The sound of his voice sends a chill over my arms, and it’s not because his tone is frightening. No, his voice is rough and velvety, and full of fire. I’ve never had this reaction to anyone before, and it’s a little alarming. A voice alone shouldn’t make my lower body quiver like it is. Bloody hell. The only man I’ve ever been attracted to is the one I gave my virginity to last year, and I can’t even recall his name since it was a quickie in his car. When we were finished, he’d driven away, and I had walked home and never thought of him again. Men have no place in my life, and this man that sits before me definitely needs to get the fuck out of it.
Lethe sits forward in his chair, looking almost bored as he studies me. “The sooner you accept your life here, the better it’ll be. I’m sure you’re wondering what I plan to do with you, but rest assured, no physical violence against women is tolerated here,” he says in a firm voice.
I wasn’t expecting that announcement, and my eyes narrow. Just what kind of game is he playing? Drakons are known for being violent, and it’s well-known that they are also aggressive towards their mates.
He must read the doubt in my gaze, and he adds, “I love violence just as much as any other drakon, but that violence will not be directed towards women. Not in my clan.”
Of course, I don’t believe him. He can talk all he wants, but after this conversation, I want to go back upstairs and hopefully be allowed to freely roam what I assume is the women’s quarters.
“The third floor is strictly for women like yourself, and you should find the amenities satisfying to your needs. At the moment, all I expect from you is to grow accustomed to your surroundings. I’m aware that trust isn’t blindly given, so you will be given plenty of time to adjust.”
“And then what?” I ask with a hint of sarcasm. “You choose a mate for me?”
His eyes hold mine. “Yes,” he says simply.
I bite back a reply. It’s pointless and a waste of time trying to argue with the likes of him.
“Cassius is in charge of the third floor, so anything you need, you may put in a request with him. As for the security, I’m sure you’ve noted that you need a code to use the elevator or the stairs. The entire third floor is quite secure with no windows.” He gives me an authoritative look. “Make friends with the other women and find a way to accept that your life now belongs to this clan.”
Okay, I can’t hold back any longer.
My lip curls as I look at him with derision. “Do you really think that commanding someone to accept their fate is going to work?”
He sits back in his chair, looking at me with an impassive expression on his face. “Arista, do you really think I care what you think?”
“No, I don’t. And someday, you’ll regret that,” I say levelly.
“Doubt it.” He straightens in his chair. “Our time here is finished. I have a meeting.”
“Why couldn’t Cassius just tell me this? Why waste your time?”
He glances at me. “Because you need to know who’s in charge of your life. And a word of warning, Arista. Take that tone with me again, and you won’t like the consequences.”
I quirk an eyebrow and mockingly reply, “I thought you didn’t beat women.”
“Oh there are plenty of ways to show how…displeased I am. Cassius?” he barks out, calmly rising to his feet.
I look up to see Cassius entering the room, and I rise to stand.
“Take her back,” Lethe tells him.
I’ve been ordered around far too much to meekly walk away. I turn to Lethe and give him an insultingly graceful curtsey. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cassavettes,” I say with sweet sarcasm.
His eyes narrow on me, and a hint of orange fire flickers in their dark depths, betraying that I’m prodding at his temper. The sight of those flames please me. I couldn’t hold my own at the prison I’d been stashed at until I could be sold, but here…all bets are off. This fancy shit of a place doesn’t intimidate me in the slightest.
Cassius firmly takes my arm and escorts me out of the study before Lethe can decide to punish me for my insolence. “Do you have a death wish?” he asks tightly as we walk down the hall, leaving the study behind.
“At this point, I don’t really care,” I mutter.
We pause by the elevator, and Cassius presses a button and waits for the doors to open. He turns on me, his eyes full of warning. “Just because he has a no violence policy in affect for the clan’s women, doesn’t mean that he’s not a threat. He kills easily and without remorse. It would be wise to keep that in mind.”
“You and I both know that he’s not going to kill me. I’m worth too much,” I say dryly.
