Page 19 of Bought to Break
The urge to run grew, but she held her ground. He wanted her to flee, she realised. This was some sort of test, and nothing good would come of failing – although nothing good might come of prevailing either, she supposed.
She drew in a ragged breath.
‘What did you say her name was? Lana?’
She forced herself to nod, though he wasn’t speaking to her.
‘Lana.’ He stood up from his chair, finally addressing her –had he really not been standing before?– and moved to the front of his desk. He leant against it. ‘Take off your dress.’
Her hands moved before she realised they had. They began to pluck at the knot where the laces were tied and she couldn’t stop them. Her eyes flew to his and she suddenly knew with a dawning horror what hisgiftwas. He couldmakepeople do things. Things they didn’t want to do.
She willed her hands to halt, but they continued to try to untie the strings holding the dress together, and she thanked the gods that they had twisted and gnarled into a secure knot while she’d been riding.
She felt a tear slip down her cheek and cursed her weakness. She could hear Sorin yelling behind her, but she couldn’t hear properly through the roaring in her ears as she fought past the compulsion to do as Kane had commanded. Her hands slowed and she took a steadying breath. She looked back at Kane. He hadn’t moved, but Viktor was standing between him and her. He looked furious. She slowly cast her eyes back down to her hands. It felt as if time were standing still, or at least moving very, very slowly. With all of her will, she told her wayward fingers to stop and move back to her sides. Miraculously, they did, and when she looked back at Kane, she registered surprise, even shock.
‘Stop. It,’ she ground out, and the pressure suddenly disappeared. She fell to her knees, breathing hard. She felt Sorin catch her as darkness claimed her.
Lana wokeup some time later on her side on one of the massive cots, still in the tent. Sorin hovered nearby; she could hear him murmuring to someone. He appeared in her view.
‘Are you all right?’ He looked so concerned, she almost laughed. He and Viktor had put her in Kane’s hands. They must have known what would happen, and he had the gall to be afraid for her?
‘Why did you bring me here?’ Her voice sounded so feeble and broken, she had to close her eyes so she couldn’t see the useless sympathy showing on his face. ‘Was it all a trick? Buy a slave, give her a taste of freedom so when you rip it away, she will truly be broken?’ She felt tears wetting the pillow next to her cheek.
‘Oh, Lana,no. Please believe me. We didn’t know he was going to do that to you.’
Liar.
A hand caressed her face and she flinched away from it. It was false. All of it. It would have been kinder for them to have left her with Ather that day, and she said as much.
‘I’m sorry, love.’Love?‘What he did was wrong. He knows he took it too far. He will make amends, I promise.’
She didn’t acknowledge his words. She cracked her eyes open a tiny bit and watched him leave the tent a short time later. Outside, it was dark, and she was alone for the first time in days. She sat up quickly and pulled the knife she’d stolen from its hiding place. Perhaps she should thank the third Brother. He’d made this very easy. Gods, that first night with them seemed a lifetime ago now.
She found her thick cloak first and fastened it snuggly around her shoulders. Then, she went to the back of the tent, knelt down and slowly cut the threads of a seam, forming a small hole just large enough for her to squeeze through. She peeked out into the black and, finding no one passing, darted out into the shadows of one of the smaller tents. The sky was dark and cold and the wind was picking up. Not the best night for an escape with a storm probably coming in fast, but this might be her only chance. She would not survive here.
Kane could make her do anything. Anything he wanted. It was enough to drive anyone mad. Had they done this before to other people? To other women? She clenched her jaw. Well, she would not let it happen to her. If she were strong enough, she would kill Kane to ensure he couldn’t do it again to anyone else. But she wasn’t.
How odd it was that her reasons for wanting to flee Viktor and Sorin were completely the reverse when it came to escaping the third Brother. She would miss them, but only as a moth yearning for a flame. They had brought her here, after all, to the lair of the beast. They didn’t care about her really. The taste of affection they’d given her had been a way to keep her pliable. That was all, and she had fallen for it like the naïve child she was. She felt a pang in her heart and her eyes filled with tears, but she dug her knuckles into her eyes and willed them clear. It was time to leave, not to cry.
She made her way to where she knew the horses were roaming. The sentry was asleep against a tree, a wineskin resting on his knee, and she thanked the gods.
She peered through the darkness at the camp. Fifteen men were gathered around the fires, including the Brothers. She watched them silently for a moment. They were arguing quietly amongst themselves. Perhaps they were disagreeing about what misery to inflict upon her next.
Sorin got up and stalked angrily away from the fire, and her stomach lurched. If he went to the tent, he’d find her missing. But he just walked to the trees a short distance from the others for a piss. Viktor and Kane were still exchanging words. Suddenly Kane fell silent, looking out into the gloom. Directly at her!
He couldn’t see her, could he? She held her breath, and after a moment he shook his head as if to clear it and re-joined the argument. Lana dared not tarry any longer. She grabbed the reins of the nearest horse, whispering to him, stroking him calm as she led him into the trees. He came with her as docilely as a gelding.
When she was far enough away, she hefted herself – not without difficulty – onto his back and slowly circled around to the road, back the way they’d travelled this morning. From there she urged him into a canter just as the rain, thunder and lightning descended, but she didn’t care. Cold and wet were nothing. She was truly free and she would do everything in her power to keep it that way.
Chapter 10
Kane
Kane stared again into the darkness of the forest past their camp, something niggling at him. But there was no one there, he was sure of it.
‘… and when she wakes up, you will beg her forgiveness for what you did to her.’ Sorin was droning on again.
‘So you’ve told me at length, Sorin. I don’t see why you’re both so enthralled by her, truth be told. She’s no more special than a pretty whore as far as I can see.’
