Page 46 of Hush, Hush

“Do you remember what was said the night of the first trial? Once you start, you see it through. You can’t stop now.”

“The hell I can’t. If you so much as touch me, I’ll bring down hell on the Knights. I’ll expose all of your secrets. I saw some of you,” I continue, my mind reeling with the thoughts of the high-powered men in this room. Positions of authority. Rich men who have access to millions and millions. And one of them offered up his own wife?

Disgusting.

My world crumbles around me. Dad told me to be strong, but my weaknesses are on full display. I feel like the jester at court, everyone laughing for how naive I’ve been.

“Hold her. She’ll see reason eventually.”

“We can play pass the virgin. Spread her wide, mouths only. She’ll come around. All the dirty little whores do.”

A hand supports my back as two of the cloaked figures kneel to grab my legs. Panic is at pre-volcano eruption levels, gurgling inside me. I kick out, managing to connect the heel of my shoe to the mask of one of the Knights.

His mask sits askew, and I growl as I recognize his face. More illustrious bastards. If the world only knew.

Survival kicks in. The Knights are too far gone. They’re not just some old boys club where they promise each other favors in business, helping them all to stay on top of a volatile market. They’re so much more sinister than that.

Power corrupts. It bleeds vile, vile things. It’s settled into the heart of these men, and I’m currently in the middle. One lone girl. One lone fight.

I’m not going down like this.

I kick out again. A second after I connect, a roar of pain echoes through the room. I wiggle, twisting and turning, trying to free myself from their grasps. The figure on my left drops my hand, and my momentum sends me down, causing the others to lose their grip.

I spy an opening in the circle, fighting my way out. Elbows, kicks, headbutts. I’m like a rabid animal who desperately seeks light. My hands break free, then my torso. I send a few donkey kicks backward, using my long, lean ballet legs to connect with more men before I scramble on all fours and then sprint.

If I get to the stairs, I’m free.

The tunnel is tight, they won’t all be able to fight me at once. With their cumbersome robes, I should be able to run up the steps faster than the rest.

Where to go after that though? I don’t know. I have only one focus right now.

I run, my hands pumping at my sides, my feet propelling me forward. I hit the first step and a hand scratches down my shoulder and wraps around my bra strap. I keep going, keep fighting. The strap snaps, and I bolt up the stairs, taking them two at a time, praying that years of balance and grace will carry me even further this time.

I spring into the billiard room, bypassing the table with balls still erratically placed when I interruptedhisgame.

Once out into the hallway, I run and run. My footsteps and harsh breaths make me an easy identifiable target, but I keep going. Taking one hallway, then the next. Thunderous footsteps sound behind me, but I keep going.

Ducking under a low archway, I find a different area of the castle. A much older one. I dodge stone pillars, my low heels digging into dirt now. To my right, I spy the night sky through a scattering of stone supports.

A tunnel narrows ahead of me, and I push through, running blindly with just the hint of light from the overhead stars. The silhouette of a bush denotes the end of the tunnel, and I find myself bursting free of the exit, branches scraping against my face.

Now that we’re on dirt, I don’t hear their footsteps following, but I have no doubt they’re there. They’re not going to let me get away with this.

The cold air pricks my skin. My ragged breaths only worsen as I escape. I could run out into the forest or— As I round the bend, I spot a boat getting ready to leave the dock. I have a focus now. A plan. If I can just get on the boat, the captain will take me to safety. I can hide. I’ll call my parents. I’ll tell them what happened. No way will Dad stand for this. Or if he does, I’ll take the Knights down without his help.

Eden will be on my side. She’ll fight for me. This is just the type of cause she’d use to take down the bitter upstart old douches, she would say.

I’m getting closer and closer. The boat is a few feet from the dock now. I can jump, and I might just—

A hand grips my shoulder from behind. My heels twist underneath me, and I go down hard. My hands and knees scrape against the wooden dock, and I cry out in pain. The boat’s motor drowns me out. Burnt oil assaults my nostrils as it gets further away.

“You really shouldn’t have done that, Delilah.”

The guy who caught up to me heaves me forward. I’m still in pain that I don’t realize what he’s doing until I’m falling.

For a split second, I’m in a freefall. Fear stealing my thoughts. I don’t know where I am until I plunge into water. The freezing river steals my breath. Panic claws at me, and I frantically reach through the dark water, searching for the surface.

I’m thrown back in time. Horror closes in and terror binds my throat, making it start to close.

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