“Do not push him, Arista.”
The doors slide open, and I say nothing as we step inside the elevator, and the doors close. We begin heading to the third floor, and we’re both silent until the elevator chimes softly. When the doors open again, they reveal the small foyer outside the women’s quarters.
Cassius escorts me out of the elevator, and he gives me a measuring look. “You’re free to roam the third floor, try not to cause any trouble.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
He shakes his head and then opens the double doors.
Without another word to him, I step over the threshold, and I hear the doors close behind me. Earlier, this room had been empty. Now, there’s a young woman sitting on the couch flipping through an outdated fashion magazine, and I estimate her age to be around fifteen or sixteen. Her long, blonde hair is damp, and she’s wearing a silky sky blue tank and white pants. When she looks up, I see that her eyes are a clear blue, and she looks more than a little annoyed with me as her beautiful face scrunches up. “Thanks for waking us this morning.”
I stare at her incredulously. I wake up in a strange place after being sold, and she’s upset that I woke her?
Another women enters the room from the direction of the hall, and she walks gracefully towards me, her friendly green eyes apologetic. “Don’t mind her, she’s not really a morning person,” she says lightly as she approaches me. Her frame is tall and willowy, and her brown hair falls down her back in what looks like natural waves. She’s young, maybe eighteen at the most. She’s dressed in a reserved, conservative fashion like the girl on the couch, except she’s wearing a green sundress. “That’s Evie, and I’m Tenley,” she introduces.
“I’m Arista.”
Evie doesn’t acknowledge us as she flips another page of the magazine.
“C’mon, I’ll show you around,” Tenley offers.
I’m definitely wanting to see all the rooms on this floor, so I readily nod. She leads me towards the hall and motions me into the first doorway on the left. We enter a kitchen, and I look around. It’s large with black cupboards and gray, granite counter tops. It’s the nicest kitchen I’ve ever seen, and all the appliances are stainless steel and shiny.
“Where are we? I mean what state?” I ask. Lethe hadn’t given me much information, so I have plenty of questions.
“California. Los Angeles to be exact,” she replies.
My heart sinks. That’s a long way from Chicago. “Are there more of us or just us three?” I ask, deciding to dwell on our location later.
“Just us three,” she responds. She smiles warmly and adds, “The kitchen is available whenever you want. Evie doesn’t cook, so I make most of the meals around here. It helps pass the time.”
“Are you ever allowed to leave this floor?”
“Not really. It’s a bit of a shock in the beginning going from…well, if you’re here that means you’ve been sold, and that place was horrible,” she says with a visible shudder. “At least this place is clean, and Cassius does everything he can to help us feel comfortable.” She turns away and waves a hand at a doorway in the kitchen. “That’s the pantry, and in the corner are the garbage bins. When the one fills up here in the kitchen, take the bag to one of the bins in there for storage. It’s emptied every Tuesday,” she informs me.
&
nbsp; I nod and want to ask if either her or Evie have tried to escape, but I decide to wait. When she’s finished showing me around, I’ll find out what’s been tried and what hasn’t.
She leads me out of the kitchen and shows me a small bathroom painted a pastel yellow. “No one ever uses it since we all have private baths in our rooms.” She continues down the hall and opens another door. “This is the washroom. And this over here,” she says, opening the last door, “is the sauna and the hot tub,” she announces.
I peer inside, taking in the enclosed sauna in the corner, and then the large hot tub in the center of the room. The walls are painted a calm light brown, and all the décor is outdoor themed. As I stare at the room, I don’t know what to say. This place is all glammed up, but in reality, it’s still a prison.
“You don’t look very impressed,” Tenley comments.
My attention shifts back to her. “Don’t you get bored?”
“All the time. Which is why I make the meals and do the laundry. And the cleaning,” she adds.
I lean against the doorframe, arms crossing over my chest. “And Evie?” I ask, already assuming the younger girl does a whole lot of nothing.
