“Don’t think that’s a good excuse for you to see other women,” she teased.
“There are no other women.”
Her smile bloomed at his assurance.
“You need a doctor.”
“I’ve seen a doctor and he has already prescribed a prescription. See?” She pointed at the pills on the nightstand. “He said it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Who did you see? We should get a second opinion.”
“You are so good to me. I don’t think I could have made a better choice in a husband.”
“You are deliberately straying from the topic again.”
“That’s because you worry too much. Do you think that I would let anything happen to me when I am so content with you? I’d fight Death himself if I had to. Nothing, and I mean nothing…” his wife pressed a kiss on the palm of his hand, “could tear me from you. I love you too dearly.”
At times, the firm look in her eyes was uncannily familiar to Nala’s. It had been nearly three years since he last saw her. She disappeared like she did last time and left no trace behind. He believed it was intentional. She must have been upset with him when he decided to marry Raya and gone off to one of her lovers.
“Trent?”
Nala had many lovers and it was not hard to see why. She was ethereally beautiful and innately cunning. Mortals and immortals alike were drawn to her. She only needed to say the word and she could have any man at her feet. One might say that she was the beating heart of obsessions.
“Trent? You’re drifting off again. Who or what are you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing. I’m going to take a shower.” His wife tugged at his sleeve when he rose. “Yes?”
She smiled up at him and he understood.
“Then come,” he invited.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Will you please stay still?”
It was difficult to dress Noctis with the chains attached to his limbs. She had to cut his clothes at certain parts and re-sew them together. She would have a much better time if he would just keep still.
“If you don’t stay still, you’re going to get pricked again.”
“Your needlework is poor,” he criticized. “I’ve never seen such wide and uneven stitches.”
“Sewing isn’t exactly a necessary skill to survive in my world, okay? Besides, I’m going to undo the stitches the next time I wash you so what’s the point of spending a lot time on it?”
“Did you not say you were very good at sewing?”
“When I did say that?” Amara inquired.
“You’ve even offered to sew my limbs back together if I come back with all of the pieces.”
Amara was trying to recall when she’d said that, but then she got distracted when he moved again. “Stay still!”
He sighed impatiently. “How troublesome.”
“You prefer to be nude?”
“I do not care either way. I am comfortable in my own skin.”
“I know you are, but it’s just not right. I wouldn’t want other people to think I mistreat you.”
“I haven’t seen anyone but you since I woke.”
“I don’t want to think that I mistreat you and… we might have visitors.”
“Are you referring to the man who came to visit you every other day?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I know more than you think I do.”
“Well, no. I didn’t mean him. I mean other guests.”
“Exactly how many lovers do you have?”
“For your information, the only man I’ve ever—” She stopped herself in time. “They’re my friends. They’re immortals, like you. They will stop by to see how you are doing and if you behave yourself, they might get rid of these chains so you can move around again.”
“Define ‘behave’.”
“Don’t worry. They won’t expect you to hold polite conversation. You haven’t had an episode so far so I’m sure I could convince them to let you out of this cellar.”
“That won’t be necessary. I would have freed myself by then.”
“How?”
“I’m almost done breaking the seal.”
“How?” She furrowed her brows. “How could you remember something as complicated as breaking a seal and nothing about me?”
“Why, indee
d.”
“I hate your sarcasm—” She forced herself to swallow when she felt her lunch backing up. “…Excuse me.” He flinched when she accidently pricked him with the needle.
“What is wrong with you?” he scolded.
“Indigestion. I don’t think my body appreciates a diet of canned food and plain spaghetti. It’s making me sick. I will need to go to town to pick up some fresh groceries. There, all done.” She severed the thread with her teeth and then smoothed her hands over his shirt. “You can have the rest of the day to yourself.”
“The stitches are hideous,” he complained. “Do it again.”
She smiled at him. “Are you being difficult or are you trying to keep me here with you?”
“The first one.”
