Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set)

by Edwards, Scarlett

  I’m walking through campus my first day in New Haven. I’m still struck by disbelief that I’m here. I am actually here.

  The buildings are all so pretty. The architecture is wonderful. I promise myself that I’m going to take advantage of every single moment I have to be outside over the next four years.

  A fat raindrop lands on my nose. I look up—and am suddenly being pelted by hundreds of them. I shriek, half in delight and half in excitement, and run for a big willow tree where the grass is still dry.

  I get there, and find two other girls who had the same idea to take shelter.

  “That’s one hell of a welcome,” one of them says. She’s really pretty, with long, straight black hair and olive dark skin. “Are you two freshman?”

  “Yes,” I say in unison with the other girl. She’s pretty, too, but in a more subdued and understated way.

  “Great,” the first one says. “Me too. I’m Fey.”

  “Sonja,” the second girl offers.

  “I’m Li—” I start to say, but am cut off as one long branch of the willow tree whips down and wraps itself around my body.

  I open my mouth to scream. Another branch forces its way into my throat, cutting off my air supply—

  I come to and find myself sputtering and thrashing. For a moment, I’m still stuck in that dream. The branches are tight around my body, and I can’t move. I cannot move…

  When reality dawns on me, I wish that I had never awakened.

  I’m not alone. Stonehart is here with me. I can see his shape towering over me in the dark.

  My wrists are bound to the bed posts around me. There’s a gag in my mouth. I try to speak, but manage to produce only muffled sounds.

  “You’re up,” Stonehart intones. He sounds vaguely amused. “You were moving around so much in your sleep, I was afraid you’d hurt yourself.”

  He trails a finger along the length of my arm and clutches the strap holding my wrist. “I thought I’d help keep you safe.”

  My eyes widen in a mixture of fear and indignation. He came in here while I was sleep, then gagged and bound me?

  “Of course,” he continues, his eyes glimmering in a cruel way, “I can’t pretend I went through all this trouble just for your benefit.”

  He takes something out of his jacket pocket. Fear and indignation turn into full-blown panic when I catch the glint of a silver blade.

  I fight against the bonds, but it’s as futile as it was in my dream. My ankles are bound, too, so that I am lying there, spread-eagle, completely at his mercy.

  He stands up and walks to the front of the bed. In one quick move, he throws the sheets to the floor.

  Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

  I feel like I’m lying on an altar ready to be sacrificed. I can’t move my arms or legs. The only thing I still have control over is my head.

  I’ve never felt as exposed as I do now. As vulnerable. All I have on is my flimsy night shift.

  I watch Stonehart through eyes wide with fear. He spins the blade in his hands.

  Why does he have the knife? What’s he going to do with it?

  My thoughts are frenetic. Growing terror makes me thrash against the restraints in a futile effort to break free.

  “Save your strength,” Stonehart sneers. “I’m only going to let you go, Lilly, once I’m done with you.” He leans close. “But we have hours of playtime left.”

  He starts pacing around the bed. “You see, Lilly, I’ve thought a lot about what happened earlier today. And I’ve come to the conclusion…” he walks behind me and out of sight, ‘…that you simply cannot be trusted.”

  My chest heaves with short, sharp gasps as I feel Stonehart hovering just behind my head. I see the knife dangling in front of my eyes. Adrenaline is pumping through my body. I feel utterly defenseless.

  Stonehart brings his lips to my ear. His fine stubble scratches against my skin. “And then I thought: What have I done to deserve such disloyalty?”

  I cringe, but Stonehart catches my chin with his free hand and forces me still. The knife dips down to press into my sternum, dangerously close to drawing blood.

  “I just could not come up with a satisfactory answer.”

  He draws the dull edge of the knife to my throat. I stop struggling immediately.

  “Ah,” he says. “Now, you’re learning.”

  The blade disappears. I sigh in relief. The reprieve lasts only a moment as Stonehart appears to my left and leaps onto the bed.

  He traces the line of my jaw with the knife. “You know,” he says, as I do everything in my willpower not to move, “I have not lied to you yet. You really are very beautiful.” The knife dips down to the hollow of my neck. “And I would love to take you with me to the gala at the end of the month. Unfortunately…” he clicks his tongue, “…that would require a certain degree of trust between us that we currently lack.”

  He pulls the knife away. He begins to caress the blade with his fingers. “And so, I thought that this little exercise… might help us… work out some of our issues.”

  Without warning, he jumps onto me. I redouble my efforts to break free. But with the weight of his body crushing mine, I am more trapped than ever.

  I start to scream. The rag in my mouth muffles every sound.

  “Oh, there, there, Lilly. Hush, hush,” he says, stroking my cheek. “I’m only going to hurt you… a little.”

  He brings the knife to his lips and taps them in thought. “Now, let’s see… What comes first? Oh.” He raises an eyebrow. “I know.”

  The knife flashes and the point goes straight to my throat. I close my eyes and scream into the rag, waiting for the piercing stab of pain. I’m going to die. I know I’m going to die—

  I feel the faintest prickle against my skin. I open my eyes, and, trembling, look down.

