Page 15 of Captive Union
After standing still for a moment, I turn away from him and start to take off my dress. First, the straps fall down my arms. Then, I tug at the skirt until the dress pools around my feet. Tears start to fall from my eyes, making the room look blurry. I know why Erik is doing this. It’s a power move. He wants to show me that I belong to him and not try to fight it.
With my bra and underwear still on, I look over my shoulder to see Erik watching me with intense desire in his eyes. I’ve never had a man look at me like that before. Whenever I was allowed out to functions with my family, it was always Elena who got all the attention. Granted, she’s ten years older than me, seeing as I was a surprise baby. But she’s always been the family beauty, so it’s no surprise that many men desired her. I’ve even caught men looking at my mother. But never me.
Even as I’ve grown into a woman, I’ve always felt shabby compared to my mother and sister. But now, as Erik looks my backside over, I feel a strange stirring within me. I don’t know how to place it. I feel intimidated yet flattered, and for some reason, I don’t want him to stop looking at me like that, though I would never admit it out loud.
I look away as I tug off my bra and inhale deeply before tugging my underwear down. The minute it lands at my feet, I know there’s no turning back. I have to turn around to get to the shower, but I’m frozen in the spot. When I do turn around, Erik will see all of me. He’ll be the first man ever to see me naked.
I clutch an arm over my breasts and place my hand to cover my pubic area as I finally find the courage to face him.
Erik sucks in a breath as his eyes rake me over. That stirring feeling returns, but this time, it settles between my legs. I hate that he has to be so handsome. It would be easier to hate him otherwise. And while I do hate him, I can’t deny that I feel drawn to him, despite how scary he is.
Erik doesn’t say a word as I stand there. He simply rubs a finger over his lips as he leans back in his seat. He spreads his legs wider, getting more comfortable. This is a subtle dance, showing the power he has over me.
“Don’t you want to take a shower now?” His words break me out of his spell.
I rush towards the shower, only pausing when I realize I’ll have to use one hand to open the door. I quickly let go of my breasts and yank the shower door open and step inside.
Keeping my back to Erik, I turn on the shower and let out a little scream as the water reigns down on me cold.
“Sorry. I should have warned you,” he says. “You need to wait for it to warm up.”
I just nod, keeping my hands over my body. Finally, the water begins to warm, and I feel my body relax a fraction. Knowing he can’t see my front, I let go of my body and start to scrub all the blood away. Some of it has crusted into my hair, some on my face, and some on my arms. My dress got the brunt of it. It’s a shame that it’s stained—I really liked that one. Just another thing I’ll never have again.
I think back to my mom on the day we got the dress, how she was being her normal, critical self. I never thought I’d miss her. I know she wanted to help me when Erik took me. I don’t blame her or Elena for not trying harder. When you have a gun pointed at you, self-preservation kicks in. And I don’t want them dying for me anyway. I want all my family alive so that, hopefully, I’ll return to them in the future.
Hopefully.
The water turns red as it washes down the drain and the blood is cleaned from my body. For a moment, I forget I have a scary man behind me, watching me.
But then I remember, and I freeze. I wrap my arms around myself again and lean against the shower wall, still facing away from him. All the fear, the pain, the sorrow I’ve felt in these past few hours makes me suddenly start crying.
Not sniffles but big, ugly sobs that wrack my entire body. My tears mix with the water. I can’t stop.
I jump when the shower door opens, and yet, my tears show no sign of stopping. I freeze when Erik reaches around me to turn off the shower. His hand lingers on the tap, inches away from my body. Will he reach over and touch me? I don’t want him to as much as I do. God, this is so confusing.
I feel relieved and a little disappointed when he removes his hand from the tap.
“Here,” he says softly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a fluffy white robe. “You can put this on.”
I grab it quickly and cover my body. The robe is instantly soaked from all the water on me, but I don’t care. It’s a sense of comfort, and I need that.
“Aren’t you going to say thank you?”
I squeeze my eyes shut before whispering, “Thank you.”
“You may get out now.” I hear him step away before I finally let myself face him. Erik’s looking at me with an expression I never thought I’d see from him—pity. Why does my captor feel bad for me? If he wanted to let me go, he could.
I step out of the shower, never wanting to go back in.
Erik starts to walk toward the stairs. “You’re going to remain here for the night. I can’t risk your brothers finding you, and I need you to stay hidden a bit longer. You can do that for me, right?”
I don’t have a choice. We both know this. So all I do is nod.
“Good girl,” he growls before walking up the steps and shutting the door. I can hear the lock click into place.
I slump onto the bed, feeling drained of all my energy.
I regret all the times I wanted to stay in my room instead of spending it with family. Because now, it’s just me, all on my own.