Tenley smiles. “Evie’s your average sixteen-year-old and expects that everyone else is going to pick up after her.”
I shake my head. “This is ludicrous. They just expect us to sit around doing nothing until Lethe gets around to mating us off? And then what? We stay up here until our mate wants some nightly action?”
“I’m sure it’ll be a little different than what you just described,” she says carefully. “I know it’s a lot to take in Arista, but I don’t think there’s another clan out there that would treat us as kindly as this one does. So we’re a little bored, at least we’re safe and not being beaten and raped,” she chides.
“So you haven’t tried to escape?” I ask, ignoring her reproachful tone.
Tenley shakes her head. “My life was so much worse than this. Even if you don’t realize it yet, this is definitely an upgrade. It’d be foolish to turn your back on it.”
I’m silent as I process what she’d said. Call me a fool, but I’d be more than happy to turn my back on this place in return for my freedom. I’m not the type of woman you put in a fancy room and expect her to follow every order. I’m not built that way, and I’m going to go insane if I stay.
It’s also apparent that Evie and Tenley are going to be of no help. I’m going to have to plan my escape on my own.
Six
Arista
For the next few days, I wander around the third floor rooms, my eyes missing nothing as I try to build an escape plan. My biggest problem is the keypads for the stairs and elevator. And even if I figured out what the codes were, then what? I don’t know the layout of this place. What I need to do is sneak out of here unnoticed.
I’m quite stumped on how to go about that until an idea begins to form while I’m helping Tenley make dinner that evening. She’s washing vegetables in the sink, and she glances my way. “Would you mind emptying the trash?” she asks.
“Sure.” I’ve been helping Tenley make the meals since there isn’t much else to do. Evie ignores me, and Tenley is naturally quiet, so there’s not a lot of conversation that provides much of a distraction. In all honesty, I haven’t really tried that hard to get to know Tenley. I don’t want to miss her once I make my escape. It’s bad enough that Brin and Andi are never far from my thoughts, and I don’t want to add another woman to the small list of people that I care about.
I set aside the potatoes I’d been peeling and walk to the cupboard beneath the counter that contains the pullout garbage bin. After securing the top of the bag, I tie it shut before lifting it out and carrying it to the pantry. I push the door open and switch on the light with my elbow.
The first large trash bin I check is empty, and I toss the bag inside, dropping the lid on it. I’m about to walk away when I pause and turn back.
Wait a second…
A person could hide in one of those. I walk to the bin I’d just tossed the garbage bag in and lift the lid. I could squeeze in there—I’m quite certain. Do they take the actual bins outside to dump the garbage? Or do they pull out the bags? That would be a lot of work to empty the bins inside here, so I’m going to assume they roll these onto the elevator and down to the nearest dumpster.
I move to the next bin and pull open the lid. It’s almost full, but not completely. The third, and final bin, is packed full with garbage. I search my mind and try to figure out what day it is. If I remember correctly, Tenley said garbage goes out on Tuesday. With as much trash that’s accumulated in here, Tuesday must be in the next day or two.
Knowing that I can’t stay in here much longer, I hurry to the original bin and pull the bag out. After I shove it into the second bin, I push the bag down as far as I can in order to secure the lid. My gaze then turns to the empty bin. That’s my ride out of here.
I leave the pantry and find Tenley chopping the vegetables that she’d rinsed. “When’s garbage day again? The bins are getting full,” I casually comment as I pick up the potato peeler once more.
“Tomorrow morning,” she responds.
I fight back a smile. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to be leaving this place far behind.
* * *
It’s impossible to sleep, not with the plan rolling around in my head. There are so many ways it could go wrong, and I hope that luck is with me this morning. It’s only three, and I figure five will be the perfect time to sneak into the pantry. I need to be in that garbage bin before Evie and Tenley wake up. Hopefully Cassius comes for the garbage before Tenley can begin wondering why I’m not coming out of my room.