  Stonehart is holding the knife against the soft flesh above my collarbone. He’s not pressing hard enough to draw blood.

  “Are you frightened?” he whispers. “You shouldn’t be. Not yet. I’m only going to do… this.”

  He slides the knife down my skin. The sharp edge rips into the bodice of my gown. He cuts the fabric open all the way to my belly, then throws the two pieces aside.

  Cool air rushes over my breasts. Goose bumps break out over my tummy.

  “Ah,” he says, holding the blade between my breasts. “That’s much better.” His savage eyes consume my flesh.

  My breaths are short and shallow. I try to keep them like that to prevent my chest from moving. I feel the point of the knife digging into my skin. Just a little bit of pressure, and I’m sure it’ll draw blood.

  “You see, Lilly,” Stonehart says, rotating the knife back and forth, “there’s one thing I think you may have forgotten.” He chuckles. “Of course, it is entirely my fault for not reminding you of it more often.

  “Here it is: I own you. And, by extension, whatever I want to do with you… I can.”

  I shriek into the rag as he flashes the knife and presses the flat edge against my neck. I fight to keep down the cold terror coursing through me.

  He looks in my eyes in a pitying sort of way. “It’s such a shame,” he says, “that we couldn’t have met under different circumstances. You deserve to be worshipped. I would have adored you, Lilly, if you were anyone else.” He slides the knife against my skin, back and forth over my cheek like a shaving blade. “But, alas. You know how it is. Sometimes, life gets in the way.”

  Without warning he jerks the knife again, grabs my neck with his free hand, and forces his mouth over mine in a harsh, abusive kiss.

  My lips are swollen when he lets go. I gasp for air.

  “One more thing,” he says, pulling out a black handkerchief from his pocket. “You can see me. I don’t like that. The first thing I’m going to teach you tonight…” he puts the cloth over my eyes and ties it behind my head. The most terrifying type of horror takes hold of me as all my vital senses are taken away. “…Is how to submit to me. The way you really
should.”

  I feel him shift above me. I hear him unbuckling his belt.

  “And now, Lilly,” he rustles in my ear. The knife is back, running along the underside of my breasts, “I’m going to fuck some sense into you.”

  The End,

  Uncovering You 3

  Uncovering You 4:

  Retribution

  by Scarlett Edwards

  EDWARDS PUBLISHING

  Book Description:

  I know that I am here for a reason.

  Stonehart abducted me, starved me, and left me in the dark... all for a reason.

  He is a cold man, but he is not irrational. He has his purpose. I have not yet discovered what it is.

  I should despise him. I should feel nothing but disgust when I think of him. And yet... yet sometimes, I don't.

  Because there are those precious moments when he makes me feel magnificent. Treasured. Like a real person. One who actually matters to him.

  I know those fleeting displays of affection should not sway my resolve. But I am not him. I do not possess his self-control. I cannot stay unaffected forever.

  Bit by bit, my stand is wearing at me.

  Do I still want revenge? Do I still want vengeance?

  Yes. Yes, of course I do. I want revenge. I want retribution.

  But Stonehart wants something from me, too. And the terrifying question that lurks in the back of my mind is:

  In the end, will it be his retribution, or mine?

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been use fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  UNCOVERING YOU #4: RETRIBUTION

  Copyright © 2014 Edwards Publishing, Ltd.

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by Gail Lennon.

  Cover design by Scarlett Edwards.

  Interior design by Scarlett Edwards.

  Published by Edwards Publishing, Ltd.

  Edwards Publishing

  477 Peace Portal Drive

  Suite 107-154

  Blaine, WA 98230

  The uploading, scanning, and distribution of this book in any form or by any means---including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise---without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions of this work, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s work is appreciated.

  ISBN: 978-0-9937370-5-3

  Uncovering You 4:

  Retribution

  by Scarlett Edwards

  May 30, 2014

  Edwards Publishing

  Reader Warning:

  Uncovering You 4: Retribution contains scenes of intense emotional and physical abuse. Readers with sensitivity to such subjects are advised to proceed with caution.

  About the Series

  The story of Uncovering You unfolds over multiple volumes. The first three books are approximately 125 pages each. Future volumes, starting with Uncovering You 5, will be 200 pages or more

  Chapter One

  The cold, dull edge of the knife runs down the midline of my body. The only sounds I hear are my fast, terrified breaths.

  I cannot see. The blindfold ensures that. I cannot move. Ropes around my wrists and ankles ensure that. I cannot even scream. The rag in my mouth muffles all noise.

  Worst of all, I can’t defend myself.

  I’ve never felt more exposed…or more frightened.

  The knife stops above my navel. The point dips into my flesh. My nostrils flare as I take a sharp breath. A tiny bit more pressure and the blade will pierce my skin…

  Stonehart relents. The blade lifts off. My tense body relaxes a fraction of a degree.

  “This is about reminding you who is in control.” His voice sounds low and hoarse, and comes from somewhere far below my spread legs. “Lilly, your body is mine. And if your mind is not yet…” I feel the bed shift with his weight as he climbs between my legs, “… it will be soon.”

