by Stella Hart
I guess I’d slipped. I hadn’t been careful enough to avoid danger despite my vow. The men I thought were long-dead must somehow still be alive, and they must’ve paid this strange man to kidnap and torture me; break me down until they were ready to take me back into the fold.
The masked stranger crouched to my level. In the dim light, I could see his eyes gleaming maliciously under the mask. “Still such a pretty girl,” he said softly. “It’s a real shame.”
“Please tell me why I’m here,” I said. I’d asked a thousand times since I was taken, but I couldn’t resist doing it again. I was desperate. “Are you from the Path of the Covenant?”
“You’ll find out who I am soon.”
“Just tell me now!”
He reached through the bars with one arm and coiled his big gloved hand around my neck, squeezing me hard. “Don’t tell me what to do, you little bitch.”
He wrenched the hand away and stood up again. I fell backwards, gasping as I struggled to regain my breath.
One hand went behind my captor’s head to scratch an itch. His mask slipped slightly and I caught sight of the left side of his face. It was deeply scarred, but I still knew exactly who it was in an instant.
The man I once loved.
The man I once thought I’d marry.
Mason Ashwood.
Eyes wide and heart pounding, I stared up at him. “You,” I whispered. “Oh my god… it’s you.”
Horrible images filled my head at the realization of his presence. I thought of blood. Knives. Scars. Venomous snakes.
Most of all, I thought of fire. I pictured the raging, destructive flames which were supposed to cleanse the wicked, freeing them from their sins. I even smelled the smoke and the acrid scent of burning flesh for a second.
I wanted to vomit.
I leaned forward and took a deep breath, pressing one hand to my belly. I hoped the warmth of my skin would relieve the roiling in my guts, but my hand was freezing cold, and the shock from that made me feel even sicker.
“Why now?” I choked out. “It’s been eight years.”
“Why the fuck do you think?” Mason snarled. “I had to wait. I wasn’t given much of a choice.”
“But why?” I shook my head. “Why have you taken me? I don’t understand.”
“You can’t be serious.” He let out a derisive sniff. “Stop playing dumb. I remember that brain of yours. When you weren’t all messed up on fucking tranquilizers, you were a smart girl.”
I shrank back and closed my eyes as another awful image of cascading blood and encroaching darkness appeared in my mind. Oh, god…
“You found out what I did to you, didn’t you?” I said in a small voice. “You know.”
“Yes.”
I rubbed my eyes, hoping that would somehow dispel the images from my head. Then I looked at the gray floor, trying to find my next words.
For years now, I’d thought about what would happen if I ever saw this man again. I’d wondered if I would be too afraid to approach him, or if instead I’d be able to work up the courage to tell him what I did before falling to my knees and begging for his forgiveness.
Apparently, he already knew every detail of my betrayal, and he didn’t forgive me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered anyway.
“Bit late for that now.”
“I know.”
He leaned down again. “You tried to get rid of me.” He shook his head in disgust. “You killed my fucking family,” he went on in a low, dangerous voice.
“No… please…”
“Yes.”
“I… It was a mistake,” I said in a broken whisper. “Please, I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care.”
I went silent for another moment. Then I looked up at him, eyes wide and fearful. “What are you going to do to me?”
“I’m going to punish you. You deserve every ounce of pain,” he said. “When I have what I want from you, I’ll end it.”
I knew what that meant, and it wasn’t that he would finally end the torture and free me.
“You’re going to kill me,” I said in a flat voice.
He nodded. “Yes, Jolie. I’m going to kill you.”
Tears slid down my face, but I didn’t protest his words. I understood now.
I closed my eyes again as my mind drifted back in time. Of course this man wanted to punish me for the way I betrayed him all those years ago.
I deserved it.
I deserved it all.
Pre-order Taken here!
More Information
Preorder the original sin series now:
Taken
Torment
Toy
Please subscribe to my newsletter for updates on releases!