I draw in a deep breath and stare up into the darkness. I’m perfectly aware that I’m not going to be able to outrun Cassius, and I won’t be able to incapacitate him with my bare hands. Sure, the element of surprise will only get me so far, but he will eventually shake it off and come for me. My only chance of escaping this place is to hurt him—bad. It helps knowing that as a drakon, he likely won’t die from anything I do unless I aim for his heart or behead him—which would just be disgusting. I want to immobilize him, not kill him.
I harden my heart, knowing that I’ll do what I have to in order to be free. If that means drawing blood, then so be it. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to hurt someone. Except those times they came after me first, and I’d had to defend myself or die. With Cassius, I’ll be the one to make the first move, and it doesn’t sit well with me, but it has to be done.
The silence in the darkness is almost thunderous, and my stomach twists in knots as I anxiously wait. After what feels like forever, I decide it’s time to get up so I can start putting the plan in motion.
First thing I do is go into the bathroom and change my clothes. I’m irritated that there hadn’t been a single pair of jeans or anything street casual in the dresser drawers. I want to blend in out there, not stand out. My only option is a pair of dressy black shorts, a stupid pale pink sleeveless shirt, and black flat sandals that are too strappy and cutsey for my liking. Really, who picks out these clothes?
After I pull my long hair into a braid, I move back into my room and stuff my pillows in a line beneath the comforter. I flatten some areas while plumping others so that hopefully it’ll pass for my body. If Tenley checks on me before the garbage is retrieved, I want it to look like I’m still sleeping. I know Tenley well enough to know that she won’t deliberately disturb me until much later in the morning.
I double check the pockets of my shorts as I stand near the bedroom door, assuring myself that I still have the jewelry I’d stolen from Evie. I’d noticed the other day that she’d left a pair of diamond stud earrings sitting on the glass table.
While I’d been mentally sorting my plan yesterday evening, I’d come to the realization that I would need money to escape the area. Evie’s jewelry had flashed in my mind since they would be easy to pawn for cash. So while Evie was loun
ging in the hot tub, and Tenley was in her room, I’d snuck into Evie’s bedroom and had stolen a diamond bracelet and a pair of earrings.
Evie was likely sold, so she came into this place with nothing—which means the clan has showered her with jewelry and expensive clothing to keep her happy. I’m repulsed that it seems to be working.
Well, they bought the wrong drakon female this time. I’m not vain, and I could care less about superficial shit. I want my freedom, it’s that simple.
I open the bedroom door as silently as I can, and I look out into the dark living room. The third floor is completely silent, which tells me that Evie and Tenley are still sleeping. After I close the door behind me, I cautiously make my way through the darkness. I can’t see anything, but I visualize the room and start making my way across it. I’d prefer not to be turning on any lights if at all possible. I have no idea if there are hidden surveillance cameras on this floor, and that would definitely hinder my escape if I’m spotted creeping around.
After no major incidents except for a stubbed toe, I keep my hands out as I slowly walk towards the hall. Without any windows on this floor, it’s pitch black. A moment later, I enter the kitchen and tentatively shuffle towards the drawer that holds the knives. I wish there was a gun or something that I could use since it’s less personal. I hate knives. I can’t be choosy though, and I’ll use what I have to in order to leave this place behind.
After I find the drawer, I silently pull a knife out and slip it inside the waistband of my shorts. Then, I begin moving through the darkness towards the pantry door. Not being able to see is unsettling, but after spending days in a dark cell, the dark no longer bothers me as much as it once had.
My hands run over the wall, searching for the pantry doorknob. After some fumbling, I manage to quietly open it and step inside. After the door closes firmly behind me, I breathe a sigh of relief. I made it.
I don’t want to take the chance of turning on the overhead light, so I take small steps towards the garbage bins, and my hands run over each of them. When I find the one that feels mostly empty, I open the lid and bend over, reaching for the bottom. I’m relieved when I find that no one has put anything inside it since I was last in here.
Captive (Igniting the Flame Book 1) Page 5