  He accentuates the words by licking up, once, over my clit.

  The most appalling and shocking wave of pleasure ripples through me at the touch of his tongue. My natural instinct is to press my knees together and deny him access. But I am helpless against the ropes.

  “You enjoyed that,” Stonehart observes. There is an obvious smugness in his voice that makes me hate him even more. “I can see the way your body trembled. It’s not only fear that’s causing that, is it? It’s also…” he brushes his fingers across my folds, “…arousal.”

  I want to open my eyes and scream at him that I will never feel the least bit aroused when I’m tied up and taken advantage of like a gutted pig, that I will never succumb to the feelings of pleasure and forget my overwhelming hatred for him, and, most of all, that he will never, ever have possession of my mind…

  But all I can do is give pathetic protests that are made unintelligible by the rag he has jammed between my teeth.

  “Yes,” Stonehart continues. His hands trail along both of my legs, up from my knees to my core and back down.

  Damn my skin for exploding into goosebumps at the light touch!

  “Yes, Lilly. I can see how you quiver for me. God, you don’t know how beautiful you are like this. Tied up. Vulnerable. Exposed. And—” his voice becomes an octave lower, “—all mine.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut and scream into the rag.

  “Now, now,” he tsks, ignoring my cry. “What are we going to do with you now? I still have this, you know.” I feel the flat side of the cold knife press into my inner thigh. “But it doesn’t seem much use when you’re already bound. Now, what I could do…” he starts to slide the knife up and down along my skin, “…is cut you loose, and hold you down myself… but where would the fun be in letting you go? The problem is, darling, I’ve come over-prepared.”

  The bed shifts again as Stonehart leans over my body. The smooth fabric of his dress pants brushes against my legs. I can feel his erection just beneath my belly button.

  “Of course, there are those wonderful breasts of yours,” he says. “Those beautiful, magnificent breasts.” He slides the knife around one and then uses the tip to flick my nipple. “It would be a real shame if the blade slipped right now, wouldn’t it?”

  The icy indifference in his voice grips me with a new wave of fear. He wouldn’t… would he?

  Suddenly, the precariousness of my situation becomes all the more horrifying. As I feel the blade flick my nipple back and forth, all I can think of is how easy it would be for him to slip… and how much pain would consume me if he did.

  On the spot, I start to cry.

  You don’t know how humiliating it is to start crying when your eyes and mouth are both covered. How absolutely mortifying it is to hear the pathetic, muffled sounds reach your own ears. It is as good as admitting defeat. It is you—or your body—acknowledging the true hopelessness of a situation.

  It is finally giving up.

  Stonehart tsks. “Sweet Lilly,” he says, brushing a thumb across my cheek. “Sweet, sweet Lilly. Shh, shh. There, there. Don’t cry. I promise, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  His cheek brushes against mine and he concludes in a horrible, raspy voice by my ear, “…much.”

  The next sound I hear is the swoosh of his belt coming off. The rest of the night is drowned out by the muted, feeble sound of my sobs.

  Chapter Two

  I wake up the next morning from a terrible, restless, choppy sleep.

  Stonehart did not just fuck me last night. He did it in a way that removed all traces of humanity from the act. It wiped away any semblance of kindness or compassion I remembered from the night spent in his bed just a day or two ago.

  It was humiliating. In the end, I was glad for the blindfold. I do not know how I would have survived if I had to look in hi
s eyes.

  The entire sequence of events seemed like something from a nightmare. I couldn’t move. I was entirely at his mercy. Hell, I could have been a corpse and he wouldn’t have noticed a difference.

  What frightened me most was the way Stonehart made use of my body as if it were an empty vessel. The presence of the knife made everything worse. I was never sure if he intended to use it or not. I was never sure, if, at the end, he wouldn’t just slit my throat and be done with it.

  But the only time the knife made its appearance was after Stonehart spewed his load all over my bare stomach.

  “I’ve marked you as my own,” he rasped, “but sometimes, I think I’d enjoy something a little more permanent. How about it, Lilly? What if I carve my initials for you, right about… here?” He pressed the knife under my left breast. “Wouldn’t that be nice? A permanent scar that reads J.S. Can you picture that?” He increased the pressure of the knife. “Should I do it, Lilly-flower? What do you think?”

  Thankfully, the frantic shaking of my head dissuaded him from the notion.

  “A shame,” he said, as he removed it from my skin. “But I promised I wouldn’t hurt you if you complied. As you know,” he said, standing up, “I am a man of my word.”

  Then he left, but not before twisting his fingers through my hair and jerking my head up to kiss me roughly.

  Of course, he also cut the bonds holding my arms and legs.

  I waited until I was sure he was gone to push myself up. Trembling, I took the blindfold off and the rag out. Then, too weak to do anything else, I curled up on my side, wrapped a blanket around myself, and tried to sleep.

  ***

  This morning, the sun is shining bright against the gleaming tiles of my room. I look up at the beautiful, huge, wooden beams of the ceiling and think of all the cameras there.