“Of course. Well, I’m going to go run a bath, and I’ll see you when I get back from town.”
She pecked him a kiss and then left him in the cellar by himself. As she waited for the bathtub to fill, she heard the doorbell ring. If it was Chevalier or Trent, they wouldn’t use the front door so she knew it was Jake. Her womanly sense told her that he developed a little crush on her, which made his visits feel awfully uncomfortable. She had been subtly hinting to him that she was in a relationship with a man she was very much in love with, but he kept playing dumb. She should do away with the subtleties and say it to his face. Maybe then he’ll get a clue that she wasn’t interested.
Jake brought wild daisies.
“They’re lovely.” Amara said when he presented them to her. “Come in. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“Just water, thank you.”
Amara placed the daisies in an empty vase and then went to the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water. He followed closely behind. “I was just about to take a bath before I go to town so I’m afraid I can’t entertain you for long.”
“What a coincidence. I have something to do in town too, so maybe I can come with. I could give you a hand.”
“Um, I guess…”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I mean… yes. I think your time would be better spent on other… gals.”
He didn’t move his gaze from her face. He blinked and then smiled. “I see what this is about. You’re rejecting me.”
She responded with an apologetic smile. “I’m not rejecting you. It’s just that I’m in a relationship right now.”
“Call me blunt, but I think that’s a lie. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be out here all alone.”
“It’s complicated. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to explain, so I’m not going to even try.”
“What kind of man would let you run off to the wilderness by yourself?”
“He has his own set of problems. I’ll still be friends with you as long as you don’t have any… expectations.”
“I understand. That’s very respectable of you.”
“Oh no!” She suddenly remembered she left the bath running. She swiftly made her way to the bathroom to turn off the water. The bathtub was slightly overflowing. She pulled out the cleaning towels from under the sink to absorb the water on the tiles.
“Amara?” Jake called out from the kitchen.
“Yes, Jake?”
“Did you say you live alone?”
“Yeah. Why?” She didn’t hear a reply, only the sound of clanking chains. It suddenly occurred to her that Jake might have heard it too.
“Jake?” When he didn’t reply, she panicked. She dropped everything and raced to the cellar. Jake was wide-eyed at what he saw. He slowly turned to look at her. “W-what… is this?”
He must be thinking that she was some kind of crazy woman from America’s Most Wanted because nice girls certainly wouldn’t keep a man chained up in her cellar.
“It’s not what you think…” She shook her head. “I can explain.”
“No she can’t,” Noctis said dryly.
“You stay out of this!” She snapped at Noctis and then turned back to Jake. “Please don’t call the police. I can explain everything.”
“W-what do I make of this?”
Amara tried to find a point to begin explaining, but she was at a lost. How could she explain all that happened and make him believe her? Her life wasn’t exactly one that she could write an autobiography about. It would belong in the works of fiction genre.
“All you need to know is that he’s a very dangerous man. I’m keeping him locked up for his own good!” Now, she just sounded crazy.
Jake inhaled a deep breath. “First off, who is this man?”
She was already struggling with the first question. If she told him the truth, he would not call the police. He would call the mental institution. She needed to lie her way out of this one.
“This man is… my husband,” or the equivalent of it by his laws. Noctis lifted a brow at her answer and she prayed that he wouldn’t contradict her. “He’s not well. He had been having these violent psychotic outbursts and I had to chain him up to prevent him from hurting himself. You see, that’s why I came here. I didn’t want him to endanger anyone.”
Jake seemed to be accepting her explanation. He seemed less tense than he was a moment ago. “This is no way to handle it.”
“We’re going through a tough time right now. I would be eternally grateful if you would keep quiet about this. This must remain a secret.”
“I’m surprised at you,” Noctis said with a snide grin on his face, “dear.” She frowned at him. He was mocking her. The joke would be on him once he realized the story she told to protect them both wasn’t too far off from the truth. By the ancient laws of the immortals, they were bound to one another. Marriages can be dissolved, while what they had between them couldn’t be broken even by death and beyond. She had done her research.
“I think I would like that glass of water now,” Jake said.
“Yes, of course.” She led him upstairs and gave him the glass of water she poured for him earlier. She leaned against the countertop and sighed. “You must understand, Jake—”
“I understand perfectly,” he cut in. “He certainly didn’t seem to mind where he was.”
“Everyone has skeletons in their closets.”
“You have a man chained in your cellar!”
“I know this all seems strange to you. I never thought I would end up in this position either. Can you just pretend that you didn’t see anything here?”
“I can be persuaded.”
“I can bake you a pie,” she offered gingerly.
“I am interested in something… much sweeter.”
She forced a laugh as if he had just told a humorous joke. She wasn’t laughing anymore when he came closer and trapped her against the countertop she was leaning on. There was a point when a joke stopped being funny and become just plain obnoxious.
“What are you willing to do to keep this a secret?”
“I just told you.”
“Let’s be adults, Amara. You know exactly what it takes to persuade me.” The back of his hand pushed a lock of her hair behind her shoulder. She leaned even further back against the countertop, and he took a step closer. She felt like trapped prey.
“Are you blackmailing me, Jake?”
“Let’s not call it that. Let’s call it, you do me a favor and I do you a favor by keeping quiet.”
Amara regretted that she didn’t listen to her gut feeling about him in the first place. Since he acted gentlemanly in the last three weeks, she thought that he was a nice guy. What a damn misconception because the guy was a rat! She winced when his arms closed in around her.
“Let go of me, Jake,” she bit out. She was thoroughly disgusted with him at that point.
“You know you want me, pretty little darlin’.”
“No.” She shook her head to get her point across. “I don’t. I made it clear to you that I’m not interested.”
“You don’t need to pretend any longer.”
“I am not pretending!” she retorted. “I don’t want you. Back off!”
He didn’t back off like she told him to. “I just need to make one little call and this place will be swarming with cops.”
“You dirty…!” The rest of the insult was too vulgar for her to voice. She gasped when his hands snaked around her hips and grabbed her ass. That was the breaking point. She shoved him back and fled to the living room. He caught her wrist and yanked her against him. Panicked, she fought him blindly. He shoved her to the floor and pinned her down with his thighs.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” she warned as she watched him shrug off his brown leather jacket and pull his shirt over his head. She retreated by squirming when he unbuckled his leather belt. “You’ll regret it.”
“You’re not scaring anybody, little darlin’,” he scoffed as he yanked the belt from his jeans.
“Leave me alone!” She went into pure panic when she couldn’t ward him off. “I swear you’ll regret it!”
“What are you going to do? Scream? Scream all you like. Ain’t nobody going to hear you from here.”
The situation was getting dangerous. She needed to get out of there before this turned into a tragedy. She was resisting him with all of the strength in her body, but it wasn’t good enough. He was the stronger one.
“Help!” she cried out desperately. “Noctis! Help me!”
Amara never thought she was capable of murder, but at that moment, she was tempted to electrocute the vile man. Her powers may not be strong enough to kill a harpy, but it was sure as hell strong enough to kill a two-hundred pound man. When she felt his lips on the skin of her neck, she felt sick enough to go through with it. She would rather live with manslaughter than to be violated.
“Let go!” She screamed out her final warning.
He didn’t listen. She had no choice but to—
Suddenly, everything was still. Noctis materialized behind Jake and broke his neck with a single twist. The man dropped face-first to the floor next to her.
Shaken by terror, Amara reached out and clung tightly to her lover for comfort. She was terrified to the point of tears. If he hadn’t showed up, she didn’t know what was going to happen. For the first time in her life, she was faced with something even more terrifying than death. If she hadn’t had her magic to fall back on… if Noctis hadn’t showed… that man would have forced himself on her.
The Dark God's Bride (Book 3) Page 19